LDS Freedom Forum

stillwater wrote: I'm quite familiar with the history of the church, including the fact that Joseph ordained people to the priesthood. If you'll look at my original response I was making an honest effort to understand the interplay between earthly ordinations and heavenly conferral of priesthood. We certainly have the earthly ordinations down, but, as Elder Packer says, we have "raced far ahead," in that respect, of receiving priesthood from heaven.

I'm not arguing against earthly ordination. I'm simply agreeing with Elder Packer, but in different terms. He used the term "power of the priesthood". I choose instead to use the terms and conditions in Alma 13 and JST Gen 14. I feel I have good reason for doing so.

I will restate my questions, which are not to you but rather to God:

I am aware of Joseph's ordaining of brethren. I'm also aware that the scriptures I'm using to understand the requirements for obtaining "the Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God" were produced by Joseph. I see evidence of Joseph ordaining people. I don't see evidence of him cancelling the requirements in the scriptures he dictated.

Seek the Truth wrote:

stillwater wrote: I will restate my questions, which are not to you but rather to God:

Why post them here then.
If we all came here just to share our supposed great knowledge, then there would be nobody reading the posts. I welcome anyone's responses to my questions, but ultimately my answers come from God.

I am aware of Joseph's ordaining of brethren. I'm also aware that the scriptures I'm using to understand the requirements for obtaining "the Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God" were produced by Joseph. I see evidence of Joseph ordaining people. I don't see evidence of him cancelling the requirements in the scriptures he dictated.

If I can simplify, my summary of the subject is we receive the keys through the Church, but using the keys (experiencing the gifts, however one wants to word it) are up to us as individuals.

stillwater wrote: If we all came here just to share our supposed great knowledge, then there would be nobody reading the posts. I welcome anyone's responses to my questions, but ultimately my answers come from God.

Seek the Truth wrote:

stillwater wrote: If we all came here just to share our supposed great knowledge, then there would be nobody reading the posts. I welcome anyone's responses to my questions, but ultimately my answers come from God.

Thanks, I wasn't sure if you were saying that you didn't want any comment.