Asherah and the Heavenly Mother of Mormonism

14 July

Asherah and the Heavenly Mother of Mormonism

Jeremiah 7:17-18; “Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?  18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

Melissa alerted me to an article in the Deseret News and boy was it ever an eye-opener.  The topic?  God has a wife.  Now for the Mormon this isn’t “big news” and shouldn’t cause alarm to anyone reading their daily dose of Mormon propaganda.  What is startling is how the Mormon Church doesn’t give the readers or members the truth of a heavenly mother or as the Bible says “queen of heaven”.

Mormons have long maintained the Mormon god is a polygamist and each person here on earth is a product of a sexual union in the pre-existence.

Orson Pratt, The Seer, pg. 37;Each God, through his wife or wives, raises up a numerous family of sons and daughters; indeed, there will be no end to the increase of his own children: for each father and mother will be in a condition to multiply forever and ever.”

Encyclopedia of Joseph Smith’s Teachings, pg. 436;“Will I know my mother as my mother when I get over on the Other Side?”…”Certainly you will,” was the instant reply of the Prophet. “More than that, you will meet and become acquainted with your eternal Mother, the wife of your Father in Heaven.”…”And have I then a Mother in Heaven?” exclaimed the astonished girl…”You assuredly have. How could a Father claim His title unless there were also a Mother to share that parenthood?”

 Ensign, November 1991; “Logic and reason would certainly suggest that if we have a Father in Heaven, we have a Mother in Heaven. That doctrine rests well with me. However, in light of the instruction we have received from the Lord Himself, I regard it as inappropriate for anyone in the Church to pray to our Mother in Heaven…The fact that we do not pray to our Mother in Heaven in no way belittles or denigrates her…none of us can add to or diminish the glory of whom we have no revealed knowledge” – Gordon B. Hinckley

These kinds of statements from the self proclaimed prophets of God make me physically and spiritually sick.  Why would you even entertain this idea?  The newspaper has an obligation to report truth; at least that’s what I was taught in my Utah high school journalism class.

Since they won’t report the truth about the queen in heaven or a heavenly mother, I will.

Asherah, Ashtoreth, Ashtaroth, Isis, Ishtar, are all derivatives for the same female goddess.  She had different names for each of the cultures she showed up in, but the common denominator was that she was a representation of sex and fertility.

This false goddess is also referred to in the Bible as the wooden altars in a grove of trees. Deut. 12:2-3 and Jeremiah 44:16-19.

Interestingly enough a grove in the forest is where Smith went to pray and supposedly received his first vision.  I find it interesting that he’d have a dark power envelop him as he went to the woods to pray.  Keep in mind Smith was already practicing in the occult with divining rods, mysticism and seer stones; these things being taught to him by his own parents.

Joseph Smith Testimony 1:14-15; “So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.  15 After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.

And then in a 25 page article written by Mormon apologist Daniel Petersen we see another example of the heresy preached to people like my own mother.  In his article “Nephi and his Asherah” Petersen writes that Nephi may have thought the vision of the tree was actually a portrayal of the Virgin Mary.

“Why would Nephi see a connection between a tree and the virginal mother of a divine child? I believe that Nephi’s vision reflects a meaning of the “sacred tree” that is unique to the ancient Near East, and that, indeed, can only be fully appreciated when the ancient Canaanite and Israelite associations of that tree are borne in mind.” (1)

This is why the lies continue.  How sad for the average Mormon when their leaders go about writing these things.

I’ve always thought Jeremiah and Ezekiel were the best Bible studies I’ve ever done to help clear the confusion in my mind caused by the Book of Mormon.  It seemed that every single thing the Nephites did was exactly the opposite of what God told the Israelites to do.  Nephites had a holy land named Mulek, and in the Bible Mulek is an idol fire god; God told the Israelites not to leave Jerusalem, yet Nephi and family packed their bags and split.  There’s another twist and turn to every aspect of their story and this brings us to the story of Asherah.

Asherah or Ashtoreth is known as the moon goddess of the Phoenicians that represented a female deity who was frequently associated with Baal, the sun god who is their male chief deity.  She was Ishtar of the Accadians and Astarte of the Greeks.  King Solomon allowed her into his temple for worship (1 Kings 11:33).  In Jeremiah 44:25 she was referred to as the queen of heaven.  It is probable that Jezebel’s 400 priests were employed in its service.  (1 Kings 18:19)  See Holman’s Bible Dictionary.

