Come Follow Me study thoughts D&C 20

 vs 18

God creating male and female, after His likeness, would suggest a dual likeness.

We suggest in the same vein that Heavenly Father would imply a Heavenly Mother and if they listened to the marriage advice that 2 shall become 1- then Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother are 1 god- working unified as God, but yet as two are able to work, or focus on multiple things at a time and as a result have 2 vantage points to see situations from.

One could argue a male and female god is bi-gendered and non-binary, but so is the required relationship for reproduction to occur. So I would suggest that perhaps dropping the concept of a single male God, and maybe, use concepts suggested in the Pearl of Great Price- The Gods went down, The Gods created the world, of plural Gods. Or perhaps find a middle ground and refer to heavenly parents.

Of course, women are used to working through and in their husband's name so Heavenly Mother probably isn't phased(1) by the image of God being a single, all-knowing male- so it is not for her that we would refer to her- it is for us, so we can learn to understand the nature of unity and eternal marriage and the true nature of God, so we can more easily see the path to become one(2) someday.

The very belief that we can become Gods ourselves (3), especially as we become unified breaks down barriers of race, color, religion in our life, we can see others as part of us- as part of our joy or our sadness- to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort. Our actions should treat others as if they are unified in our heart, causing us to lift and heal and help them grow. We need to be exalted with all of our human family, and yet, Ironically, as we work to exalt others, we save ourselves.

footnotes 

(1) I really can't fathom that any experienced mother with a boatload of kids could get phased by much anymore.

(2) interesting idea: becoming one or you are not mone- unity and godhood are connected again. IS the Buddhist concept of becoming "one with everything" a concept of unity? - of unity of godhood?

(3) this thought is in comparison to the classic concept of God as King, instead of God as Father. When God is seen as a single, white, male of unknown origin, but reigns supreme and is fundamentally different from us, you set up a belief system that sustains monarchs and white slaveholders over black slaves. And God becomes unreachable except through proper channels and there is no chance of becoming like Him, so worship becomes an idol thing: it is not designed to help you achieve exhalation, it is designed to keep you in your place, being nothing more than a good slave or servant of the master.

As God(s) as our parents, it is natural to plead with them as Shannon has pleaded for bunnies. It is natural for them to teach us and give in when it becomes good for us. It becomes natural to become like them and desire to be with them. It becomes natural for us to defend our siblings and do things that lift the whole human family.