Of God and Goddesses - Supplementary Material

Of God and Goddesses – Supplementary Material:

Subsequent Questions, Answers, and Observations:

After writing and sharing the original version of my essay “Of God and Goddesses”, some of my friends asked me to explain more fully or to support my claims. I took up the challenge; and in the following essays, I do so.

Of the Holy Ghost:

In my original essay, “Of God and Goddesses”, I initially tried not to quote sources and supply evidence for any of my claims or assumptions. I wanted to do that for a couple of reasons. First, it makes for an easier and quicker read, and a shorter essay. As one can see, the addendums end up being eight times longer than the original essay. Secondly, I wanted to emphasize the fact that that essay was totally based upon assumption and speculation. I wanted to stress the fact that I had no Divine or earthly authority to say and write what I was saying and writing therein. Thirdly, I wanted the essay to be inter-denominational or universal. I didn't want to bring sectarian squabbling into it, with everyone trying to debate who is right and who is wrong. I just wanted to present the ideas and let the readers draw their own conclusions.

After presenting the original essay to a few friends and receiving feedback from them, the most common request was for me to supply sources or an explanation for my chosen assumptions and chosen beliefs. I have done so in these supplementary essays.

My ideas about the Holy Ghost generated some of the most interesting questions and responses.

At the LDS Freedom Forum, one person suggested that Jesus had 12 male apostles and 12 female apostles. He or she wrote: “Someone once said that Jesus had 12 male apostles and 12 female apostles. I believe that to be true. Taking that idea, might your multiple Holy Ghost wives actually be some sort of apostolic organization? It's an interesting thought, to me at least.”

I do know that when Joseph Smith was restoring the Temple Endowment and sharing it with the 12 apostles, it was absolutely essential in his mind that the wives of the 12 apostles be there with their husbands, when the 12 apostles were receiving their Endowment. Let's face it, a priest really isn't much of a priest without a priestess by his side. Godhood simply isn't possible without the Goddesses. A Chief really isn't much of a Chief without a bunch of squaws and indians to follow him and obey his commands. I believe that there is something unique, special, and wonderful going on where the Holy Ghost is concerned.

So, when will the Holy Spirits and the Holy Ghost receive their physical bodies? They will be born during the Millennium when their services are no longer needed.

The idea that the Holy Ghost might be a female came to me in force from the video and speech entitled “Wisdom and the Spirit in Restoration Scripture” by Alyson Von Feldt and from the video and speech entitled “The Woman Clothed with the Sun in the Book of Revelation” by Margaret Barker. Valerie Hudson in her video and speech about “The Two Trees” also gave much food for thought. Obviously, it was the females who opened my mind to the possibility that the Holy Ghost might be female. Over and over again, these women implied that the Holy Spirit might in fact be the Lady Wisdom spoken of in Proverbs and the other wisdom books.

Dr. Margaret Barker (a Methodist Minister), and the people at the Academy for Temple Studies, and the professors who study Temple Theology were the people who let the cat out of the bag, by suggesting that the Holy Ghost might be female. I'm simply pursuing what it might mean to me. I do find it interesting that the LDS Temple Endowment is as much about the females as it is about the males, if not more so. Females never figured so prominently in modern Judea-Christian religious rites and temple rites, until Joseph Smith came along and restored to us the ancient temple rites and ceremonies that are now being re-discovered in the ancient Hebrew writings and archeological ruins. When it comes to women's rights and the feminist movement, Joseph Smith was nearly a century ahead of all the others. If I understand correctly, the Relief Society that Joseph Smith instituted is the first women's society known to exist in human history. It's like he had a vision or a revelation.

In a large number of the scriptures, the Holy Ghost is gender neutral and is simply described by the pronoun, “It”. It might be done that way for a reason. In all of the Wisdom texts, the Holy Spirit is described in feminine terms and is typically given the name Wisdom. Wisdom is a Lady. There are maybe only a few canonized scriptures where the Holy Ghost is a He and directly described as a male.

The idea, that the Holy Ghost is a husband and wife team, is mine. I didn't get that idea from anyone else. At first, it was the only way that I could logically and realistically reconcile the scriptures that describe the Holy Ghost as a male with the multitude of scriptures that describe the Holy Ghost as a female. It was also the only way I could logically reconcile all the scriptures and scholarly writings that describe the Holy Ghost as a Male Deity, as a God, or as a member of the Godhead with all the different scriptures that describe the Holy Ghost in feminine terms and with feminine words. As a male, I must admit that a few years ago when I first encountered Wisdom in the book of Proverbs being described and personified as a female, it made me uncomfortable at the time. I simply wasn't prepared for the idea.

Recently, the idea that popped into my head of the Holy Ghost being a husband and wife team (Mr. Holy Ghost and Mrs. Holy Ghost) just feels right to me and makes sense to me. It works for me.

For those who are uncomfortable with the idea of pre-mortal marriage, it might also be possible that “The Holy Ghost” is the name of a business or a going-concern or a corporation (Holy Ghost Incorporated); or, think of it as a branch of government (The Department of the Holy Ghost). Holy Ghost Incorporated is a cute little oxymoron. It would be funny to see that particular title painted above the door which leads into the Holy Ghost's office. It also came to me that the Holy Ghost could also be looked upon as a prep school or an academy that serves as the training ground for future Gods and Goddesses, thus you would have something like Holy Ghost Academy or Holy Ghost College. One could also look upon “Holy Spirit” as the name for the Universal Public Telephone System – “Don't Phone Home Without It.” Or, one could look upon the Holy Ghost as an advanced WiFi System – “Wireless Communications Incorporated”. The key here is to keep an open mind to all the various possibilities and then go with what feels right to you, if ever called upon to do so. The Holy Ghost might in fact be all of the above and so much more.

As I see it, the Holy Ghost that is described as a Male Deity is the one that is a God and is a member of the Godhead. He would hold the priesthood of God and be involved in priestly or Godly duties with the other Male Gods. All of the many other female deities such as the Lady Wisdom and the Woman Clothed in the Sun would comprise what we simply call the Holy Spirit. Some of these females might be married to the male Holy Ghost, or some of these females might be married to one of the other Male Deities. Finally, if these different females are Goddesses in the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven, then it seems logical to me to conclude that they are married or will be married to one of the Male Gods in the Kingdom of God. Everything in its due course and proper time.

If we describe the female deities as Holy Spirits and describe the male deity as the Holy Ghost, it reconciles all of the scriptures together into a functional and realistic whole. Then it all simply makes sense.

Whenever we talk about the Spirit of Wisdom, or the Spirit of Love and Charity, or the Spirit of Purity, or the Spirit of Inspiration, or the Spirit of Mercy, or the Spirit of Faith, or the Spirit of Hope, or the Spirit of Enlightenment, or the Spirit of Righteousness and Goodness, or the Spirit of Happiness and Blessedness, or the Spirit of Creation and Creativity, or the Spirit of Discernment, or the Spirit of Intelligence and Knowledge, or the Spirit of Sanity and Calm, or the Spirit of Light and Understanding, or the Spirit of Holiness and Sanctification, or the Spirit of Truth, or the Spirit of Integrity, or the Spirit of Joy, or the Spirit of Kindness and Compassion, or the Spiritual Rebirth, or the Breath of Life, or the Tree of Life, we are talking about one of the female deities or one of the many different Goddesses; and, we are talking about the Holy Spirit. These different Goddesses or Holy Spirits will give birth to these various spiritual attributes or spiritual gifts within our lives, if we let them. They will give birth to our spirituality.

The Holy Spirit is sometimes described as The Comforter, and that function seems like a feminine attribute to me. Whenever the topic of Spiritual Rebirth comes up, the female Goddesses quickly come to mind, because I have never heard of a male giving birth. The Holy Spirit is like the wind. She goeth where she listeth; and, She is easily offended and will leave if we are not careful. I love the words “inspiration” and “inspired”, which mean being in the Spirit or being influenced by the Spirit.

