Category: Priesthood
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Priesthood Authority and the Restoration
Priesthood authority is a cornerstone doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, central to its claims of a restoration. According to LDS teaching, the loss of this authority triggered the Great Apostasy, rendering all Christian baptisms invalid until they are performed by someone with authority.
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Is the “Laying on of Hands” Essential?
Latter-day Saints insist that priesthood authority hinges on the precise act of laying hands on the head, a ritual they claim was lost in the Great Apostasy and restored through Joseph Smith.
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Crash Course Mormonism: Priesthood
Mormonism teaches that the authorized priesthood was restored to Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in 1829, the year before he founded his church. Today two kinds of priesthood are available to eligible males but not to females. The first priesthood is called the Aaronic Priesthood. Smith…
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Citations on Priesthood
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. The full book of 400 pages is available at Mormonism Research Ministry or Amazon.com. Standard Works “No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of this priesthood, except he be a literal descendant and the firstborn…
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Do Most Mormons Now Support the Ordination of Women to the LDS Priesthood?
Surveys and polls have been conducted among Mormons in recent years regarding the controversial question of whether or not women should be ordained to the all-male Mormon priesthood. LDS Church leadership has been resistant to the idea, explaining that the issue is a doctrinal one (which implies that a revelation would be required to open…
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Gospel Topics Essay: Joseph Smith’s Teachings about Priesthood, Temple, and Women
Gospel Topics Essay: Joseph Smith’s Teachings about Priesthood, Temple, and Women To see an introduction to the Gospel Topics essays, click here. The entire essay is printed below, underlined, with my commentary included throughout. Because I will try to be short and to the point as much as possible, a number of sites (many from MRM) to…
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Is the Mormon Priesthood Really of Ancient Origin?
The authority of the priesthood is so important to the Mormon that without it, male members are not enabled “to act in God’s name for the salvation of the human family” (Gospel Principles, p. 67). Those without this authority are unable to perform any ordinances, as Apostle James Talmage explained: No one may officiate in…
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LDS Church Goes Into Defensive Mode With Women and the Priesthood
The following was originally printed in the July/August 2014 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. A concerted effort by a woman’s group made up of Latter-day Saints has been attempting to get the LDS Church to change its doctrine that limits priesthood ordination to worthy males, forcing the leadership to deal head-on with this…
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Priesthood Index
Priesthood Blacks and the Priesthood YouTube videos on Blacks Podcasts on Blacks
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What do Christians and Mormons say about Priesthood Powers?
The following was originally printed in the June 2010 edition of MRM’s Update, a special edition mailed to financial supporters who also receive the publication Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription of Mormonism Researched, please visit here. The letter is presented exactly as it was sent. A Reader Asks: I grew up Mormon, but…
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Priesthood (Defined)
Priesthood.
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Melchizedek Priesthood (Defined)
Melchizedek Priesthood. A special authority given to Mormon men eighteen years and older, designed to enable them to gain exaltation in the highest heaven. It is taught that this priesthood was restored sometime between May 15, 1829 and April 6, 1830, although there is no written documentation for such an event prior to late 1834.…
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Aaronic Priesthood (Definition)
Aaronic priesthood. Known as the lesser of two priesthoods held by Mormon males (Priesthood and Church Government, p. 106). It is taught that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were visited by John the Baptist on the bank of the Susquehanna River on May 15, 1829; he laid hands on them and ordained them to the…
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A Royal Priesthood
The Priesthood is a big deal in Mormonism. At Mormon.org it is defined as “The power and authority of God, given to men on earth to act in all things for the salvation of God’s children.” Fifteenth LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Without [the Priesthood], we have nothing.” (Ensign, Aug 1998, 72) The April…
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Without the Priesthood
A week ago at church the pastor preached on Mark 1:21-22, on Jesus’ authority. We learn at the very beginning of Mark’s gospel that Jesus used His authority to teach in an astonishing way (Mark 1:22). He cast out demons and unclean spirits by His authority (Mark 1:23-27). He used His authority to heal the…
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Latter-day Saints—Where Did You Get Your Authority?
By Hal Hougey A. The Jews Asked Jesus and the Apostles This Question – Matt. 21:23-27; Acts 4:7-12 Jesus and the Apostles did not need, nor did they produce, credentials from the priesthood to show their authority. So neither will we. LDS have the same misconception that the Jews had: that authority passes from one…
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Priesthood Restored or Retrofit?
By Lane Thuet Listen
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Jesus’ Unique Priesthood
By Edward Mellott Each occupant of the First Presidency, from Joseph Smith onward, has been, in addition to other things, the highest occupant of the Melchizedek priesthood. Each has served for some length of time, after which he has died and been succeeded by another. What is significant about this fact is that the pattern…