Vol. 9, No. 6, 1992

Articles on Mormonism

Marsha Norton

Contributing Writer

A few months ago the 162 Semi-Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint Church was held. This conference received much publicity.

But there was also another LDS gathering that was not so well covered.

About 100 LDS men and women met at the University of Utah to discuss the controversial issue of praying to a Mother in Heaven.

Two years ago in May 1990, Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor to the LDS president, gave a speech discouraging "women from praying publicly to a heavenly mother" (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6 April 1991, p. 2B).

Three LDS women from Salt Lake City, Lynne Kanauel-Whiteside, Margaret Tuscano, and Martha Esplin, opposed Hinckley's speech.

"'I think President Hinckley's picture of God is different from mine and my friends,' Kanauel-Whiteside told those gathered for the Mormon Women's Forum. `In fact, I think there are many different pictures of God. God will be as we make God to be.'"

"Tuscano said Hinckley told women not to pray to a heavenly mother because scripture and teachings by church leaders do not validate the practice" (Ibid).

Further dissension in the LDS body was echoed by member Martha Pierce who explained that "church leaders have no right to tell women not to pray to a heavenly mother" (Ibid).