One person wrote, “You've made some interesting points, many of which I agree with. I would point out that I believe that spiritually speaking, the male and female roles are a chiasmus to the physical roles. So the spiritual rebirth would be the male role since the physical birth is the female role.” That's an interesting idea. I remember having a similar idea long ago in a galaxy far far away.

Another person told me to look a the parable which talks about the different spiritual gifts and explains them as if each one of them were a different part of the body and each one necessary in order for the body to function as a whole. Or look at the parable that compares spirituality with different pieces of armor or protection, each of which is necessary for complete protection during battle – in this case a spiritual battle between good and evil. These parables brings to mind some kind of Spirit Union, or Spirit Army, or spiritual movement, or spiritual organization, or Spirit Armor, or a common spiritual goal being accomplished by many different hands or by many different members of the whole. All of this dovetails nicely with my assumption that The Spirit is a family business or a divine society; and, each member of the family or group is necessary for the accomplishment of the ultimate goal, Eternal Life.

For me, the movie Avatar often comes to mind here, where Eywa was described as the Divine Goddess, the All-Mother, the Holy Mother, The Sacred Tree, or the Tree of Souls; and, Her seed are wood-sprites and are described as Pure Spirits and are depicted as delicate beings of light. Each part is necessary to make up the whole. Look up Deiwa (dey-wa), or Dievas, or Deva which are different names for deity or God, and are often described as being Goddesses. Whenever we think of a Diva, we are usually thinking of a female. All of these different words have the same root. For me, the movie Avatar was a celebration of life.

Look up the Greek Goddess Athena. Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom. Sound familiar? According to the Wikipedia: “Athena is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.” She is a defender of the weak and helpless. When is war justified? It's when we are trying to defend ourselves, our families, our lives, our religion, and our property. Athena is the Goddess of spiritual battles. Notice how Athena seems to be the Goddess of Creativity as well as being the Goddess of Defense. Some describe her as the Goddess of Learning; and, the first academy was the Athena Academy in Greece. It sounds like wisdom to me.

Look up Yggdrasil, the Cosmological Tree or World Tree from Norse mythology. Yggdrasil is the Tree of Life, the ash tree. The immortal Gods go to Yggdrasil daily for their sustenance and the other things that they need most. The cities of Heaven are nestled among the roots of Yggdrasil. Over and over again, the Holy Spirit is female and is depicted as Wisdom and as the Tree of Life in many different religions, mythologies, and philosophies. There might be something to it.

Look up the Egyptian Trinity or Triad which consists of Father, Son, and Mother. See the video speech by John Hall entitled “Ancient Mediterranean Temple Ceremonies” for a detailed and comprehensive summary of the Egyptian Godhead and the associated Egyptian temple ceremonies. Within Egyptian theology, Amun is Heavenly Father. The Son is depicted by Horus/Osiris, who is killed by his brother Set and then raised from the dead by his consort Isis, and then ascends into heaven to sit on the Throne of God. The Mother (Holy Spirit and Goddess) is depicted by Hathor or Mut. Obviously, she is the wife to the Father and the mother to the Son. She is Heavenly Mother. Hathor (the Mother or Holy Spirit or Heavenly Queen) is the one who places the Crown on the head of Osiris (you and me) and sits him on the throne of his Father. Under this scenario, the Holy Spirit is the Mother of the Son, or the Mother of God, or the Mother of Godhood, or the Mother of the Gods. That's why it is important to be flexible and consider all of the possibilities.

Once again, see the video “Lady at the Horizon – Egyptian Tree Goddess” by John Thompson and the video “Ancient Mediterranean Temple Ceremonies” by John Hall for a deeper and more detailed explanation of Egyptian temple rites and the Egyptian Triad.

The idea that the Holy Spirit is the Mother of Jehovah or the Mother of Christ's spirit, along with being the wife to Heavenly Father, is an idea that Dr. Margaret Barker develops in great detail within many of her books and papers and videos. Notice that in this scenario, the Holy Spirit is not the wife of the Holy Ghost but is instead the wife to God the Father and the Mother to Jehovah. The Holy Spirit is Heavenly Mother, the literal mother of our spirits.

When I take all of this together, I come to the conclusion that the Holy Spirit might in fact be some kind of female-based relief society, which is composed of all the wives to the Gods and the mothers to the Gods. In other words, every Goddess in Heaven is a Holy Spirit and is involved in bringing some kind of spiritual life or spirituality into the lives of those around her. A Goddess gives birth to spirits or spirituality. She brings spirits and spirituality into existence. She is the Tree of Souls or the Tree of Life. Under this scenario, Heavenly Mother is a Holy Spirit; and, the wife of the Holy Ghost (present or future) would also be a Holy Spirit, and so would be any other wife who is married to a God. All of the different Goddesses in Heaven are Holy Spirits and are in the Holy Spirit business or the Holy Spirit Society. One of their jobs would be to bring spiritual relief or divine relief to all of us here in mortality.

Then to cap it off, the whole “Holy Spirit Relief Society” or “Holy Spirit Academy” would be overseen and assisted by the single male deity that we call the Holy Ghost. Joseph Smith suggested a number of times that the Priesthood was designed and meant to preside – the leading council or quorum in the LDS Church is called the Presidency of the Holy Priesthood for a reason. They preside. Of course, it's possible that the Holy Ghost might have two counselors who are also male. Or, the Holy Ghost might be in charge of a council of seventy male Gods and use them to assist in getting the administrative work done; but, the boots on the ground would primarily be female and would be comprised of the Goddesses of Heaven or the Holy Spirits or the Holy Mothers, the Tree of Life or the Loves of God.

Now, let's return to the more traditional Christian point of view, where the members of the Trinity or Godhead are all male (when they are not simply described as one great big fog). As I see it, whenever we talk about the Holy Ghost as a member of the Godhead, as one of the Trinity, we are talking about the Male Deity or the God. I would also assume that where ordinances, sealings, confirmations, and priesthood are concerned (such as the Holy Spirit of Promise, or the command to Receive the Holy Ghost which is given to us at the baptism of fire, or Priesthood blessings and ordinances, or the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation), those kinds of things would be administered or overseen by the Male Deity, who holds the Priesthood and the Authority necessary to confirm and validate these different kinds of sealings and ordinances and blessings within our lives.

Visualize the Holy Ghost or the Male Deity as a Lawyer or as a Notary Public – He crosses the T's and dots the I's whenever any kind of contract or covenant between us and God is concerned. This is important because many of us insist on dotting the T's and crossing the I's; and, we can't have that. You could think of the Holy Ghost as the Holy Recorder, or the Holy Secretary, or the Holy Scribe. He makes sure that everything is in order. The Holy Ghost provides the Divine Seal of Approval to all covenants, commandments, teachings, doctrines, principles, prophecies, revelations, and ordinances thus making them official and binding upon all the parties involved. If it is a true revelation from God or a true prophecy from God or a true commandment from God, then it has to be verified and ratified by the Holy Ghost before it becomes binding on us and God; and then, it will then have to be fulfilled by God. This is the function of the Male Deity that we call the Holy Ghost. He makes contracts and concepts binding and real.

For a long time now (decades), I have had the thought or the feeling that the Holy Ghost might be more than a single individual. The movie “The Matrix” comes to mind here. The male deity we call the Holy Ghost might be visualized as the creator of the construct, the Architect of the Matrix, or the Father of the Matrix; yet, the Matrix itself is comprised of thousands of different individuals, both male and female. The Holy Ghost or Architect is involved in head-games, or on the positive side, involved with helping us to get our thinking straight and making us right with God. With the Matrix, we were dealing more with spiritual battles than we were with actual physical battles. The interesting idea that has been given to me as of late is that there is also an Oracle, or a Goddess, or what we would call The Mother of the Matrix. We simply have to get jacked into it and go from there. Clearly, the Oracle or Mother of the Matrix was every bit as important as the Architect, if not more so.

Are we feeling enlightened yet?

Theism and apotheosis are interesting, in my humble opinion. Theism is definitely a lot more interesting than atheism. When dealing with theism, the motto is, “Yes, we can do that.” When dealing with atheism, the motto is simply one word, “Denied!” Atheism takes all the fun out of living; and, I know it.

