About Us

The writers of this blog are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We do not represent the Church as a whole and so our posts will represent our own personal feelings, experiences, and opinions. We are grateful for the chance to share some of our insights as Christians. We welcome comments from members of the Church about our postings. We also welcome questions from readers that are not of our faith. We will not argue doctrinal points, but will to the best of our ability answer honest questions from those wanting to understand our beliefs.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Thoughts on the Priesthood

The priesthood, to some, conjures up visions of something akin to Robin Hood, the leader of the Men of Hood. Others think of a brotherhood, like the Elks Lodge, or something similar. When members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints talk about the Priesthood, they are not talking about an earthly organization of people, but rather, the power and authority of God delegated to mankind. We believe that to help us to become more like Him, God gives the Priesthood to man on earth to participate in the work of saving souls. Those that are familiar with the writings in the New Testament should be familiar with this concept. Simon, in Acts 8 sees the Apostles giving the Holy Ghost to recent converts to the ancient Church. Upon seeing the Apostles perform this act, Simon, recognizing the lack of authority in himself to confer the Holy Ghost approaches the Apostles and requests this authority himself, offering them money. Immediately, the Peter rebuked Simon because this power from God could not be purchased with money.

We believe that men on earth are given this authority to govern the Church, to perform ordinances - like the giving of the Holy Ghost to converts to the Church, and to preside in family units. Elder Bednar, an Apostle in the Church today, mentioned in an address yesterday in the General Conference of the Church, that the 'Priesthood does not mean or make a man inherently better than someone else'. All the Priesthood does for a man, is gives them an opportunity to serve others. Some people that I have interacted with over the years have wondered why women are not given this authority in our church. I must admit I do not have a doctrinal answer for this. However, I firmly believe that God does not keep blessings from those who righteously seek after Him. A woman in the Church does not lack access to the blessings from the Priesthood; rather, ample programs and organizations in the Church exist to ensure that every member in the Church - run by both men and women - has access to the help and strength the Priesthood can provide.

Please note that these are just some of my thoughts on the Priesthood and is by no means meant to be exhaustive. If anything I have written in this post has brought up any questions in your mind, please let me know. I will do my best to answer them.