What Do Mormons Really Believe?: Part V

What Do Mormons Really Believe?: Part V

Article of Faith #5

This is Part Five of my series on what members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, sometimes called "Mormons", believe. Please remember that though I am an active member of the church, my disclaimer is that I do not claim to provide the official view from the church; I'll leave it to the church to do that (see www.mormon.org).

The intent of these articles is not to attack or demean other faiths or to cause any kind of contention or argument. They are written to simply outline the beliefs of church members in as straightforward a way as possible. I have no intention to convince, trick or deceive anyone. Indeed, this is far from the mind of anyfaithful member of the church. We realize full well that spiritual matters are deeply personal and can only be accessed through study, reflection, and with the aid of the Divine.

The Articles of Faith were written by Joseph Smith Jr., whom church members take to be a prophet and the first leader of the church in our time. They were written to clarify the church's position about many fundamental issues.

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Article of Faith #5
We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

This article concerns the priesthood of God. The priesthood is the authority given by God to men to act in His name, performing those acts of service, duties, and responsibilities that Jesus Himself (or our Heavenly Father) would do were He here. Quite simply, it gives members of the church the opportunity to do acts of service. Far from being an authoritative, power-holding function, faithful members of the church realize that actions of the priesthood are acts of service that must be performed as solemn duty and for a love of God and his Son, Jesus Christ. Former church president Joseph F. Smith defined the priesthood as "the power of God delegated to man by which man can act in the earth for the salvation of the human family, … by which [men] may speak the will of God as if the angels were here to speak it themselves; by which men are empowered to bind on earth and it shall be bound in heaven, and to loose on earth and it shall be loosed in heaven."

Throughout time, we can see that God has chosen His servants to do His will to the blessing of His people--and indeed all the people of the earth. Beginning with Adam, and on down to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and other prophets--including a few of the apostles--God spoke with them and instructed them how they should serve the world. This led to many great and important events in the Bible while establishing a pattern of prophets who had authority to do things like work miracles, bless others, and lead His people.

Called of God

It is vital to understand the nature of priesthood authority and how one obtains it if one would understand the church. The Priesthood is not something that one can take upon oneself. As the Article of Faith above states, one must be "called of God," so God Himself gives His authority to worthy men. How? "...by prophecy" and also "by the laying on of hands". "By prophecy" takes us back once more to that important tenet of the church, revelation. God, through His existing servants ("those who are in authority") who are open to inspiration and revelation, calls upon men to bear His priesthood and act in His name with His authority. The simple method for doing so, once a person has been called, is by the "laying on of hands" (Numbers 27:18-23, Acts 19:1-6, 1 Timothy 4:14).

Church members cannot go to a school to receive the Priesthood by graduating. They cannot receive the Priesthood by feeling a sudden urge to serve God. As the apostle Paul said long ago, "no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron" (Hebrews 5:4). They must be called by a priesthood authority, found worthy to receive the Priesthood, and then be given the Priesthood by the laying on of hands.

Jesus Christ gave the priesthood to His original Twelve Apostles, and they directed the work of His Church after Jesus ascended to heaven. After the Apostles were killed, the priesthood gradually disappeared from the earth. It would require a divine restoration of the priesthood to have God's authority back on the earth again.

In 1829, Joseph Smith received the restored priesthood authority to organize Christ's Church. John the Baptist appeared and conferred upon Joseph Smith and his associate Oliver Cowdery what is called the Aaronic Priesthood, which includes the authority to perform the ordinance of baptism. This same power is also called the Levitical Priesthood, and is the same authority granted to the Levites whose charge it was to manage many of the affairs in the tabernacle and other holy places and events in biblical times. Today, boys who reach the age of 12 years, if found faithful and worthy, are called to receive this preparatory priesthood.

Later, Peter, James, and John (three of Christ's original Apostles) appeared and conferred what is called the Melchizedek Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, restoring the same authority given to both Christ's Apostles and prophets in the Old Testament. In 1830, with this priesthood authority, the same Church of Jesus Christ that existed centuries ago was organized and restored to the earth by Joseph Smith. Men who reach the age of 18, who are found worthy, are called by men in authority to receive this priesthood.