In conclusion, you will have to decide for yourself whether I might be right in any of my assumptions and conclusions, or whether I am simply wrong altogether. I make no claim to special revelation or gnosis. I simply wanted everything to make logical sense to me, after being exposed to the idea that the Holy Spirit might be female.

Why More Women than Men:

Introduction:

After receiving feedback regarding the original version of my “Of God and Goddesses” essay, clearly the idea that people disagree with the most is my assumption that more women will go to Heaven than men. In many respects, that is heartening. It tells me that many a woman will not see Heaven as Heaven without her man at her side. There might be some hope for some of us after all. There have been many times during my life when women have implied that Heaven will not be Heaven if I am there. If I am there they don't want to go to Heaven; so, seeing things from the other perspective can indeed be refreshing, hopeful, and enlightening – to me at least.

One person wrote, “I disagree with the notion that there will certainly be more females than males in the next life, thus necessitating polygamy.”

Obviously, many people find polygamy disagreeable, which wasn't unexpected. We have been conditioned since childhood to see polygamy that way. Clearly among the vast majority of people, polygamy is only remotely acceptable if (and only if) it is conducted among consenting adults, and even then it's gross; or at least, that's the way most of the responses have been.

After reading the “Of God and Goddesses” essay, a friend asked, “I also wonder what you are basing your assertion that more women will make it to the Celestial Kingdom (Highest Heaven) than men.”

My Response Was:

Regarding my assertion that more women will go to the Highest Heaven than men, I will start by saying that there are some countries in this world where they have quotas on children, and they kill the female children so that they can keep the males. Our doctrine says that children who die before age 8 go to the Celestial Kingdom thanks to Christ's atonement. I have also walked into Lutheran churches for mass, visited the Holy Rollers, watched the female Jehovah Witness missionaries in action, gone to some of their meetings, attended Amway pep rallies, visited branches and wards in the LDS church, done some volunteer work for the Catholics; and, I have noticed that the women tend to outnumber the men on average everywhere I go, whenever it comes to anything regarding God and religion. I have gotten the impression that ten times more women have read the Bible than men have. I have gotten the impression that ten times more women actually keep the Ten Commandments than men do. I have noticed that the LDS temple endowment sessions usually have twice as many women as men, and some days they have ten times as many women as men.

Some of the folklore, traditions, and mythology that I have read actually have more women going to heaven than men, because women are purer, better, or more spiritual than men on average – or so they say. Take for example the Muslim tradition of a man receiving seventy virgins (or wives) when he goes to Heaven. What if it is more than just a tradition? What if it actually approaches the true reality of things, in the end? Of course, the western feminists get all worked up and see this as nothing more than lecherous exploitation and female bondage. But, what they don't see is that what it really means is that in Muslim tradition, seventy times more women are going to Heaven than men are – especially if it is ends up being a reflection of the true reality when all is said and done.

When it comes to the females, Heaven simply won't be Heaven without them, no matter what tradition or belief system we are looking at.

So, why do I make the assertion or the assumption that more women are going to heaven than men? It's just periodic ongoing observation on my part – nothing really scientific. Another reason for the assumption is the fact that many women and men have told me that there will be more women in Heaven than men. It's a subtle thing, but taken collectively, I think my observations might have real significance in the end.

Now for some course correction; I've got to maintain some balance here, after all. One person wrote: “I have to note that the fact that more females than males attend church is no indication of how it's going to be in the celestial kingdom. I highly doubt that the celestial kingdom is anything like church because otherwise, no one would want to be there.”

Good point! That one made me laugh. It also pointed out to me what an odd duck I really am. I am male, and I actually like going to church. I like the people that I meet there, and I like the things that I learn while I am there. The female Gospel Doctrine teachers have been every bit as enlightening as anything I have ever gotten from the men.

Additional Thoughts:

After reading my essay, one of my friends responded and presented me with a few ideas that were relatively new and quite interesting to me. Obviously, this whole activity has been a learning process and an exercise in discovery.

My friend said that some people believe that the third of the hosts of heaven that were cast out of Heaven (with Lucifer and became the devils) were all male. They believe that none of the female spirit children of the Gods would ever rebel against God, because the females would simply and humbly submit to the will of God. If the Gods produce spirit children in the traditional 50/50 ratio, with half of them being male and half of them being female, yet all of those cast out of Heaven were male, then that would leave a lot more female spirits in Heaven than male spirits during the pre-mortal existence.

Now, let's look at it from another angle. Being that God can allegedly see the end from the beginning and supposedly control the ratio of spirit children that are born, it's possible that the Gods chose to have more male spirit children than female spirit children, in order to compensate for the foreseen reality that more of the males would follow Satan into hell than the females would. Of course, it only requires a few males to accomplish God's purposes, but a large number of females. If more female spirits kept their First Estate (pre-mortality) than male spirits, then odds are good that more female spirits will keep their Second Estate (here in mortality) than male spirits, which means that there will be more females in Heaven than males, when all is said and done.

So, when will all of these extra female spirits be born here in mortality? Some believe that it will take place during the Millennium. According to their point of view, during the Millennium, Christ will re-institute the practice of polygamy and many men will have more than one wife. There will be a veritable population explosion with the human population approaching or exceeding 100 billion, something that can only happen through polygamy and the preeminence of the females. Furthermore, the 50/50 genetic rule that comes from splitting a cell in half to make sperm will be divinely overridden, and more females will be produced than males; or, the female swimmers will be made stronger and faster, or given preference. Females will vastly outnumber the males during the Millennium. It is said that all those who are born during the Millennium will grow up without sin and will all go to Heaven or the Highest Degree of Glory in Heaven, which means that more females will go to Heaven than males. All of this will take place according to the will of God.

I find these ideas interesting; and, they seem to fit with the scriptures in general. I have noticed that all of the devils have always been described as being male. Just like the saying that says there are no boy angels, there is an equal an opposite saying that says there are no female devils. It explains why the devils are left without root and branch and will never have offspring, because they are all male. Notice also that the people cast into outer darkness with Satan and his devils are described as the Sons of Perdition. I have never heard of the term, Daughters of Perdition. They are always described as the Sons of Perdition, implying that they will all be male. In other words, more men are going to hell than women.

Hell will be the opposite of Heaven, with males vastly outnumbering females in Hades. It has been suggested that the inhabitants of hell will be castrated, neutered, or made sterile before going to hell so they can't have any children. Who would want to see a child being born into an eternal hell? In hell, a single female might be given or assigned thousands or millions of “husbands” to service. She would be nothing more than a prostitute or a whore. Ouch. That would be hell indeed, for all involved. The other possibility is that there might be a lot of homosexual activity in hell, just like there seems to be in our prison systems here on earth. Once again, these are ideas that are uncomfortable to think about.

Anyway, the overall conclusion to all of this is that there will be more females in Heaven than males. So let it be written. So let it be done.

Regarding the Afterlife and The Day of Judgment:

If there is an afterlife, I think that the most horrific part of it will come when (at the end of the Millennium and before our resurrection from the dead) the memories of our pre-mortal life are restored to us. I imagine that it will be a major shock to the soul and a great disappointment for many of us. At that moment, we will get to compare what we were before with what we have become. I think that even the best of us might find it disheartening.

To see ourselves as we really are can be a very painful experience – to see as we are seen. I have been told by some of my children that I am the greatest disappointment that they have ever known – physically, emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically. They were comparing what I was before to what I had become. At the time, I didn't want there to be an afterlife or a continuation of this life. I simply wanted to die and cease to exist.

Imagine someone like the renowned atheist and evolutionist Richard Dawkins when he gets his pre-mortal memories back and discovers that he spent millions and even billions of years seeding the oceans of this earth with life, terraforming and seeding the landscape, doing genetic engineering and creating new forms of life, and loving every minute of it. I imagine the impact of it all would crush him like a ton of bricks. The disappointment could be earth-shattering, truly a day of Judgment. I can see why some people don't want there to be an afterlife. I get it.

