Why Do Mormons Obey Their Prophet?
Filed under: Basic LDS Beliefs, Church Organization, Counsel from Church Leaders, Jesus Christ, LDS Q&A
Mormonism is often known as a strict religion with many rules. Mormons are often asked why they obey and why they let others decide how they should live.
It is helpful to understand a little about the role of the Mormon prophet and how Mormons view him. With this knowledge, it is easier to understand why Mormons are willing to follow a prophet.
Students of the Bible are familiar with the concept of prophets. In Old Testament times, God called men to be prophets to deliver God’s word to the people. While each person is able to pray to God privately and learn His word, it would be very complicated to pray about each possible doctrine individually. God also has messages for us we might not think to pray for. A prophet serves as a channel for all the information a person needs to live according to God’s plan. In a world in which many prominent people are willing to guess at God’s word, and to teach their personal beliefs as scripture, a prophet is a sure source of information. Christians want to be certain they are living as Jesus taught, and not as someone else has decided they should live.
Adam was the first prophet on earth, speaking directly to God to learn truth and to find out what God wanted Him to do. Other prophets soon followed. Of course, there have been times when God withdrew prophecy because the people refused to listen or to honor the prophets, but He has always restored them. Prophets were on the earth to prepare the people for the first coming of Christ, and as we approach the second coming, we naturally need prophets again. For this reason, God restored prophets to the earth in modern times. The second coming requires as much preparation as did the first coming.
But how do the Mormons know their prophet really is the prophet God has chosen for this time? Mormons are taught from early childhood, and, if they are considering becoming Mormon, to ask God who the prophet is. They are instructed not to take the word of anyone on earth—not the Church’s word, not that of their parents, not that of their teachers. All of those sources are a place to be taught the gospel, but no one can give another person a testimony. A testimony can come only from God through confirmation from the Holy Ghost.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him,” taught James, believed by many scholars to be the half-brother of Jesus. (See James 1:5) Each person is entitled to turn to God for wisdom and to find out for Himself, from the only source that is completely trustworthy, that the head of the Mormon church is indeed God’s prophet. Prior to baptism, prospective members are interviewed and asked if they have taken this step.
Once a member has gained a testimony of the prophet, they can trust His teachings. However, should they at any time feel uneasy about something, they can again return to God to pray about it. This is why Mormons who have taken the time to pray about their choices are unshakable. They gained their testimonies directly from God.
Some outsiders will warn their members not to pray about which church to join, or about the prophets, because they claim the petitioner won’t know who is answering. Mormons, however, trust God. Because God promised in the Bible that we could ask Him anything and receive an answer, we trust Him to keep that promise. We know God can do anything, including answering us in a way we can recognize as coming from Him. The better we know God, and the more time we spend talking to Him and “listening” to Him, the more familiar His “voice” will become to us. Of course, prayer answers seldom come through a voice, so this is a symbolic way of speaking. It means we can recognize the ways he communicates with us, and understand how to know what the answer is. Mormons ask God because they believe Him when He makes promises.
Learn how to recognize answers to prayers.
Having an understanding of the process followed by Mormons to learn whether or not God speaks to us through prophets as well as individually, you are ready to understand why Mormons are willing to take direction from this prophet. You may already understand it, if you are a person who always strives to do what God wants you to do.
Mormons are taught the gospel of Jesus Christ as it is revealed in the scriptures. These scriptures include both the Old and New Testaments, as well as scriptures revealed through prophets in modern times, including the Book of Mormon and also as it is revealed to the prophets.
These scriptures teach us both the penalties for ignoring God and the blessings that come from obedience. We’ve seen throughout history that fear of punishment is not enough to make people obey God. Noah relentlessly taught the gospel to the people, and warned them of the upcoming flood. Despite this, they chose to ignore his warnings and continue in their sins. Why did they do this? Some probably didn’t believe Noah. Others thought it couldn’t happen to them. Most disobeyed simply because they did not love God more than they loved their sins.
Although Mormons are taught the consequences of disobedience, they don’t focus on them. Instead, they are taught to obey out of love for God. “If ye love me, keep my commandments,” Jesus taught. (See John 14:15) Love should always be the reason for obedience. Obedience that grows out of love for God is sincere and powerful. It is easier to keep the commandments for One we love, and the greater our love, the greater our obedience. Obedience that comes from fear or from a mere sense of obligation seldom lasts and does not produce all the blessings of obedience done from the heart. Obeying from love enlarges our spirit, increases our testimony, and helps us to become a better person. It allows us to become more like Jesus Christ.
A previous Mormon prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, taught, “When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.” (See Elder Donald L. Staheli Of the Seventy CES Fireside for Young Adults on 2 March 2003.)
Mormon Meetinghouses: Relief Society and Primary Rooms
Filed under: Basic LDS Beliefs, Church Organization, Faith in God Program, Gospel Principles, Practices & Precepts, Scouting
Curious about what is inside a Mormon meetinghouse? Visitors are always welcome in these smaller buildings designed for regular worship and weekday activities. However, you can also tour a building virtually through a new feature on the Mormon’s official website.
Start the Mormon Meetinghouse tour. In the previous article, we explored the foyer and chapel and learned what went on during a service. Learn about the Mormon chapel.
Today, we’ll explore two special classrooms: The Relief Society and the Primary Rooms.
Look below the tour to see the map. The Relief Society room is in the top right hand corner of the map. This room is especially for women and is therefore, usually the prettiest room. It normally has nice curtains, attractive paintings, tablecloths, flowers, and other feminine touches. They are usually the only classroom provided with padded seats.
