Women occupy a high and sacred place in the eternal plan of God as His precious daughters who are loved by Him and are very important to Him, said President Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency.

Please see excerpts from other addresses given at the General Women's Meeting on page 4."His grand design cannot succeed without you," President Hinckley emphasized in his address at the General Women's Meeting Sept. 28.

Speaking to the female members of the Church, ages 12 and up, President Hinckley continued: "There is that same element of divinity in you and your sisters as there is in your brothers. All of us are here as part of a divine plan made by a loving Father who is concerned with our immortality and eternal life."

President Hinckley also spoke of the importance of following the pattern of prayer set forth by Jesus Christ.

Quoting from an earlier address he gave to regional representatives last April, he talked about those who advocate the offering of prayers to Mother in Heaven.

"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 consider it inappropriate for anyone in the Church to pray to our Mother in Heaven.

"I suppose those who use this expression and who try to further its use, are well-meaning, but they are misguided. The fact that we do not pray to our Mother in Heaven in no way belittles or denigrates her."

The annual women's meeting was conducted by Janette C. Hales, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency. The meeting, which originated from the Tabernacle on Temple Square, was telecast via satellite to about 3,000 meetinghouses in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the West Indies.

Other speakers at the meeting were Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Council of the Twelve; Chieko N. Okazaki, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency; Ruth B. Wright, second counselor in the Primary general presidency; and Jayne B. Malan, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency.

Diane Workman, a member of the Primary General Board, offered the opening prayer and Carol Lee Hawkins, a member of the Relief Society General Board, gave the benediction.

Music was provided by a 300-voice choir of women and young women from the Millcreek Utah Region who performed arrangements of "I Feel My Savior's Love" and "Love One Another."

Much of President Hinckley's address was in response to a letter sent to President Ezra Taft Benson by a 14-year-old young woman who wanted to know if men are more important than women, if women can go to the celestial kingdom since the scriptures seem to refer only to men and why Eve was created from Adam.

President Hinckley explained that the scriptures often refer to men in a generic sense to include both men and women. Women are as eligible to enter the celestial kingdom as are men, worthiness being the determining factor for both, he said.

" . . . In attaining the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom, the man cannot enter without the woman, neither can the woman enter without the man. The two are inseparable as husband and wife in eligibility for that highest degree of glory. If she lives worthy of it, hers will be a glory as celestial and eternal as his.

"Some who are not married through no fault of their own, ask whether they will always be denied the highest degree of glory in that kingdom. I am confident that under the plan of a loving Father and a divine Redeemer, no blessing of which you are otherwise worthy will forever be denied you."

Man was created in God's own likeness and image, President Hinckley continued. "Then as His final creation, the crowning of His glorious work, He created woman. I like to regard Eve as His masterpiece after all that had gone before, the final work before He rested from His labors.

"I do not regard her as being in second place to Adam. She was placed at his side as an helpmeet."

President Hinckley said he did not know why the scriptures state that Adam should rule over Eve, but added: "I regrettably recognize that some men have used this through centuries of time as justification for abusing and demeaning women. But I am confident also that in so doing they have demeaned themselves and offended the Father of us all, who, I am confident, loves His daughters just as He loves His sons.

"My own interpretation of that sentence is that the husband shall have a governing responsibility to provide for, to protect, to strengthen and shield the wife. Any man who belittles or abuses or terrorizes, or who rules in unrighteousness, will deserve, and, I believe, receive the reprimand of a just God who is the Eternal Father of both His sons and daughters.

"Would any of us be here, either men or women, without the other? Each is a creation of the Almighty, mutually dependent and equally necessary for the continuation of the race. Every new generation in the history of mankind is a testimony of the necessity for both man and woman.

President Hinckley concluded: "Great is your power for good. Marvelous are your talents and your devotion. Tremendous is your faith and your love for the Lord, for His work, and for His sons and daughters. Continue to live the gospel. Magnify it before all of your associates. You are part of an eternal plan, a plan designed by God our Eternal Father. Each day is a part of that eternity."