Even now, whenever I compare what I am to what I might have been, there's a great weight of sadness and disappointment that comes upon me. Even now, my sins and shortcomings contain within them their own punishment or sense of lost opportunities. I see all the good and fun that I missed-out on because of my sins and misconceptions and reluctance to engage.

In the end, you are your own reward; and, you are your own punishment as well.

God won't need to punish us. We will do that to ourselves. All God has to do is give us back the memories of our pre-mortal life and then let nature take its course. It will be a cruel thing to do. The experience will be crushing for many of us. Some of us will feel nauseous and want to die and cease to exist. We will want the mountains to fall upon us and blot us out of existence. In the end, I think more women will find that experience bearable than the men will. Many women will see that they had children and raised a family while here in mortality, which is exactly what they set out to do in the first place. The restoration of their pre-mortal memories won't be such a blow to them. Can't say the same thing for the men. In summary, more women will want to go to Heaven and feel that they deserve Heaven than men will.

Of Mary, the Mother of Jesus:

On my Facebook page, a friend stated in regards to my “Of God and Goddesses” essay: “I agree with a good chunk of it. I had never really thought about some of it, such as multiple Mothers in Heaven before. I'll have to digest that concept before I know what I think of it. I disagree that Mary would be one of God the Father's wives.”

My Extended Response:

In some fiction novels that I have read, and in some church denominations, there is a strong and prevalent belief that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, had real carnal sexual intercourse with God the Father in order to conceive Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Again, that's another idea that makes many people very uncomfortable and makes some want to pass-out on the floor. I get that. But if they are right, then according to their sense of right and wrong, they also believe that Mary would have been ceremonially wed to God the Father before actually doing the deed. Again, it's all just speculation, because we simply are not given the details in any of the scriptures.

Not to worry, if you disagree with any of my assumptions. A Google search for “How did God impregnate Mary” brings up 50,000 contradictory results. So, if you disagree with my conclusions on the matter, you are in good company indeed. You'll just have to go with what you believe. When it comes to the immaculate conception, I really don't have a horse in the race; I haven't spent a lot of time inventing, developing, and supporting a theory that I am emotionally vested in. Half the people seem to think that the whole topic is nothing more than a bunch of malarkey, anyway. The other half seem to think Joseph did it.

On the constructive or productive side of this issue, in the video “Woman Clothed with the Sun in the Book of Revelation”, Margaret Barker gives a new and interesting take on the Birth of Jesus as LORD of Lords as actually having taken place after the baptism of Jesus, when the Sun Lady, or Holy Spirit, or Wisdom, or Shekhinah, or Miriam, or Mary (she has many different names) descended upon Jesus in the Sign of the Dove and Her voice came from the cloud saying, “Behold my Begotten Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.” At that moment, Jesus became a God when He was birthed or reborn by Fire, or by the Sun Lady, or by Maria, or by Wisdom, or by the Holy Spirit. Under that scenario, Jesus was born as the Son of God, as the LORD of Lords, and as a God – right after His baptism; and, it was the Holy Ghost or the Sun Goddess who did the birthing.

Before Jesus' baptism, John the Baptist felt unworthy to baptize the Christ. Jesus said to John, “Suffer it to be so to fulfill all righteousness.” To fulfill all righteousness means to be made right with God, to be justified by God, to be made one with God, or to become one with God the Father. It basically means to become an heir to the Kingdom of God. Jesus' baptism by fire was kind of like His coronation ceremony where He became the KING of kings. It's an at-one-ment, becoming one with God the Father and Goddess the Mother.

Interesting stuff, in my humble opinion. This means that the same thing can happen to each one of us after our water baptism and baptism by fire; and, we can each be reborn as a son or daughter of God as well, through the Holy Ghost. We just have to find somebody with the same kind of priesthood authority to baptize that John the Baptist had. Christ went to John for a reason. It's because John the Baptist had the calling, authority, and righteousness to baptize in a manner that would be acceptable to God the Father; and, Jesus knew it to be so.

John the Baptist is an extremely interesting figure. He was the last Jewish prophet and the first Christian prophet. He stood across both worlds. John the Baptist was the legal or legitimate heir to the Aaronic and Levitical Priesthoods; and, one of the functions of the Aaronic Priesthood is to baptize people into the Kingdom of God here on this earth. If anyone on the earth had the proper authority from God to baptized Jesus Christ, it would be John the Baptist. It is interesting to note that it was the resurrected John the Baptist who appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on May 15, 1829, laid hands upon them, and ordained them to the Aaronic Priesthood, thus restoring the Aaronic and Levitical Priesthoods to the earth once again. After John the Baptist gave Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery the Aaronic Priesthood, John the Baptist commanded them to baptize each other.

Thus, John the Baptist served as an Elias, an opener of various Gospel dispensations. There is a very strange, wonderful, and miraculous account in Chapter 6 of the Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price where Father Adam was “caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.” Of course, it never tells us the name of this Spirit who baptized Father Adam; but, it might have been the pre-mortal John the Baptist acting in his fore-ordained role as an Elias, Baptist, Aaronic Priesthood holder, and opener of Gospel Dispensations. Obviously, a Spirit was needed to baptize Father Adam, because there were no male mortal Priesthood Holders at the time on the earth who could have done the job. The Spirit of John the Baptist might also have been there at the Burning Bush baptizing Moses by water, while the Holy Ghost from the Burning Bush might have baptized Moses by fire. John the Baptist might have been one of the many different Holy Angels that periodically visited with Father Abraham. So, it would be safe to conclude that the pre-mortal John the Baptist would have also visited with Enoch and Noah as well.

The word Mary or Maria has many different meanings. It is interpreted as Bitterness (particularly the Miriam form of the name), fulfilling the prophecy that the mother of Jesus would know sadness and the pains of mortality. Mary is interpreted as the Lady of the Sea or the Star of the Sea. I have even heard some people call her the Morning Star. I have heard the term Sky Mother. Mary is also interpreted by some as Beloved or Love or Charity. In modern slang it has come to mean the hot chick – the very good looking girl, hot as the sun.

Margaret Barker seems to interpret Mary's name as Wisdom. I will be interested to find out more where she got that interpretation from. Apparently, Margaret found an early Christian text or two wherein Mary the mother of Jesus is depicted as the personification of Wisdom, the incarnation of Wisdom, or the incarnation of the Holy Spirit.

Daniel C. Peterson in the speech and video entitled, “A Divine Mother in the Book of Mormon”, develops these ideas in detail. He explains that Asherah was originally the consort of El, and her name was Elat or Eilat, the wife of God or the Divine Mother. Elat was the mother and the wet nurse of the Gods. Later, as Jehovah or Yahweh (the son of El and Elat) took upon Him the position and the role of His father within Hebrew life, Asherah was eventually identified as being the consort of Yahweh within Hebrew culture. Meanwhile, within the Book of Mormon and the ancient Hebrew and Christian literature, Asherah or Mary the mother of Jesus is associated with the Tree of Life or seen in prophetic vision standing by the Tree of Life. The ancient Christians often equated Asherah with Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is sometimes depicted or represented as the Sun Goddess or as the sun, as is the Tree of Life, being bright and white as the sun. Many would interpret all this to mean that Asherah or Mary was both the Wife of the God El and the mortal mother of the God Jehovah, Jesus Christ. Likewise, the Hebrew Asherah and the Cult of Asherah represent her as the menorah or the Tree of Life or the Tree Goddess; and thus, she is the Goddess of the trees or the Goddess of the groves spoken about in the Bible. Within that culture, Asherah and the Tree of Life are the metaphorical symbols for Wisdom. The Hebrews often equated the Tree of Life with the Almond Tree, due to the radiant whiteness of its flowers and fruit. The original Hebrew word for the Almond Tree is interpreted as meaning, “The Great Mother.” In the Book of Mormon and in ancient near-east Canaanite literature, the Tree of Life is interpreted as “The Love of God” or “God's Love”; so, it would make sense that the personification of the Tree of Life would be represented by one of God's wives or by one of His loves. Furthermore, the Hebrew version of the word “Asherah” is interpreted as “happy” or “blessed” leading us directly to the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount – happy is he or blessed is he who finds and keeps the Commandments of God or finds the Tree of Life. Symbolically, and maybe literally, the Tree of Life gives birth to our spirituality and eating of the fruit of that tree gives birth to our immortality. Layers within layers. That was one heavy-duty speech.

