God's wife, the mysterious mother of Mormons

The doctrine of Heavenly Mother offers hope for the position of women within the Mormon church

A programme on BBC2 has made news for presenting scholar Francesca Stavrakopoulou's theory that "God had a wife". The reactions from the religious and academic world were varied, but for Mormons, it can best be summed up as, "Yeah. We know."

The doctrine of Heavenly Mother was introduced by Joseph Smith in the early days of the church, and affirmed by prophet after prophet in the years since, but without much elaboration. Much of the discussion about Heavenly Mother consists of references to the logic of the relationship – if God is the father of our spirits, as Mormons believe, then there would need to be a mother. The best known of these arguments is found in a favourite Mormon hymn written by Eliza Snow....

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