The reason God allowed the Assyrians and Babylonians to destroy the kingdoms of Israel and Judah was because of their sin.  As noted above, Solomon allowed his concubines to bring false goddesses into the Holy Temple and the Southern Kingdom of Israel was busily worshipping the trees and earth down in Jerusalem.

Israel went back and forth with God all the time.  We see numerous accounts of God’s blessing them with times of peace and then punishment because of their insurrection.  They promised to obey when Moses came down with the 2nd set of tablets from Mt. Sinai and then fell into idolatry from the time of Judges to when Samuel liberated them from the Philistines in 1 Samuel 7:4.  And if that wasn’t bad enough, the everyday Israelite went ahead and followed in their leader’s footsteps by worshipping the female fertility goddesses brought into the temple by no less than Solomon himself.

Just a little bit of homework would show anyone that Asherah isn’t anything you want in your life if you’re a God-fearing Christian, plain and simple it is idolatry.  It takes honor away from God and takes away the amount of time that should be spent worshipping Him.  Instead, we see the Mormon people have been carefully groomed into believing the lies and their monolithic behavior is evident of their choices to not open their Bibles.

These are the things people like my mother know nothing about.  They listen to their prophet’s voice just like they’ve been told to do without even wondering for a moment why they need to listen to God.

I have one simple question for the Mormon:

What’s the difference between Asherah and a heavenly mother goddess wife who lives in the heavens and is eternally pregnant?

Joseph Smith’s polygamy problem and his introduction of a heavenly mother are just far too similar to be a mere coincidence.  What’s the phrase…if you don’t learn anything from history you’re bound to repeat it?

In the words of John MacArthur about Mormonism: “Mormonism is wrong in epic proportions.”  I have to say I couldn’t agree more.  Please, pray for my people with us won’t you?

With Love in Christ, Michelle Grim

 1. Maxwell Institute

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14 Responses to “Asherah and the Heavenly Mother of Mormonism”

  1. John July 15, 2011 at 8:32 am #

    Indeed, these beliefs are silly. They are inventions of the mind to offer consolation for life’s woes.

    The idea of a heavenly mother is dwarfed in absurdity only by the idea of a heavenly father who watches over everything do, intervening at times when people ask him to enough through prayer.

  2. . Wayne Nigh September 24, 2013 at 2:36 am #

    I was introduced to the idea of a “mother-god” recently. To say the least, I was totally shocked. How dreadful. On the other hand, Roman catholics have a “heavenly Mother.” Why not Mormons?I’m sure most Mormons do not know of this wretched doctrine, which according to the Bible is false. The basic idea of a “female goddess” goes way back to Sumernium times and was associated with “Allah” The symbol was a crescent moon and on and on goes the pagan story.Thank God for the truth of the Scriptures and the clear record of history!

  3. LifeAfter September 24, 2013 at 2:51 am #

    Amen to that!
    I was saved 20 years ago and still can’t believe I was so blind. I’m SO grateful that He is patient! I keep saying that if they’d just open up their Bibles…
    Thanks for visiting the site and adding your insight!
    Michelle Grim
    1 Cor 1:18

  4. Kim Siever June 16, 2014 at 12:51 am #

    Daniel Peterson has never been an apostle.

    • LifeAfter June 16, 2014 at 4:41 pm #

      Dear Kim –
      You’re right! I want to thank you for catching that. It should have said apologist and thankfully we’ve changed that to reflect the correct info. Appreciate the heads up. God bless!
      Michelle

  5. Oswaldo Tello October 14, 2017 at 1:55 pm #

    Thank you very very much for strengthen my testimony about the LDS Church an its doctrine!

    • Melissa Grimes October 15, 2017 at 11:52 pm #

      How very sad, the need to believe in a false goddess is so strong in you that you refuse to see the truth.

      Psalm 81:12-So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

      Praying you will accept God’s truth before he gives you over to your stubbornness.- Melissa Grimes

  6. Anonymous December 11, 2017 at 4:46 am #

    Your article is misleading people. The Latter-Day Saints did not assert not confirm that the heavenly mother that they have no revealed knowledge of is Asherah. Your putting words to other people’s mouth in a desperate attempt to connect Asherah to the doctrine of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. How Pathetic!

