What Exactly Is The Priest Hood?

Katzpur · Oct 25, 2008

Jeremy Mason said:
ok, how did Joseph Smith become a priest?

According to Joseph Smith's account:

"We still continued the work of translation, when, in the ensuing month (May, 1829), we on a certain day went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying: "Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.

He said this Aaronic Priesthood had not the power of laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred on us hereafter; and he commanded us to go and be baptized, and gave us directions that I should baptize Oliver Cowdery, and that afterwards he should baptize me. Accordingly we went and were baptized. I baptized him first, and afterwards he baptized me—after which I laid my hands upon his head and ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood, and afterwards he laid his hands on me and ordained me to the same Priesthood—for so we were commanded.

The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be conferred on us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the Church, and he (Oliver Cowdery) the second. It was on the fifteenth day of May, 1829, that we were ordained under the hand of this messenger, and baptized."

Jeremy Mason · Oct 25, 2008

Katzpur said:
According to Joseph Smith's account:

"We still continued the work of translation, when, in the ensuing month (May, 1829), we on a certain day went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying: "Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.

He said this Aaronic Priesthood had not the power of laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred on us hereafter; and he commanded us to go and be baptized, and gave us directions that I should baptize Oliver Cowdery, and that afterwards he should baptize me. Accordingly we went and were baptized. I baptized him first, and afterwards he baptized me—after which I laid my hands upon his head and ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood, and afterwards he laid his hands on me and ordained me to the same Priesthood—for so we were commanded.

The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be conferred on us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the Church, and he (Oliver Cowdery) the second. It was on the fifteenth day of May, 1829, that we were ordained under the hand of this messenger, and baptized."

Can other people be visited by angels in the same manner?

Can other priests of other denominations participate in the laying of the hands?

stacey bo bacey · Oct 26, 2008

stacey bo bacey said:
That's exactly what I meant, I'm sorry. When he said it to me I took it as they actually molded it like it was play-doh.......so then, what did they do? Zap it into existence? I don't get it.

Btw, I didn't mean for that to be taken as me being defensive...what you said is what I meant to say...I think that's kind of what my boss was telling me. But I just got this image in my head like it was Adam and Jesus floating in outer space forming the earth...

Soooo, you guys have different theories about things? Or just this? I think I should go do some reading on this because I am thoroughly confused.

kai · Oct 26, 2008

the priest hood was formed to reinforce the leadership, to justify and explain why the leadership should be in control,

i am Ugg leader of my tribe because i am strongest, but mugg my priest keeps the people enthralled with stories and incantations and keeps them a little under control by telling them its God that gives me my strength to lead and they must listen , he heals and tells the future and for Muggs help i give him the second best hut and a pick of the women i don't want. between us we bind the tribe together and sustain its existence . its an arrangement that works quite well.

and still does.

Worshipper · Oct 26, 2008

stacey bo bacey said:
I think I should go do some reading on this because I am thoroughly confused.

Watch out what you read. There's a lot of misinformation on the internet about what us guys believe! It's easy to read stuff that a tiny minority of Mormons in the 1850s used to believe and that most Mormons today haven't even heard of but it gets presented as though the cute Mormon boys who pedal up to your door are just dying to baptize you so that they can indoctrinate you into those "mysteries" later on, after it's too late for you to run away screaming.

A good source for stuff that pretty much all Mormons can agree on is here: Mormon.org - Home.

You can also ask any questions about the weird stuff we believe here at RF. Like most people, we're happy to talk about what we think. And unlike your cheating ex-boyfriend out in California, we won't bite your head off!

Watchmen · Oct 26, 2008

stacey bo bacey said:
It's hard for me to say that Jesus and Adam molding the Earth isn't ridiculous.........but I will say it isn't ridiculous because I know that's what you believe and I need to respect that.

:woohoo: I did it! :cheer:

For what it's worth, I'm not a strict Creationist. I do believe in evolution, etc. Also, the temple ceremony your boss was refering to is highly symbolic.

Worshipper · Oct 26, 2008

DisneyMan said:
For what it's worth, I'm not a strict Creationist. I do believe in evolution, etc. Also, the temple ceremony your boss was refering to is highly symbolic.

Even the name Adam is symbolic. It means "dirt" and "mankind" — Adam is a symbol of humanity, which is ultimately derived from the dust of the earth (which sounds to me like evolution).

Jordan St. Francis · Apr 21, 2009

It's interesting how closely the Mormon concept and the Catholic concept of priesthood are related, especially in regards to Protestant Christianity's notions of this idea.

Of course, we don't believe that the lineage of our priesthood has ever been broken, but the sacramental notion seems to be present in the Mormon community- that it is a sharing of God's power, that it is, most basically, a gift bestowed by God and not the choice of the individual or the community.

Cardinal Ratzinger wrote an interesting essay on the basic structure of the priesthood as deduced from the Gospel's idea of apostolicity. If I can find it online, Katzpur , I'll forward it to you because it might be valuable to a Mormon POV.

Smoke · Apr 21, 2009

Joy Christ said:
What exactly is the Priest Hood

That's the part of town where the rectories are.

DavyCrocket2003 · Apr 21, 2009

Jeremy Mason said:
Can other people be visited by angels in the same manner?

Can other priests of other denominations participate in the laying of the hands?

