The Mormon Notion of Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods

[CatholicGuyNY]

Is there a Biblical basis for the belief that the priesthood in the Church is to be divided between a Lesser Priesthood and a Higher Priesthood (known in Mormonism as the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood)? Do Mormons believe that he original Church had an Aaronic Priesthood and a Melchizedek Priesthood, and if so, what is the proof for this?

For comparison, in Catholicism, there is only one ministerial priesthood, which includes three offices: deacon, priest, and bishop. The office of Bishop is seen as holding the fullness of the priesthood, and only bishops can ordain. “Patriarch”, “Pope”, “Cardinal”, etc. are not ordained offices in the priesthood.

 

[LongJourney]

Just a side issue, to deflect believers’ concern from the circular nature of the open canon-closed canon issue.

 

[Mark77]

Is there a reason why we Catholics, who have been Blessed with the fullness of the Truth of Jesus Christ should care about some misguided group’s strange notions?

i assume you are asking for a Mormon’s perspective in order to refute their false teachings?

CA has some excellent information on Mormon beliefs on their website’s home page in their Library-Faith Tracts-Non-Catholic Groups. catholic.com/library/noncatholic_groups.asp

In “Distinctive Beliefs of the Mormon Church” catholic.com/library/Distinctive_Beliefs_of_Mormon.asp , their beliefs are summarized.

"The other priesthood—the Aaronic—is the lesser of the two and is concerned with the temporal affairs of the church, and its ranks are known as deacon, teacher, then priest.

The Melchizedek priesthood is concerned mainly with spiritual affairs, and it “embrac[es] all of the authority of the Aaronic,” explains Hinckley. The Melchizedek ranks are elder, seventy, and high priest. At age twelve boys become deacons and thus enter the “Aaronic priesthood.”

Sancta Maria, Matre Dei, Ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus.

mark

 

[PaulDupre]

Is there a reason why we Catholics, who have been Blessed with the fullness of the Truth of Jesus Christ should care about some misguided group’s strange notions?

For the same reasons that the early Church fathers and many apologists since have written thousands of pages against heretics - these heretics lead unsuspecting Catholics away from the true faith and into “doctrines of demons”.

Mormonism defames and blasphemes Jesus and His Father, slanders His Church and breaks up families.

Mormonism is truly the “doctrines of demons”. I know., I was a Mormon missionary who led many people astray with the lies of Mormonism. I must now try to save others from their demonic influence.

Paul

 

[dianaiad]

For the same reasons that the early Church fathers and many apologists since have written thousands of pages against heretics - these heretics lead unsuspecting Catholics away from the true faith and into “doctrines of demons”.

Mormonism defames and blasphemes Jesus and His Father, slanders His Church and breaks up families.

No we don’t, Paul. Families break up families. The church itself is very much against that. I have noticed in my life time that when a Mormon leaves the church, the antagonism seems mostly to come from the one leaving.

Not that I haven’t seen a LOT of the antagonism go the other way, because I have. People are people. I can honestly say, though, that when this happens, it’s…well, it’s not supposed to. You can’t get a sinner back if you treat them like dirt, after all.

Mormonism is truly the “doctrines of demons”. I know., I was a Mormon missionary who led many people astray with the lies of Mormonism. I must now try to save others from their demonic influence.

Paul

And Paul, you are serving as a very good example of what I’m talking about. True, this is a moderated site, and we can’t get all THAT insulting with one another, but I don’t think you can find any Mormon calling Catholicism “the doctrines of demons.”

If you go to the discussion boards like alt.religion.christian.roman-catholic, or alt.religion.mormon, you will find a very interesting phenomenon; both groups are populated by incredibly hate filled posters, saying wildly improbable, and absolutely horrible, things about Mormons and Catholics. I think that it may be a little worse on the Catholic board, but most of the time it’s a wash.

The problem is, while you find very few, if any, Mormons behaving that way on the Catholic board, you see a LOT of Catholics behaving that way on the Mormon boards. Breaking up families?

(snort)

Paul, my nephew married a Baptist a couple of years back. It broke my sister’s heart. She cried about it for weeks, quite literally. Keith stopped going to church and started attending his wife’s church, and seems content to be there. It almost destroyed my sister.

However…

She never said a thing to Kimmie. Never greats her with anything but love; in fact, she thinks that Kimmie is a wonderful girl, and my sister loves her. She would never in a million years give Kimmie a hard time for not being LDS, nor has she, nor the rest of us, cast Keith out, or ‘shunned’ him. We do not tell her what’s wrong with her faith. We do not criticize her beliefs. In fact, unless she brings the subject up, we don’t discuss religion at all. We simply enjoy her…because she is quite a catch for Keith, personally.

HER family, on the other hand…they will not come to family events. They are rude and dismissive. They will not visit their daughter when Keith’s relatives are there to visit. They are constantly handing Keith and Kimmie anti-Mormon pamphlets, and insulting his family to his face…and to ours.

It’s getting so bad that Kimmie suggested that she and Keith move…away from her parents to be closer to his.

WHO is doing the family breaking up here, Paul?

Please be careful.

 

[Michael_Francis]

Please remain on topic or this thread will come to a very fast end.

 

[zerinus]

Is there a Biblical basis for the belief that the priesthood in the Church is to be divided between a Lesser Priesthood and a Higher Priesthood (known in Mormonism as the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood)?

As far as I know there is no clear biblical proof, but see below.

Do Mormons believe that he original Church had an Aaronic Priesthood and a Melchizedek Priesthood, and if so, what is the proof for this?

The answer to the first part of your question is probably yes; most Mormons do believe that that division existed in the original church; and it was later lost. But to be accurate, it is hard to know for sure. We accept that distinction in the LDS Church because of the witness of the Holy Spirit we have that the revelations of the Church are true. There are indications in the Old Testament, however, that the Levitical priesthood and its rites will be restored in the last days:

Malachi 3:

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifer of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

That perhaps at least partially answers your question in the affirmative.

For comparison, in Catholicism, there is only one ministerial priesthood, which includes three offices: deacon, priest, and bishop. The office of Bishop is seen as holding the fullness of the priesthood, and only bishops can ordain. “Patriarch”, “Pope”, “Cardinal”, etc. are not ordained offices in the priesthood.

In In the LDS Church there are many more, as you know; and there are also many more ordinances of a sacramental nature than what is recognized by the Catholic Church.