Monday, August 19, 2019

Christina Darlington Embarrasses Herself on the LDS Doctrine of a Mother in Heaven


Commenting on the Gospel Topics Essay addressing the muted LDS belief in a Mother in Heaven (“Mother in Heaven”) Christina Darlington wrote:

They admit,

“While there is no record of a formal revelation to Joseph Smith on this doctrine, some early Latter-day Saint women recalled that he personally taught them about a Mother in Heaven. The earliest published references to the doctrine appeared shortly after Joseph Smith’s death in 1844, in documents written by his close associates. The most notable expression of the idea is found in a poem by Eliza R. Snow, entitled ‘My Father in Heaven’ and now known as the hymn ‘O My Father.’”

So, here we see that this foundational teaching within Mormonism is based only on a poem written by Eliza R. Snow. (Christina R. Darlington, Misguided by Mormonism But Redeemed by God’s Grace: Leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for Biblical Christianity [2d ed.; 2019], 47, emphasis in original)

While we will address some of her other arguments on the topic of a Mother in Heaven, we can already see how deceptive and disingenuous Darlington is on this point. How so? Because the essay does not say that the doctrine is based “only” on a poem by Eliza R. Snow (a plural wife of Joseph Smith who would have been familiar with Joseph Smith’s teachings that may not have been publicised too much). The essay also reference the following from another close associate of the Prophet’s in endnote no. 4:

W. W. Phelps, “Come to Me,” in “Poetry, for the Times and Seasons,” Times and Seasons 6 (Jan. 15, 1845): 783.

In hymn he composed for the dedication of the Seventies Hall in Nauvoo in Dec 1844, W.W. Phelps made the first known public declaration of the doctrine of a Heavenly Mother:

A VOICE FROM THE PROPHET. "COME TO ME." BY W. W. PHELPS, ESQ. --TUNE -- "Indian Hunter." --

Come to me, will ye come to the saints that have died,
To the next better world, where the.
Come to me where the truth and the virtues prevail;
Where the union is one, and the years never fail;
Where a heart can't conceive, nor a nat'ral eye see,
What the Lord has prepar'd for the just: Come to me.
Come to me where there is no destruction or war;
Neither tyrants, or mobbers, or nations ajar;
Where the system is perfect, and happiness free,
And the life is eternal with God: Come to me.
Come to me, will ye come to the mansions above,
Where the bliss and the knowledge, the light, and the love,
Death, the wages of sin, is not here: Come to me.
Come to me, here are Adam and Eve at the head
Of a multitude, quicken'd and rais'd from the dead:
Here's the knowledge that was, or that is, or will be
In the gen'ral assembly of worlds: Come to me.
Come to me; here's the myst'ry that man hath not seen:
Here's our Father in heaven, and Mother, the Queen,
Here are worlds that have been, and the worlds yet to be:
Here's eternity, -- endless; amen: Come to me.
Come to me all ye faithful and blest of Nauvoo:
Come ye Twelve, and ye High Priests, and Seventies, too;
Come ye Elders, and all of the great company;
When you've finish'd your work on the earth: Come to me.
Come to me; here's the future, the present and past:
Here is Alpha, Omega, the first and the last;
Here's the fountain, the "river of life," and the Tree:
Here's your Prophet & Seer, JOSEPH SMITH: Come to me. (emphasis added)

Phelps, it should be noted, was Joseph Smith’s ghostwriter (i.e., was commissioned to write using the name of Joseph Smith; on this, see Samuel Brown, “The Translator and the Ghostwriter: Joseph Smith and W. W. Phelps,” Journal of Mormon History vol. 34, no. 1 [Winter 2008], pp. 26-62).

Interestingly, a possible case for belief in a divine feminine is found in the Book of Mormon. See Daniel C. Peterson, Nephi and his Asherah: A Note on 1 Nephi 11:8-23.

One has to realise that, for Darlington, as she operates under the false doctrine (and presumption of) Sola Scriptura, there must be an explicit scriptural statement affirming doctrine ‘x’ for ‘x’ to be true. Of course, this is anti-biblical. For a thorough refutation (as well as exegesis of key texts such as 2 Tim 3:16-17), see:


Interestingly enough, even Darlington admits that Sola Scriptura itself, and the cessation of special revelation (a prerequisite for the Protestant understanding of "tota" scriptura [which is required for sola scriptura to be in effect, as discussed in my essay above]) is also not directly taught by the Bible:

. . . it is true that there is no specific verse in the Bible that says that God’s revelation in the form of Scripture is completely closed. (Ibid., 7)

Continuing on her misinformed comments about a Mother in Heaven, Darlington continues:

Yet, this teaching lies at the heart of the Mormon belief in a preexistence. (Ibid., 47)

Actually, one could argue rather reasonably that belief in a Mother in Heaven is not at the heart of the Latter-day Saint belief that everyone personally pre-existed. Indeed, the belief was explicated by Joseph Smith in uniquely Latter-day Saint Scriptures before any mention of a Heavenly Mother was mentioned in LDS literature, such as D&C 93 and Abraham 3 in the Pearl of Great Price.

Furthermore, Christology is, I would argue, at the heart of the Latter-day Saint doctrine that we all pre-existed personally, not Jesus only as it preserves the true humanity of Jesus. On the issue of pre-existence, only LDS, not the Trinitarian, model allows for one to speak of Jesus pre-existing, as well as allowing for his (personal) pre-existence not to conflict with his being truly and fully human. For a fuller discussion, see:


Furthermore, Joseph Smith did not teach the later doctrine of “spirit birth”; such would be something developed by B.H. Roberts (1857-1933), as seen in his book, The Mormon Doctrine of Deity (1903). For a fuller discussion, see the following posts by Jonathan Stapley:


and


For useful and informative discussions of the LDS belief in a Mother in Heaven (something you will never get from Darlington), see:


Kevin L. Barney, How to worship Our Mother in Heaven (Without Getting Excommunicated) (cf. his shorter study, published by FairMormon, Do We Have a Mother in Heaven?)


Stephen Smoot, I've a Mother There