A living prophet—the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—is the authorized successor to Joseph Smith. He and the present Apostles trace their authority to Jesus Christ in an unbroken chain of ordinations through Joseph Smith. Indeed, any priesthood holder in the church can trace their line of priesthood authority back to Joseph Smith and hence to Jesus Christ himself.

All male members of the Church who are worthy and prepared may receive the priesthood to help serve Heavenly Father's children. A man with the priesthood might serve by leading congregations of the Church, performing the ordinances of the Church (such as baptism), and blessing those who are sick. More mundane tasks that extend to priesthood holders include things like helping their neighbors do tasks and jobs around the house, moving families into or out of their homes, and other acts of service. God expects those who hold this sacred priesthood authority to follow the example of Jesus Christ and serve with love, gentleness, and kindness.

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Some Questions

In anticipation of questions about the priesthood, I have included a very short FAQ below. This article is running long already, but you may explore www.mormon.org if you have further questions, or feel free to email me and I'll see what I can do. You can also speak to other members of the church whom you may know or actually speak to those nice young men in suits and short hair cuts who have taken two years of their lives, often on their own dime, to explain these things to people.

Why can't women receive the priesthood?

Women have a different, but equivalent, role in the Lord's Kingdom. In the words of a former apostle in the church, John A. Widtsoe,

I'll add a reminder here that the church sees the priesthood as service-oriented and not power-oriented. In this context, women simply have different roles with how they are to serve.

Why weren't blacks allowed the priesthood until 1978?

Most important here: since the church's founding--and for that matter, since time on earth began--salvation has been open to all of God's children, regardless of race. Those who could hold the priesthood, however, have been sharply curtailed until our day. In the Old Testament, very few individuals held the priesthood: only specially called prophets and then Levites. The reasons for the restrictions specific to black or African-descent members of the church in our day has not been revealed. By "revealed" I mean that God has not spoken to prophets as to why they were denied priesthood service for nearly 150 years--or that if He had spoken to prophets about the matter, prophets have not officially spoken on the subject. There has been some conjecture by church members, but officially, nothing official has been given to church members about this matter. However, church members had always been taught that someday, priesthood service would be available to all worthy male members of the church.

That day came in 1978. I remember that day very well. When we received the news that all worthy male members of the church could now receive the priesthood, our family gathered together to express gratitude to God in family prayer. As children growing up in Alabama during the turbulent 1960s, we were taught that this would someday happen, and we were encouraged to love all people regardless of their skin color. In 1978, President Spencer W. Kimball received revelation from God that this was to be so. When we heard the news, we cut out newspaper articles and put them in our journals (I still have them), called our friends and neighbors and exlaimed in joyful tones that the day had arrived. It was cause for much celebration in the church.

I found a very helpful website by church member Jeff Lindsay that discusses this issue in great detail, and I invite you to explore this topic further by clicking here.

Since I'm not Mormon, and since the priesthood only resides in, as you say, Jesus Christ's restored church, are you saying that Jesus will not recognize my own baptism in my church?

I'll answer this by simply saying that God is fair and He is merciful. As a loving heavenly parent, He recognizes any attempts to do good and to try to follow His teachings and commandments.

Yes, it is a commandment that one be baptized (John 3:5). As a sacred ordinance, it must be performed by one holding proper priesthood authority. So while the quick answer is "no," the real answer is that God does indeed want His children to return to Him and again, and He recognizes any attempts to do good and to try to follow His teachings and commandments. There will be ample opportunity for any of his children who desire it to receive this sacred ordinance in the right way by His authorized servants. The important thing at first is to accept the teachings of Christ and keep His commandments. Baptism, though very required, is an ordinance that is relatively easy to organize and perform.

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Next stop: Article of Faith #6

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Contents to articles:

What Do Mormons Really Believe?: Introduction

What Do Mormons Really Believe?: Part I (Article of Faith #1)

What Do Mormons Really Believe?: Part II (Article of Faith #2)

What Do Mormons Really Believe?: Part III (Article of Faith #3)

What Do Mormons Really Believe?: Part IV (Article of Faith #4)