A recent post on X by @ByuSome has been circulating, revealing that Deseret Book currently sells two children’s books addressing the theme of Heavenly Mother. A Girl’s Guide to Heavenly Mother by McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding and A Boy’s Guide to Heavenly Mother by McArthur Krishna and Martin Pulido were written with the intention of educating young men and young women on the topic of our Heavenly Mother, claiming that “to more fully understand the restored doctrine of Heavenly Parents, we all need a deeper knowledge of our Heavenly Mother.”
Both books are divided into three sections. For the boys, the sections are titled: “Know Your Heavenly Mother… and Yourself!” “Understand Marvelous Truths About Your Life,” and “Create Change for a More Loving World.” The book directed toward the girls is divided into the sections “Know Your Heavenly Mother,” “Understand the Magnificent Truths About Yourself,” and “Create Change For a More Loving World.” Both books are written in a simple writing style and address only one topic: Heavenly Mother. The books teach many truths about our Heavenly Mother and include various quotes from general authorities. Some of those truths include the fact that She is united with Heavenly Father and, as children of Heavenly Parents, all people, both men and women, have divine potential and perfect examples in their Heavenly Parents.
The most recent comment from a General Authority regarding Heavenly Mother comes from Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In his April 2022 talk “Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny,” he teaches that “very little has been revealed about Mother in Heaven, but what we do know is summarized in a Gospel Topics essay found in our Gospel Library application.” In the essay, we learn that the belief in a Heavenly Mother is unique to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is a revered doctrine. It also teaches that “our heavenly parents work together for the salvation of the human family,” and Latter-day Saints are taught to worship “Heavenly Father, in the name of Christ, and do not pray to Heavenly Mother.”
In both books, the authors encourage readers to direct their thoughts toward Heavenly Mother during times of worship, such as while studying the scriptures and during Sacrament Meeting– a time for worshipers to bring their thoughts towards Jesus Christ and His redeeming sacrifice. This practice has not been suggested or encouraged by Church leaders, who frequently emphasize the importance of recognizing the role that Jesus Christ plays in the lives of His followers during church services. Additionally, the book recommends we “practice equality” in light of Heavenly Mother’s role; this recommendation is blatantly political, along with other themes in the book mentioned here.
In his address, Elder Renlund also warns: “Seeking greater understanding is an important part of our spiritual development, but please be cautious. Reason cannot replace revelation. Speculation will not lead to greater spiritual knowledge, but it can lead us to deception or divert our focus from what has been revealed.” The Lord has revealed many truths about Heavenly Mother, found in the divinely appointed sources set out by the Church, such as the Gospel Topics essays that Elder Renlund cites in his talk. Many of those truths are found in the books A Girl’s Guide to Heavenly Mother and A Boy’s Guide to Heavenly Mother, but many of the teachings in the book are speculation portrayed as doctrine. One example of this speculation is found early in The Girl’s Guide, where the authors teach that when the scriptures refer to God, they refer to both Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. The Church has never shared that teaching nor portrayed it as doctrine.
The Church acknowledges that “our present knowledge about a Mother in Heaven is limited” and that “we have been given sufficient knowledge to appreciate the sacredness of this doctrine and to comprehend the divine pattern established for us as children of heavenly parents.” The role of Heavenly Mother is respected and sacred within the Church, and many Church leaders have taught of Her important partnership with Heavenly Father and testified of the love that She has for her children.
As with all the Church’s teachings, the doctrine of Heavenly Mother is centered in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel Topics essay on Heavenly Parents teaches that children of God should “strive to develop the godly attributes possessed by our heavenly parents” and that “these attributes are exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ.”
Deseret Book has not responded for comment.
Written by: Reagan Sumrall
Senior Contributor at the Cougar Chronicle
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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