Guest post by Evelynne
Evelynne is a mother to three sweet children, a wife to an adorable and adoring husband, a graphic designer and a communications consultant. She is also a Gospel Doctrine Sunday School teacher. With what time is left over she likes to pretend she is a master yogi. She also loves making beautiful things and making things beautiful.
This e-book was created as a part of Evelynne’s ‘Audience, Viewpoint & Commentary’ class at the Billy Blue Design College in Australia. The below post is the introduction to the book.
This is the story of a little girl’s journey…
My parents joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the year
before I was born. By the time I came along my mother’s cigarettes were long gone, my father had given up on perfecting his home brew and my two older sisters firmly believed that popcorn came from apricot trees.
I will be forever grateful for being raised in the LDS church. The things I have learned from the gospel have absolutely formed the foundation for life as I know it today. But looking back, I can’t help but see a gaping hole that I wish I could go back and fill.
I recently discovered a far-reaching study published in the journal BYU Studies last year which located more than six hundred references to Heavenly Mother in the writings and speeches of LDS Church leaders1, however as concluded by an internet survey, most Mormons believe that discourse about Heavenly Mother is forbidden or inappropriate.2 I personally have clear memories of asking questions about my Heavenly Mother and being brushed off with statements in line with this thinking.
Gina Davis, who has created a foundation for improving female representation in the media, has said “We are in effect enculturating kids from the very beginning to see women and girls as not taking up half of the space.”3
Girls need to see women in movies, TV shows and the media who are intelligent, successful, and valued for qualities other than their physical appearance. There is ample evidence and research which concludes that this will lead to more opportunities and greater life experiences for girls.
In light of this information I could not help but ask, “Is this any different from the importance of girls seeing positive female role models in a religious setting?” and “Where did the concept of ‘sacred’ silence about our Heavenly Mother come from?”
In 1960, an LDS member published in a Mormon encyclopedia that information about our Heavenly Mother has been withheld because of the way God the Father’s and Jesus Christ’s names have been profaned.4 This was reflective of the romanticized, Western culture of the 19th and early 20th centuries where women were viewed as somewhat helpless and in need of protection from men. This concept has been refuted by LDS Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley who spoke of Heavenly Mother as being deity, whom “none of us can add to or diminish the glory of..”5
Another possible explanation for the reluctance to speak of a Heavenly Mother is that this is a unique doctrine that puts LDS members at odds with mainstream Christian theology.
I was asked once by a professor, who is an atheist, if I ever questioned my faith. My response to him was that I felt that it was irresponsible not to. This example clearly illustrates the need for all of us, whatever our religion (or non-religion), to challenge each element of our belief systems. To pull it all apart and put it back together again. I have striven to do this with my understanding of my Heavenly Mother. Through this experience I have come to better understand Her role in my life. As a Mormon, mother and feminist, I now can’t help but feel a responsibility to the rising generation to help break this so-called “sacred” silence.
**The references are included in the ebook. You can view Evelynne’s ebook here.
22 Responses
[…] Heavenly Mother’s Day: Are You My Mother? (eBook) […]
Our former bishop gave a wonderful talk yesterday focusing on Heavenly Mother. I can definitely see the discourse becoming more common already. Thank you for adding your voice.
Evelynne, your book is spectacular!! I love your art and the quotes you put with it. Thank you for making this available to everyone. I’m going to print it out and give it to my daughter.
Great, Caroline! I hope she enjoys it 🙂
This is beautiful. I am going to print it out for my children.
Thanks Cari! I hope they enjoy it.
My girls must have this. How can I buy copies?
I have looked in to having the book printed, however the least expensive quote I received was around $30 per book which I felt was too expensive for a 10 page spread book. I am still open to having it printed in the future. At this stage I am just making it available for people to print themselves if they would like to.
Hi! Just letting you know that a printed copy of my book is now available at https://www.facebook.com/evamaiillustrates . I also have prints of the book illustrations available. 🙂 Thanks for your support!
Nice work.
However, I just want to point out that there seems to be some confusion with the references. Endnote 4 should be reference to a encyclopedia and endnote 5 to Hinckley’s talk. Instead they are references to Eliza R. Snow’s poetry and an encyclopedia, respectively. The source for Hinckley quote seems to be missing. Eliza-source is duplicated as endnote 10; but actually 9 and 10 should be the other way around.
Thanks Niklas! I was vaguely aware that I needed to go back and fix up my references after making a number of revisions to the book and then neglected to do so. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I will fix it up with my next revision.
What a lovely project and a beautiful gift. Thank you for sharing with us. Like Caroline and others, I’m looking forward to printing a copy for my home, for my grandchildren.
My pleasure, Melody! I’m so pleased it is getting shared with so many people– especially children!
Hi! Just letting you know that a printed copy of my book is now available at https://www.facebook.com/evamaiillustrates . I also have prints of the book illustrations available. 🙂 Thanks for your support!
This book is gorgeous! I also plan to print it at home. And if you ever turn it into a Kindle book or a published book, please let us know.
It is available on kindle:
http://www.amazon.com.au/Are-You-My-Mother-Breaking-ebook/dp/B00SC6RNHC
Will definitely let you all know if I manage to get it to print.
Hi! Just letting you know that a printed copy of my book is now available at https://www.facebook.com/evamaiillustrates . I also have prints of the book illustrations available. 🙂 Thanks for your support!
I love so many things about this. The last two images and corresponding quotes were especially moving for me, as well as smile-inducing. Thank you for your work, your time, and your willingness to share and enrich us all.
My pleasure 🙂 I am so glad so many people are getting to feel the spirit that inspired me to make it. Thanks for your kind words.
Gorgeous. I was looking for some artwork to accompany the theme of “Stay by the Tree” from Kevin W. Pearson’s recent conference address, as a way to expand on a Relief Society lesson on The Book of Mormon. Your work is perfect. Thank you so much for posting. Beautiful quotes. Like Caroline, I’ll be printing one for my daughter.
That’s great, Rebecca! Hope your lesson goes well 🙂
[…] at top by Evelynne M. Hatchard, from illustrations in her new ebook, Heavenly Mother’s Day: Are You My […]