All of this might suggest that Jesus had two or three different mothers named Mary or Wisdom or Asherah or Eilat, a mother to His physical body, a mother to His spirituality or Godhood (the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Promise), and a Heavenly Mother. It's possible that Jesus' earthly mother was named Mary or Wisdom here on earth and in the pre-mortal realms as well; and, Jesus' Heavenly Mother and/or pre-mortal wife might also have been named Mary or Wisdom. Asherah, Mary, or Wisdom, or Enlightenment, or Love, or Charity might also be appropriate names for the Tree of Life, if we are to give a name to the tree. Back in pre-Christian times, the Sun Lady or the Mother of God or the God Mother was often symbolized by the Tree of Life. Google search “Asherah poles”. Some people have taken to interpreting these poles or pillars as symbols of the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And these two poles or trees always accompany Asherah or Astarte, the Cow Goddess, the Mother Goddess, the Divine Mother, or Queen of Heaven. Asherah has been called the Goddess of the Bible.

There is a paper entitled, “Asherah, the Consort of Yahweh”, by William Dever, an archeologist. William Dever says that he is not a theist. According to some of Dever's work, it's possible that in ancient times “Asherah” was the name given to Jehovah's consort or Jehovah's heavenly pre-mortal wife. In other books and research papers, Asherah is sometimes called the Hebrew Goddess.

Just remember that we are not dealing with an exact science here; so, one has to learn to be flexible where some of this is concerned. Each archeological discovery (and fossil discovery) and ancient text can be interpreted in a dozen different ways and still make sense to some; that's just the nature of the beast. For example, the phrase “Open Foot and Insert Mouth” might actually make sense to some and be seen as a logical and legitimate variation of the phrase “Open Mouth and Insert Foot,” with both phrases having the same exact meaning when all is said and done. What makes sense to one person will invariably be complete nonsense to another. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all.

The Egyptian Sky Goddess, Nut, is depicted both as a cow and as a human female covered in stars overarching the heavens – the Sky Goddess, the Queen of the Heavens, or the Mother of the Stars.

Following Margaret Barker's leadership, some of the people who are researching this topic have taken to calling the different individual mothers of Jesus by the name Wisdom. These Goddesses are sometimes called the Lion Lady. Jesus has been called the Lion of the Lord, which would make even more sense if He was birthed by the Lion Lady in some form or another. The lion is the king of the beasts, just like Jesus is KING of kings. Google search “lion-cub of the Divine Mother”. The lion sometimes symbolizes Wisdom, as well as Strength. Layers within layers. Margaret Barker's message is to keep an open mind and don't be too quick to draw conclusions. One thing I learned from Margaret Barker is that a lot of interesting and deep ideas can take shape while washing out and pinning the nappies.

In medieval times, Mary the mortal mother of Jesus was depicted in art as the Sun Lady or the Sun Goddess. This symbol could be used to symbolize the Sun or the Holy Ghost giving birth to the Christ or the Messiah every bit as much as it could be used to symbolize Mother Mary giving birth to Jesus in the manger. To me, the Sun Lady seems to symbolize the Goddess who will baptize us with fire, crown us with glory, give us wisdom and charity, enlighten us, and give birth to our spirituality or Godhood.

Confused yet?

Names have meaning. Some people find this comment humorous, which it was meant to be. I love the study of etymology, which is the study of the origin of words and the original meaning of words. Often the original meaning of a word is infinitely more rich and significant than the simple interpretations or politically correct interpretations that have come along later.

Regarding the Marriage of Jesus Christ:

Some of my friends and contacts have been bothered by the idea that Jesus or Jehovah might have been married in the pre-mortal existence. They take exception to that idea. Likewise, they do not believe that Holy Ghost is married, because they do not believe that it is possible for a pre-mortal spirit to be married to a spouse by God in the pre-existence or pre-mortal realms. Some of them see marriage as a mortal institution, and nothing more.

One friend wrote: “I have to take issue with the idea that Jesus was married in pre-mortality; it could not have been since He had to face the same things as other mortals, in obtaining a body, etc. And were we not all perfect before we were born? Imperfection only came by way of a mortal life. Christ was not a god before this life; that would make no sense.”

Of course, there are groups of people who truly believe that none of us had a pre-mortal existence and that none of us will have an afterlife either. From their point of view, marriage is an earthly invention, and nothing more. Thus, if you are not married here and now, you will never be married, because there is no God and no afterlife; and, because there is no God, there was no pre-existence and thus we couldn't have been married while living there either. Eat, drink, be merry, and get married here and now, for tomorrow we die and that's the end of it.

The subject of marriage is a can of worms.

During my life, I have encountered many people who are terrified or horrified at the idea that Jesus Christ might have been married and had carnal knowledge with a woman during His mortal life or His mortal ministry. They seem to think that that would taint His sanctity in some way. They are equally terrified at the thought that God the Father might have a physical body and might have had sexual intercourse with Mary, the mother of Jesus. I have heard of women fainting at the idea.

I have also run into the camp who truly believes that there is no marriage and no giving in marriage after death. They base their ideas on verses in the Bible. They believe that if you are not married in this life, then you will never be married in the eternities either. Other groups of them believe that marriage is an earthly invention and that there will be no such thing as marriage in the next life. There are others who believe that there will be no such thing as same-sex marriage in Heaven, but there might be marriage between a man and a woman in Heaven.

I have been told by some that the marriage in Cana, where Christ turned water to wine, was actually Christ's marriage to a woman sometime before starting His mortal ministry.

In contrast, a friend wrote: “I believe that Jesus was not allowed to marry so that he could understand that element that far too many mortals face before they die. We are promised that those who can't marry in this life, will have that opportunity after this life, presumably in the Millennium, but prior to their resurrection, since none can marry in the resurrection. Christ probably had to marry between the time of his death and resurrection.”

Some people have told me that Jesus was gay and that he was married to John the Beloved. A few have said that Jesus was married to the Twelve Apostles or married to John the Baptist. From their point of view, Jesus had a John for a wife and not a Jane. I find that highly unlikely, because the Pharisees would have latched onto that and crucified Him for it. Whenever I make this particular observation, then these people come back and say that Jesus was a closet homosexual – publicly he was married to some woman he never saw, but privately he was engaged with one of the Apostles. Of course, their assumption is that love between two men has to be sexual or physical love.

Now, don't get me wrong. Some of my favorite people on this planet are homosexual. They are wonderful friends. They understand what it is like to suffer with a difficult situation. Most of them have a great deal of compassion. Nevertheless, I realize (and most of them realize) that they pay an extremely high price for their condition or affliction. That's just the reality of the situation. The only homosexuals that I don't seem to like are the Gay Activists who throw a parade and actively preach homosexuality, try to convert me and my children to homosexuality, try to force me to accept and support and finance and become one with their homosexuality, try to force gay marriage upon us, and actually try to convince me that being homosexual is vastly superior to being heterosexual. I'm not buying it. My wife always looked better and more desirable than any dude ever did; and, I realized long ago that homosexuality simply lacks the power and the means to take me where I want to go with my life. I wanted to be a father and have children and grand-children of my own. I wanted to have children and grand-children that are truly mine. Homosexuality can't give me that.

As we all know, homosexual relationships and gay marriage are growing in acceptance within our modern culture; and, some people are now starting to see everything in homosexual terms, including Jesus. From their point of view, homosexuality is the new normal. Alas, Sodom and Gomorrah thought of it or invented it long before we ever did, and made homosexuality and gay marriage the new normal way back then. For some strange reason, they didn't have any descendants that we know of, so their new normal withered by the wayside and ceased to be the new normal for awhile. Like I said, the topic of marriage is a can of worms.

