armywife:
I was going to say what Tmaque said, but he beat me to it. Every time I see a child baptised, or adult for that matter I am so full of joy in seeing a pure soul joining Christ’s church. To degrade it by saing dogs do it, is most demeaning.
Yes, my apologies for that to you and others. I tend to use too much hyperbole in my language, and got carried away this time. One reason for it is that I have been used to posting on Evangelical boards, and over there debates tend to be much more hostile and confrontational than here. You are in fighting mood all the time, and habits are hard to shake off. I will try to be more careful in the future.
Now I just want to know what makes every male a priest, or member of a priesthood. I will not hijack my own thread, though.
Interesting question. I will try to answer that as best I can. As I explained earlier, the LDS Church does not have a professional clergy. All is done voluntarily by the members. My bishop is a professional man, with his own job and a family to look after. He is not paid a cent for the work he does for the Church, but instead pays 10% of his income to the Church as tithing (plus other donations and offerings). He will serve as a bishop for a few years (usually around five years), and then is released and another is appointed to serve in his stead. But he will then continue to serve in other capacities in the Church. The Church has need of other priesthood officers. The bishop has two counselors who serve the same way as he does. Likewise there are many other callings and positions in the Church requiring priesthood authority, all of which are performed voluntarily by the members in the same way. There are plenty of indications that that is also how things were originally done in the early Christian church. There were no paid clergy initially. The Apostles would go into a town or city, preach the gospel, convert a whole bunch of people, then ordain some of them to various priesthood callings, instruct them as to their duty, and then move on to somewhere else to do the same thing. Those who were thus called were ordinary professional people. It was not a paid job to begin with. The institution of a paid or professional clergy developed in the church later on. We are merely following the practices of the early Christian Church. If you want to go deeper into the theological reasons for it though, there is a passage in the Book of Mormon that explains that:
Mosiah 18:
26 And the priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the grace of God, that they might wax strong in the Spirit, having the knowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God.
This, however, still does not explain why in the LDS Church
every worthy male member needs to be ordained to the priesthood. We are now getting deeper into the theology of it still. The answer is that LDS regard the ordination to the priesthood as one of the necessary sacraments (we call them ordinances) of the gospel that are actually necessary for our salvation. Just as baptism is necessary for our salvation, and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands is necessary for out salvation, ordination to the priesthood is equally necessary for our salvation. There are several passages in LDS scripture, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants in particular, which would take too long to discuss. I will just quote one passage for you interest:
D&C 84:
33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.
35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;
37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;
38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.
39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.
40 Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved.
There are passages in the Bible too which suggests this. Peter, addressing the saints of his day, says to them:
1 Peter 2:
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a
royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
I hope this is sufficient. If you really want to know more, you will have to do more private study. It is hard to explain everything on a board like this.
amgid