I'm assuming you mean "Can other people have angels appear to them and confer the priesthood on them?"
It wouldn't make much sense. The reason God had to send angels (according to LDS belief) to restore the priesthood keys is because they had been lost from the earth. That was the whole point of the restoration of the Gospel; restoring the priesthood and God's authority to the earth. Now that he has done this, he works through the Church. Why would he start another? Could someone have the same experience as Joseph Smith? Sort of. If someone saw an angel today, it would just tell them to join the Church. Just like what happened to Paul. Of course this is all just our beliefs operating on the assumption that Joseph Smith really did have visions and receive the priesthood. If not, I guess that either the Catholics have the keys and authority, or God hasn't restored them yet.

Katzpur · Apr 22, 2009

Jordan St. Francis said:
It's interesting how closely the Mormon concept and the Catholic concept of priesthood are related, especially in regards to Protestant Christianity's notions of this idea.

Of course, we don't believe that the lineage of our priesthood has ever been broken, but the sacramental notion seems to be present in the Mormon community- that it is a sharing of God's power, that it is, most basically, a gift bestowed by God and not the choice of the individual or the community.

Cardinal Ratzinger wrote an interesting essay on the basic structure of the priesthood as deduced from the Gospel's idea of apostolicity. If I can find it online, Katzpur , I'll forward it to you because it might be valuable to a Mormon POV.

I'd like to see it, Jordan. Here's something along the same lines that you might find interesting...

"Many years ago a learned man, a member of the Roman Catholic Church, came to Utah and spoke from the stand of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. I became well-acquainted with him, and we conversed freely and frankly. A great scholar, with perhaps a dozen languages at his tongue's end, he seemed to know all about theology, law, literature, science and philosophy. One day he said to me: 'You Mormons are all ignoramuses. You don't even know the strength of your own position. It is so strong that there is only one other tenable in the whole Christian world, and that is the position of the Catholic Church. The issue is between Catholicism and Mormonism. If we are right, you are wrong; if you are right, we are wrong; and that's all there is to it. The Protestants haven't a leg to stand on. For, if we are wrong, they are wrong with us, since they were a part of us and went out from us: while if we are right, they are apostates whom we cut off long ago. If we have the apostolic succession from St. Peter, as we claim, there is no need of Joseph Smith and Mormonism: but if we have not that succession, then such a man as Joseph Smith was necessary, and Mormonism's attitude is the only consistent one. It is either the perpetuation of the gospel from ancient times, or the restoration of the gospel in latter days.' " (From The Strength of the Mormon Position by Orson F. Whitney)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to :run:and see if I can avoid all of the fallout over this little tidbit.

Doodlebug02 · Dec 14, 2009

From the Baltimore Catechism:

Baltimore Catechism said:
451. What is Holy Orders?

Holy Orders is the sacrament through which men receive the power and grace to perform the sacred duties of bishops, priests, and other ministers of the Church.
For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in the things pertaining to God, that he may offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. (Hebrews 5:1)
452. What are some of the requirements that a man may receive Holy Orders worthily?

That a man may receive Holy Orders worthily it is necessary:

that he be in the state of grace and be of excellent character;

that he have the prescribed age and learning;

that he have the intention of devoting his life to the sacred ministry;

that he be called to Holy Orders by his bishop.

If anyone is eager for the office of bishops, he desires a good work. A bishop then, must be blameless, married but once, reserved, prudent, of good conduct, hospitable, a teacher, not a drinker or a brawler, but moderate, not quarrelsome, not avaricious. (I Timothy 3:1-3)
452a. What is meant essentially by a vocation to the priesthood?

By a vocation to the priesthood is meant essentially that invitation to receive Holy Orders given by the proper ecclesiastical superior to a man who, after a sufficient period of preparation and trial, gives signs that he has been called by God to the priesthood.
452b. What are the chief signs that a man has been called by God to the priesthood?

The chief signs that a man has been called by God to the priesthood are: a sincere desire to become a priest, a virtuous life, and sufficient bodily health and intellectual ability to enable him to make the required studies and to perform the duties of the priestly life.
452c. Do religious brothers and sisters receive the sacrament of Holy Orders?

No; religious brothers and sisters do not receive the sacrament of Holy Orders, but they have received from God a vocation to dedicate their lives to His service.
453. What are the effects of ordination to the priesthood?

The effects of ordination to the priesthood are: first, an increase of sanctifying grace; second, sacramental grace, through which the priest has God's constant help in his sacred ministry; third, a character, lasting forever, which is a special sharing in the priesthood of Christ and which gives the priest special supernatural powers.
Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (Psalm 109:4)
454. What are the chief supernatural powers of the priest?

The chief supernatural powers of the priest are: to change bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and to forgive sins in the sacrament of Penance.
Receive the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. (John 20:22-23)
455. Why should Catholics show reverence and honor to the priest?

Catholics should show reverence and honor to the priest because he is the representative of Christ Himself and the dispenser of His mysteries.
With all thy soul fear the Lord, and reverence his priests. (Ecclesiasticus 7:31)
456. Who is the minister of the sacrament of Holy Orders?

The bishop is the minister of the sacrament of Holy Orders.

Some helpful links:

Catholic Answers: This Rock: Quick Questions: Priesthood

Did Jesus Give Priests to the Church?< (This Rock: April 2004)

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12409a.htm

Hope this helps! :angel2:

What Exactly Is The Priest Hood?

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon

Jeremy Mason

Well-Known Member

stacey bo bacey

oh no you di'int

kai

ragamuffin

Worshipper

Active Member

Watchmen

Well-Known Member

Worshipper

Active Member

Jordan St. Francis

Well-Known Member

Smoke

Done here.

DavyCrocket2003

Well-Known Member

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon

Doodlebug02

Active Member