In contrast, I think that the majority of people in this world still believe that polygamy is sinful, unproductive, exploitative, and wrong. Did Jesus have multiple wives? Will Jesus have multiple wives? Again, that is a thought or an idea that makes some people very nauseous and uncomfortable indeed. Obviously, the Catholic tradition of the Catholic Nuns being wed to Christ flies in the face of all of that, especially if Christ truly rose from the dead and He willingly and openly accepts all of those Catholic Nuns as his brides at some future date.

Of all the revelations that Joseph Smith received, D&C 132 is the most controversial. Some people turn green with disgust and loathing, basically start foaming at the mouth, whenever the subject of polygamy comes up. They come right out and say that Satan is the inventor of polygamy and that Satan is behind it all the way, as if Satan has a body and can actually participate in polygamy. There's only one problem with their take or interpretation, and that's the fact that God used polygamy with Abraham and Jacob (Israel) to accomplish His purposes in raising up a righteous nation of Priests. I simply disagree with the claim that Satan was behind Abraham and Jacob backing them all the way into polygamy.

The Abrahamic Covenant comes to us through Abraham, and Abraham was a polygamist. The House of Israel and Moses and Jesus Christ came to us through Jacob, and Jacob was a polygamist. There are indications that Moses might have been a polygamist. Jesus Christ came to us through King David and King Solomon, and these two Kings were polygamists in a big way. Yes, God either condoned polygamy, or He didn't. I believe that the evidence suggests that God actually condoned it and used it to accomplish His purposes. I simply disagree with the claim that Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young were following Satan's commands when God commanded them to take additional wives and practice polygamy. If God was behind it, then we simply have to take it and deal with it from there. Starting with Wilford Woodruff and the Manifesto, God has commanded us through His living prophets not to practice polygamy here and now; that's good enough for me. One wife is more than I can handle, so I certainly don't want another one.

I do find it interesting how multitudes of people in recent years are able to condone and accept and promote gay marriage, yet they come totally unglued and shatter like glass at the mere mention of polygamy. Go figure!

Regarding D&C 132, look up an interesting collection of essays written by William V. Smith, a BYU mathematics professor, under the title “Sunday Evenings with the Doctrine and Covenants. Section 132.” and found at the By Common Consent blog.

While reading the “Of God and Goddesses” essay, my friends have pointed out that if one or both of my initial base assumptions are wrong, then the whole essay falls flat and dead on the floor. I agree. That's the nature of speculation, interpretation, and making assumptions.

The New Testament periodically makes it clear that Jesus Christ was a God in the pre-mortal realms, the God Jehovah. Jesus, Himself, made that claim in the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John. Nevertheless, some of my friends simply do not believe this to be true. Since I base many of my ideas upon this particular assumption, if my assumption is wrong, then my conclusions are wrong as well.

In large part I base my conclusions, that Jehovah or Yahweh (the Hebrew God) was married to the Goddess Asherah and/or the Goddess Shekhinah (the Hebrew Goddess) in the pre-mortal realms, upon the archeological research, writings, and teachings of William Dever. Dr. Margaret Barker has also had many things to say about this subject as well. Search for the YouTube video, “Did God Have a Wife – Folk Religion in Ancient Israel,” by William Dever and judge for yourself. I also found the Wikipedia topics, “Asherah”, “Shekhinah”, “The Hebrew Goddess”, “Pre-existence of Christ”, “Kyrios”, and “Elohim” to be helpful where this controversy is concerned. You will have to decide for yourself whether the God Jehovah was married in the pre-mortal realms, or not. Likewise, you will have to decide for yourself if Jesus Christ was a God, the God Jehovah, and a member of the Godhead in the pre-mortal realms. All I can say is that the ancient Israelites seemed to believe that their God Jehovah had a consort, wife, and heavenly queen at His side at all times, according to the research and writings of William Dever and Dr. Margaret Barker. They didn't seem to be afraid of the idea that God might have been married to a woman.

I base many of my conclusions on the assumption that Jesus really is who He said He is – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Google search, “Jesus is Jehovah”, and you will come up with over seven million results – somebody out there has also caught onto this idea long before I ever did. In the New Testament, Jesus is called “The LORD”, which is the English translation for the Hebrew word Adonai (Lord), or the Greek word Kyrios (God), which many people believe is the exact same person as the LORD of the Old Testament, Jehovah or Yahweh. Many people believe that the Bible talks about one LORD, and that LORD is both Jehovah and Jesus Christ, meaning that Jehovah and Jesus Christ are the same person. This would make “Jehovah” or “Yahweh” Jesus Christ's pre-mortal name.

Now, was the Lord God Jehovah married before He was born into mortality and became Jesus Christ? You will have to decide for yourself. I simply suggest the possibility. Remember, I also suggested the possibility that Jesus might have been married to a real live woman during His mortal ministry while living here on this earth. All I can do is make suggestions or mention the possibilities, and I leave it up to you to decide for yourself whether you want to take and run with it or not. I can also suggest that you take a look at the videos and books that William Dever and Margaret Barker have produced, if you want a new and interesting perspective to consider.

When it comes to marriage, ideas and beliefs run all across the spectrum from one end to the other. So, what do I think? It doesn't matter what I think. What really matters is what God thinks. If God thinks that marriage or polygamy is sinful and wrong, then in the end, it will be considered sinful and wrong. I do believe that Christ came to do the Father's will and that Christ fulfilled that task in every way possible. The problem is that I have no idea what the whole of the Father's will consisted of, where Jesus Christ was concerned. It would be interesting to know. If it was the Father's will for Christ or Jehovah to have been married, He would have been married. If it was the Father's will for Christ to have been celibate, He would have been celibate. One thing I know for sure is that this subject makes a whole bunch of people uncomfortable in the extreme; and on the other hand, many of the atheists love to point the finger, laugh, and mock whenever this subject comes up. Of course, most of the atheists believe that we are all going to cease to exist after we die; therefore, all they really have to look forward to is all the mocking and finger-pointing that they can do here and now. They have got to get it all in while they still can. I mean, there's really nothing else left for them to do or look forward to; is there?

So, which of the many different camps do I fit into? I guess I fit into a different camp that tends to believe that with God all things are possible. Of course, I qualify and restrict that somewhat to say, “With God on our side and backing us, every righteous, realistic, and productive desire is possible.” If we can convince God or the Gods to support it and back it, then suddenly it becomes possible, no matter what it might be. If you can't get the Gods to back it, it isn't going to happen. So, what is possible? Whatever God deems to be possible. How does it all really work? Where does God really stand on the issues? I have no idea, because God has never told me how it really works or what God deems to be possible, in each and every situation. I seem to be flying blind like most everyone else that I know.

However, I simply do not buy into the Sadducee argument that states that there is no resurrection, no afterlife, and thus there will be no marriages whatsoever for any of us after we are dead. Clearly, Jesus didn't buy into it either. When Jesus was talking about there being no marriage after death, He was talking to the Sadducees (closet atheists) and trying to help them to see how stupid, idiotic, and unrealistic their point of view really is. There is a ton of material written about this very topic among the various Christian writers and scholars. Many of them tend to agree that Jesus never really said that there will be no marriage after death.

The atheists (and many of the Sadducees) claim that there is no God outside of mortality or that God is a man-made invention; and thus, there is no resurrection, there is no afterlife, and obviously there is no marriage after death because there is nothing after death. Many of them believe that we do not have an immortal spirit or a soul. Some of the Sadducees believe that there is darkness or stupor or Sheol after death, which is basically death after death, you just as well be dead and cease to exist – you are mostly dead. I know first-hand what it is like to covet or greatly desire to cease to exist. People who hate themselves or hate life want nothing more than to cease to exist. For people in that frame of mind, ceasing to exist would be heaven.

According to various Christian scholars, Jesus was trying to help the Sadducees to see that He didn't agree with their point of view; and, people have taken it all and then interpreted it as meaning that Jesus had said that there is no marriage after death, when in fact He was saying just the opposite or trying to prove just the opposite. Depending upon which side you choose to take, it's simply a case of people rewriting the scriptures to suit their chosen desires, beliefs, and needs.

