Feel the POWER!! The Mormon Priesthood power, that is.

I was talking to a friend who after four years and countless discussions about religion, I still manage to surprise with bits and pieces of information about mormons. Somehow we got onto the topic of the Priesthood and how I had managed not to mention that in the past four years I don't know! His response was "Why is there no blog post about this?"

So here we go!

The Priesthood is the literal power to act in the name of God. It is the reason Mormons say theirs is the "Only True and Living" church on the earth, because they are the only ones with the priesthood.

The story goes like this: The priesthood was on the earth in ancient times (two types, Aaronic and Melchizedek--both with the authority to do different things, like baptize, bless, marry, heal, pass the sacrament, etc.) and they were used in the ancient church and Jesus gave the priesthood to his apostles through the laying on of hands. When the apostles died, the Priesthood was lost from the earth. This is the reason there had to be a restoration. It is the reason Martin Luther's efforts at reform were not enough. It is why when Joseph Smith prayed he received as an answer the very dramatic first vision.

The challenge was how to get the ancient priest hood into the modern era, considering everyone who held it was dead and it must be passed on through the laying on of hands.

President Gordon B Hinkley, the previous prophet, said it very susinctly:

"“This day of organization was, in effect, a day of commencement, the graduation for Joseph from ten years of remarkable schooling. It had begun with the incomparable vision in the grove in the spring of 1820, when the Father and the Son appeared to the fourteen-year-old boy. It had continued with the tutoring from Moroni, with both warnings and instructions given on multiple occasions. Then there was the translation of the ancient record, and the inspiration, the knowledge, the revelation that came from that experience. There was the bestowal of divine authority, the ancient priesthood again conferred upon men by those who were its rightful possessors—John the Baptist in the case of the Aaronic Priesthood, and Peter, James, and John in the case of the Melchizedek. There were revelations, a number of them, in which the voice of God was heard again, and the channel of communication opened between man and the Creator. All of these were preliminary to that historic April 6” (“150-Year Drama: A Personal View of Our History,” Ensign, Apr. 1980, 11–12)." 




Yes. John the Baptist gave Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry the Aaronic priesthood and Peter, James and John gave them the Melchizedek Priesthood.

The Aaronic Priesthood is the lesser of the two. Boys today receive it at the age of twelve. In the mainstream LDS church women are not permitted the Priesthood, and are instead given the divine gift of motherhood. (that's a whole other blog post!) Most of the "church approved" sources about the priesthood that I have personal access to are fairly vague. I am a woman after all. But Wiki says some interesting things. Later today I'll have a few of my male friends who are in the know verify, or if you, dear reader, can verify please let me know in the comments. What I do know is that at twelve, boys pass and bless the sacrament (similar to communion . . .sort of).

At 18, just before they go on missions, they can receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. Again we will look to Wiki for more detail than I have ever had access to. I do know that at this point they can give blessings of healing and comfort, and baptize. They can give babies a name and a blessing. They can confer the gift of the Holy Ghost on the newly baptized.

Now women and the Priesthood is a whole other situation. While I never held the priesthood I was supposed to be privy to it's power through my husband's Priesthood. There are stories of women who would bless their dying children with healing in the absence of their husbands. I think there is one about a woman who blessed the dying cow that the family relied on. Here is a rather disturbing lesson that women in the Relief Society (the Women's Organization within the church) are given regularly regarding their relationship to the Priesthood and to Priesthood holders.

I feel a future blog post about the patriarchal nature of the church coming on soon.

Mormons feel most sincerely that all gifts of the spirit: tongues, healing, revelation, visions, interpretation of tongues, and any others they choose to attribute to the spirit (I used to think following directions was probably a gift of the spirit) are all a direct result of the power of the priesthood.

Got a question or comment? please share! you can send questions to askanexmormon@gmail.com or put it in the comments! You can find me on Twitter @MollyNoLonger as well!

EDIT: one more lovely tidbit . . . Every LDS man with the priesthood can trace the lineage of his Priesthood back to Jesus Christ, through Joseph Smith. I was very very surprised to see how small the list was for the men in my life.