  7. Anonymous December 11, 2017 at 4:47 am #

    Your article is misleading people. The Latter-Day Saints did not assert not confirm that the heavenly mother that they have no revealed knowledge of is Asherah. Your putting words to other people’s mouth in a desperate attempt to connect Asherah to the doctrine of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

  8. Ross January 10, 2018 at 4:15 am #

    See the article : ” LDS TEMPLE SYMBOLS MOTHER GODDESS ” , by Pinterest . The asherah is pictured standing in the SLC , mormon temple , celestial room , above the vail . This is the very image and similitude , of the ashtoreth , which represents , the original satanic plot , and mormon doctrine today , which is called , ” the plan of progression ” . THE LORD GOD JEHOVAH , has hated it , and all it’s associations , since the before the beginning of time . On all occasions , He has ordered His servants , to cut it down , burn it up , and ground that abomination into dust . The asherah , is the idol of the transvestite lucifer – the queen of heaven , aka the great whore of babylon . The general mormon church membership , has been mislead to believe , that it is ” our mother in heaven ” , another false doctrine , that is more palatable , to the credulous and deluded . The mormon church is a big confidence racket , that is not reality and nor true . THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST is absolutely , and dead set against , this atrocity . The ramifications and fall out , of this discloser , are utterly tremendous . To get some idea , of the implications , see the article : ” Why Are There Paintings Depicting Ritual Abuse On Display at the Las Vegas Courthouse ? ” , by The Vigilant Citizen . Go through all the comments , to find the choice ones , on mormonism and deliverance .

  9. Anonymous January 21, 2018 at 9:04 pm #

    By this same logic, since Jehovah was once symbolized by a Calf, then Jehovah is also a false God. Be very careful with the Bible. Make sure you fully understand it before you quote it. The Kingdom of Israel started worshiping the Calf under the reign of Jeroboam. He quoted Aaron, and we know from historical context that Aaron was more likely building a tribute to Yahweh (Jehovah), however (depending on which biblical author you read) he was corrupted or the people where corrupted and misinterpreted his calf.

    I’m not saying Asherah is a Heavenly Mother, I’m saying that even early symbols of Jehovah became idols and drew the hearts of the people away from Christ. I would invite you to understand what the Bible really teaches before you try and abolish the beliefs of another religion. Keep in mind, there are many people that make the same claim about the Garden of Eden as you just did about the Joseph Smith story.

    I expected more from you.

  10. Anonymous January 21, 2018 at 9:04 pm #

    By this same logic, since Jehovah was once symbolized by a Calf, then Jehovah is also a false God. Be very careful with the Bible. Make sure you fully understand it before you quote it. The Kingdom of Israel started worshiping the Calf under the reign of Jeroboam. He quoted Aaron, and we know from historical context that Aaron was more likely building a tribute to Yahweh (Jehovah), however (depending on which biblical author you read) he was corrupted or the people where corrupted and misinterpreted his calf.

    I’m not saying Asherah is a Heavenly Mother, I’m saying that even early symbols of Jehovah became idols and drew the hearts of the people away from Christ. I would invite you to understand what the Bible really teaches before you try and abolish the beliefs of another religion. Keep in mind, there are many people that make the same claim about the Garden of Eden as you just did about the Joseph Smith story.

    I expected more from you.

  11. Mike Day March 21, 2018 at 3:43 pm #

    You might want to do some research into the actual facts regarding the Bible. Read John Day, or James Kugel, or Richard Friedman for starters. After reading some actual scholarship on the Bible, you might start to understand more about court histories, the reforms of Josiah, and how the Bible was actually put together. Read anything by the esteemed scholar Margaret Barker. Or read Mark Smith’s “The Early History of God” – these scholars will help you see the ignorance of this article. God bless!

  12. Anonymous April 9, 2018 at 12:48 am #

    I am confused concerning the criticism of specific high places, as they were used many time by various ancient prophets, and were only taken down by Josiah when they had been polluted. Also, Asherah isn’t referred to as a female deity within the Mormon religion, there have been some scholars that have theorized as such, but the LDS church has never responded to these claims nor affirmed them in any way. Many ancient Israelite traditions point to a possible Heavenly Mother. Within Israelite tradition Asherah was known as being the wife of El the Father God, and both were actually considered to be the parents of Jehovah.
    Disagreeing with this belief is perfectly fine, but I would present all of the information in an honest way before criticizing any faith.

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