Jesus was probably trying to say to the Sadducees, “Can't you see how stupid your point of view really is given the fact that you are marrying dead people together all the time by proxy and given the fact that you are baptizing dead people by proxy all the time within your Jewish temples and shrines?” The Sadducees were responsible for maintaining the Temple and performing the various secret temple rites, so they would have known first-hand what kind of temple rites were being performed for the dead within the Temple walls and elsewhere. Jesus was telling them that they were being hypocrites by performing all of these ordinances for the living and the dead, if they truly believe that there is no afterlife. When it came to their priestly duties, the Sadducees were in it only for the money and the show. They didn't really believe in God. They were too smart for that. The existence of an immortal God implies the existence of an afterlife as well as the existence of a pre-mortal life, at least where the God is concerned.

Another thing that Jesus was probably trying to say to the Sadducees is, “I see dead people.” In other words, Jesus was most likely trying to tell the Sadducees that He sees dead people getting married all the time (literally and symbolically), even though the Sadducees were actively preaching that there will be no afterlife and no marriage after death. Jesus was trying to ask the Sadducees to think logically, observe the Jewish ordinances for the dead, and reconcile all the contradictions by abandoning their unrealistic ways and atheistic beliefs. Of course, the Sadducees (and closet atheists) among the scribes that transcribed the final record which became the Bible would have interpreted it all from the Sadducee point of view and would have quickly concluded that Jesus said that there will be no marriage whatsoever after death and left it at that.

If there is an afterlife, then I do believe that there will be marriages taking place during that afterlife. For example, I have observed that the Mormons often perform sealings (or proxy marriages) for people who are hundreds or even a thousand years dead, within their LDS Temples. Clearly the Mormons as a whole believe that it is possible for two people to be married or sealed together in marriage, long after they are dead here in mortality. You don't have to be mostly dead, you can be completely dead and still get married. Obviously, the Mormons are not alone in that belief. I have heard of some women here in mortality who are engaged to a soldier who dies in battle; and, they actually go and try to find a priest or pastor who will marry them to that dead soldier so that they can be married to their love, even though he is already dead. Are they successful in their goal? Not always, but that doesn't stop them from trying. Clearly, they believe that there is an afterlife and believe that they can be married to someone after he is dead.

What about Heaven? Again, it all comes down to what God says is possible. If God truly says that there will be no marriages whatsoever after death, then that's the way it will be, no matter how many dead people we might marry together here and now. However, if God has said that whatever is sealed on earth by His Holy Prophets or by His Holy Priesthood will also be sealed in Heaven, then it will be so, no matter how many people might choose to believe that it can't possibly be so. If God decides that dead people can be married together or sealed by proxy after they are dead, then it will be so, no matter how many Sadducees or atheists might disagree. If the atheists are right and God does not exist and there is no afterlife, then none of this matters anyway.

The topic of marriage is a can of worms.

I have watched the same-sex marriage debate and controversy over the past decade with interest. The gays have fought a hard battle to come out of the closet and into the mainstream, and they should be admired for their success even if you don't agree with their point of view. They have suffered long and hard to win their victory; and, they have developed a powerful Public Relations machine to champion their cause. We all can learn something from them. If the Christians, Muslims, and Jews as a whole were as devoted and worked as hard to bring God and His commandments out of the closet, into their lives, and into the mainstream, the world would be a different place. The Bible makes it clear that God is in hiding for our sakes, and we each are going to have to work hard and change a lot if we are ever going to bring God out of the closet, into our lives, and then into the mainstream.

I have noticed that within Christianity, gay marriage is primarily a protestant endeavor. The protestants are used to changing the commandments and the rules, and then going with whatever they want to go with. They have been doing it for centuries. In contrast, the Catholics in general have been staunchly opposed to gay marriage, refusing as a whole to change the commandments of God to suit their preferences, desires, or needs. The protestants caved-in centuries ago. It will be interesting to see if the Catholics cave-in or continue to hold, especially where gay marriage is concerned.

Is same-sex marriage possible? Yes, given our earthly man-made rules and laws that are ever-changing, clearly same-sex marriage is possible. Is same-sex marriage possible in Heaven? Only if God says that it is possible. Heaven is a Kingdom or a Monarchy, not a Democracy. What the King says goes. Why? It's because God and Christ hold the keys to the gate that leads into Heaven; and, they only let in what they choose to let in. If they don't want it in, it isn't getting in. If God and Christ consider something to be sinful or wrong, then in the end where Heaven is concerned, it will be considered sinful and wrong and against the laws of Heaven. Unfortunately for us, God and Christ seem to extremely prejudiced against anything that they have labeled as sin. Since everyone of us is a sinner to one degree or another, that doesn't bode well for us. Therefore, it will require some kind of reconciliation or adjustment on our part if we desire to become one with God someday. It involves course correction or repentance, a word that most people seem to find repulsive. Thankfully, the atonement of Christ was designed and meant to help sinners to become one with God; but, that's a subject for a different essay.

Is same-sex marriage possible in Heaven? I don't know. You'll have to ask God. He's the one who will decide whether it is permissible or not. If He says that it can't be done, then it can't be done. If God says yes, then it will happen. The same rules apply to polygamy in Heaven. The same rules would also apply to pre-mortal marriage and being raised to Godhood during one's pre-mortal existence while in Heaven. If God decided that it was going to happen or needed to happen, then it would have happened. If God decides against it, then it will never happen.

I tend to take a pragmatic approach to all of these things, and now you know why. Whatever will be, will be. Whatever God allows will be allowed. On the other hand, if God says that it isn't going to happen, then it ain't gonna happen.

A friend wrote: “Like the scriptures state, the day will come when many women will cling unto one man because there will be more women than men, and that will be mostly for marriage and procreation. Polygamy restored. Heaven help us, women were running the whole show all along, but then they have to share, while males don't.”

If it's going to happen, then it's going to happen. I have enjoyed the many different comments from my friends that were elicited by my “Of God and Goddesses” essay.

One of the things I have liked most about The Academy for Temple Studies is that it seems to be a non-denominational or inter-denominational group. The field or study of “Temple Theology” was created and developed by Dr. Margaret Barker, a Methodist minister. Obviously, within many religious beliefs, marriages take place or should take place in Temples or Cathedrals or Churches. I believe that Margaret Barker discusses a lot of this in her books.

The videos produced at The Academy for Temple Studies are presented from many different religions and perspectives. Margaret Barker is a brilliant and insightful Methodist minister; George Nickelsburg was a pastor of a Lutheran parish; Laurence Hemming is a Catholic philosopher and theologian; and, William Dever describes himself as an archeologist and an atheist. The Latter-day Saints (or Mormons) are invited to say what they think, but the Mormons aren't the only ones doing the research, drawing the conclusions, and discoursing on what they have found in the ancient texts and the archeological evidence. I like that.

Another interesting aspect of The Academy for Temple Studies is that females are actually permitted to speak their mind; and, females tend to see things differently than the men do. I like that format, because it seems to provide breadth and depth allowing them to discuss topics and perspectives in a manner that is fresh and new, thus giving the public the chance to be exposed to thoughts and ideas that they have never thought about before and have never been permitted to think about before. It allows them freedom of discussion without censorship from the public or from their respective clergymen and church leaders. They can say, “This is the way it appears to be”, rather than having to say, “This is the way it is.” It's a creative invention (and group) which they have going on there, in my humble opinion.

I have noticed that Temples (ancient and modern) and Temple Theology can have a lot to do with marriage – marriage between a man and a woman as well as marriage between the Church and Christ. When it comes to the topic of marriage, I believe that there is a lot we can learn from Temple Theology. I assume that my ideas and beliefs will continue to reshape themselves and grow, while The Academy for Temple Studies continues to have more conferences and I continue to watch more of their videos – sometime in the future.

I apologize if I haven't answered any of your questions or solved any of your concerns where the subject of marriage is concerned. Like I said, it is a can of worms. I'm definitely not an expert on the subject, as my wife will eagerly testify. It's all over the map, and I simply cannot pin it down. All I can say is that Adam and Eve were allegedly married by God; and thus, all I can suggest is that their marriage should probably serve as the example or the template for how God truly wants our earthly marriages to be. If God was showing us how He wants things to be while He was marrying Adam and Eve, then that's how God wants things to be. Pragmatic, huh? It seems logical to me.

Keep an open mind, and have some fun with it. If it isn't interesting or fun or funny or productive, then there's really no sense doing it. In my humble opinion, these are ideas and concepts where it makes no sense to draw a line in the sand, and then stand behind it. Keep an open mind and see what shakes out. When it comes to most of these things, if God says that it's possible (or necessary), then it's possible. If God says that it can't be done, then it can't be done. Now the trick is for each one of us to get in contact with God for ourselves and find out from Him what is possible. God is the only one who truly knows what is possible for you and your life. Ask Him. I wish you luck in that endeavor. I get the sense that He is there, but most of the time He seems to let you figure-out things on your own without any intervention on His part, especially when it comes time for each one of us to decide for God or to decide against God.

Everyone has his or her part to play.

Are we having fun yet?

Of Rooster and Hens:

I dislike Arguments from Nature; but, everyone seems to employ them, so I will present a few of them, here and now, because they seem to fit the topic at hand.

An Argument from Nature goes something like this: “The animals are doing it, so we should be doing it too. The animals are promiscuous, so we should be promiscuous too. The animals maim each other, so we should maim each other. The animals are polygamist, so we should be polygamist. The animals are gay or engage in homosexual behavior, so we should be gay and engage in homosexual behavior as well. After all, it's only natural.”

Under this model, animal behavior becomes the standard, or the model, or the common denominator. The conclusion is that we are animals and a part of Nature, so we should naturally behave like the animals do. There's nothing wrong with it.

Some people take Nature or the Animal Kingdom as their guide or their god, and they conclude that it is perfectly fine and perfectly natural for humans to be doing whatever the animals are doing. You will have to decide for yourself whether the concept holds water or is simply a broken cistern. For now, though, I will simply present my analogies or Arguments from Nature, and then let you judge for yourself if any of them have merit.

For a city boy, I seem to have spent an unusual amount of time in chicken coops and at the chicken farm. My grandparents on both sides had chicken coops. I volunteered at the chicken farm during my youth. I also encountered a man who had been a chicken farmer all of his life, and I heard some interesting things from him. A chicken coop is a real life model for some of the things that I talk about in the “Of God and Goddesses” essay.

In a chicken coop or a hen-house, it is the hens who do all the real desirable work of producing all those wonderful eggs that so many of us like to eat for breakfast. It's the hens that are the desired creatures, because only the hens can produce the eggs. With a hen-house, you are dealing with a matriarchy. Among humans, we tend to make it all about the men, and tend to make our societies male dominated societies; yet, when it comes to farming, especially poultry, we instinctively and logically realize that it's really all about the females, because it's the females that produce the most desired results, not the males.

Furthermore, when it comes time to make more chicks, all it requires is one happy rooster in the hen house. The other roosters can be sent off to become buffalo wings. Once again, in the chick making business, it's the females who do all the real work, the hard work; yet, a single male is indeed necessary to complete the process.

Of Bull and Cows:

I'm not a fan of Arguments from Nature such as: “Cows engage in lots of lesbian behavior, so it is perfectly natural for human beings to do the same.” These kinds of arguments don't hold water. These are arguments of convenience rather than logical arguments that hold true under every situation. Yes, I have seen cows engaging in lots of unladylike behavior, but does that automatically mean that humans should be doing the same things? I have also seen cows poop a huge pile and then lay down in it to keep warm while they slept; so, does that mean that human beings should be doing the same thing? After all, it's only natural.

Nevertheless, for those who easily buy into Arguments from Nature, let me continue with the arguments that lend support to some of the ideas I have had regarding God and Goddesses.

I was the night time, grave yard, security guard at a farm during my youth. I did janitorial work at the start of my shift. I did my security rounds during the night. In the morning, it was my job to go out into the fields, round up all the cows, and milk them before my replacement came in. I quickly learned that it was the females, the cows, that produced the desired substance that we call milk. Never got any milk out of the bull. In fact, I only remember one bull on the whole fifty acre farm. One is all you need. Of course, it was also the female that produced the calf that I got to take care of and feed every morning. Yet again, the model holds true. Among the cattle herd, it was the females that were the desired creatures, because it was the females that produced the desired results. Furthermore, when it came time to produce calves, all it took was one eager bull to get the job done. The rest of the bulls could be sent off to make the steaks and prime rib dinner that we like to eat.

I also like to watch nature shows. I have noticed that it only takes one lion but many lionesses to make a pride. Once again, it's the lionesses that do the real work of hunting prey and feeding the kittens or lion cubs. It's the lionesses that make a pride work. It seems like if Nature wants to get anything done, She always turns to the females for the job at hand.

Maybe some of this can indeed be applied to God and Goddesses, as well. In all of these essays, I operate on the assumption that our earthly existence serves as a type or similitude of things to come. Therefore, if it exists here in mortality, it will most likely have its counterpart and show up in some form or another in the afterlife.

Of course, many of the atheists would consider all of this to be nothing more than a bunch of bull.

Conclusion:

God has been known in my life by His absence, if that makes sense.

After a prolonged illness, I remember the day when I told my brother that I no longer believe that God exists and no longer believe in God, and truly meant it. People kept talking about God; and from my point of view, God had nothing to do with it because God does not exist. Whatever they had to say about God and religion was foolishness to me and made no sense whatsoever, because I knew what they didn't know, that God does not exist. I often felt like standing up and shouting, “You stupid idiots! Can't you see how pointless all of this is?” I had come to believe (and hope) that we all cease to exist after we die. I kept wondering out loud why I was still alive, and people kept telling me that it must be because God wanted it to be so. It drove me crazy whenever they tried to attribute any blessing, success, or progress to God. I knew better, because I knew that God had nothing to do with it, because God does not exist. God is simply a figment of our imagination. And, I was right. For me, God did not exist and was nowhere to be found. God might have existed for someone else, but He did not exist for me. I was without God in the world. One church or religion was no different than any other. Nothing seemed real, anyway. Everything seemed totally pointless to me.

I spent years walking into darkness. One day, I decided to turn around and try to walk into the light. As one might surmise from some of my most recent essays and thoughts, I am no longer atheist. At one point there, I decided to make a course correction in my life. I didn't like where my chosen path and beliefs were taking me, so I decided to do a 180 degree turn around and go the other direction. The Christians call it repentance, which is the same thing as changing course or changing one's direction in life. The Hebrews call it “turning and facing God, or turning to God, or returning to God.” It's an about-face.

After I decided to try to walk back into the light, my life started to improve; and, I started to see things in a different way. It became overwhelmingly clear to me that it is totally impossible to prove a negative, meaning that it's logically impossible to prove that God does not exist. It also slowly became obvious to me that theism is infinitely more interesting than atheism. The theists simply have a lot of very interesting things going on, and the atheists don't. Take it, run with it, and see if you eventually come to the same conclusions.

Keep moving forward and best wishes to all,

Mark My Words

Riverton, Utah 84065

Closing Notes:

Footnote Regarding Sources: Unless stated otherwise, all quotes and questions are from my Facebook page or from a thread I created on LDS Freedom Forum regarding this subject:

http://www.ldsfreedomforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=33106

If you see where I quoted improperly or you want direct credit for your quote, let me know; otherwise, I will leave the public forum quotes anonymous, because you can go to the public forums and see the quotes any time you want.

As already stated above my ideas were developed primarily from the Conference Videos at The Academy for Temple Studies:

http://www.templestudies.org/home/

While discussing the various “Temple Theology” ideas within my essays, I periodically mention the name of the Video and the person who originally presented the ideas.

You can also look for and subscribe to the Academy for Temple Studies on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZGYrQeZ5xkZfJ5Q7mjZonw

I'm trying to give credit where credit is due, because I want you to be able to find these things for yourself, if the topic interests you. Go look and see. It has been a fun journey for me, and it might be for you as well.

Mark My Words

24MAY2014 Version.