Mormons meet for three hours each Sunday. The main worship service lasts an hour and ten minutes. Following this, the families go in various directions, with adults and teens having two classes to attend, and children attending their own program. Relief Society is normally held the last hour and is only for the women. The organization was founded in 1842, and centers around providing service to others. On Sundays, the women meet for a class that is especially tailored to the particular lives and needs of women. Some weeks they study the same topic as the men, but with a feminine focus if there is one. Other weeks, they study unique topics. Lessons are drawn from teachings of past church leaders, talks given in semi-annual conferences from current church leaders at the international level, and topics of special interest to women.
During the week, each Relief Society may choose to have special clubs, classes, or meetings to help women perform service, learn new skills, and pursue hobbies and friendships. Examples might include a mom and tots group, a blogging club, a humanitarian aid group, lessons in car and home repair, or craft programs. The choices are as diverse as the women themselves, and vary based on the interests and needs of each group.
A unique feature of the Relief Society is the visiting teaching program. Women, working with an assigned partner, are given three or four other women to visit monthly. They come to the home with a brief spiritual message to discuss, and they also work to build a friendship with these women. They are charged with watching for needs the church can fulfill and are the first person a woman calls when she needs help. A visiting teacher will then either provide the service, or help to find someone who can. For instance, a visiting teacher might bring in a meal when the sister (the Mormon form of address for adult women) is ill, watch her children when she has a doctor’s appointment, or alert leaders the family has nothing to eat. It is reassuring to women to know there is someone they can call when they need help or just a friend.
The Relief Society also operates a literacy program that is tailored to whatever needs the congregation might have. Some groups use a church program to teach reading. Others teach English to immigrants, tutor inner-city children, or help people learn to write their personal and family histories.
Now go back to the map and click on the Primary room, found in the bottom right hand corner. This room belongs to the children of the church, ages three to twelve. In most wards (congregations) the children are divided into two groups, Junior Primary and Senior Primary, with age eight being the dividing line. They will meet in the Primary room all together for opening exercises. During this time, they have a prayer, songs, a scripture and a talk given by a child. Even a three-year-old might stand at the pulpit on a step that allows him to reach the microphone, and give a two and a half minute talk on a gospel principle with the help of a parent. This allows children to learn from their peers, and also helps the children learn poise, confidence and public speaking skills, while encouraging him to share his thoughts on an aspect of his faith.
Following this, most Primaries send the older children off to age-divided classes. Their classrooms are small and usually contain a chalkboard, bulletin board, and chairs sized to the students. The teacher prepares a lesson from a manual that can be read online. Read the lesson manuals used to teach Mormon children.
These older children are called Valiants. They have been baptized and are learning to be valiant in keeping the baptismal covenants (promises) they made to God. Mormon children are baptized at age eight. The lessons are taught through the scriptures, and they follow the same four year plan as their parents and teenage siblings, allowing families to discuss together the scripture stories learned. The children spend two years learning the Bible, one learning the Book of Mormon, and one learning church history and the Doctrine and Covenants. This last book is a collection of revelations received in modern times.
After their lesson, the children return to the Primary room for Sharing Time. The younger children, who were already having sharing time, go to their own classes. The younger children are called CTRs, which stands for Choose the Right. They are preparing to be baptized and are learning enough about their religion to make a wise choice and are also learning to become like Jesus. In their lessons, they follow a two year program. When it is repeated, they are more mature and can handle the same lesson taught at a higher level. They spend one year on the Bible. The second year covers the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants.
Also included in Junior Primary are the Sunbeams, who are three at the start of the year. Their lesson manual is used for only one year and contains stories from all the scriptures taught in simple ways.
In Sharing Time, the children receive a fifteen minute lesson from a member of the Primary Presidency, a group of three women who run the program. There is a theme for the entire year, such as “I Am a Child of God” or “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus.” Each month, they study an aspect of the theme during Sharing Time. They also have fifteen minutes of singing with a music leader. Much of this music is focused around the theme as well. Near the end of the year, the children do a program for the entire congregation, taking over the regular service to sing and to teach the adults what they’ve learned.
The Primary room has chairs in a variety of sizes placed in rows. Children sit with their own classes and teachers. It usually includes a piano and pictures of Jesus with children. There is a chalkboard and decorated bulletin boards.
The Primary oversees a nursery, as well. This is for children who are eighteen months old to age three. If they are three years old January 1, they graduate to the Sunbeam class. This is not just child-care. It is a true class. The children have a lesson manual with simple lessons that teach them about God and Jesus in easy to understand ways. They generally have about ten minutes of lesson time, a fifteen minute singing time, crafts, group play, stories, and a play time. At least two teachers are present at all times.
Senior nursery children have weekday programs. The boys participate in Cub Scouts and the girls have a similar program called Activity Days.
In the next article, we’ll learn about the Youth program for teenagers, and about the cultural hall.
Mormons Leadership in Congregations
The Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), have a lay church, meaning the leaders are not paid. Everyone volunteers their time, which offers extensive opportunity for personal growth and the development of new skills. Leadership is chosen from among the membership and rotated often, giving many people the chance to learn to lead.
Organizations are led by a president and two counselors. The president is under the direction of someone at a higher level of leadership, but has real authority within his “calling,” as church jobs are called. He must follow established guidelines and consult with his own leaders, but he can make decisions and each president brings to the organization his own style.
The president must make decisions through prayer and wisdom, while following church guidelines. He staffs the organization, sets goals, trains those under him, and makes certain everything runs properly and according to the rules.
The counselors advise the president as needed, giving him or her other points of view or ideas. They also assume portions of the responsibility. Generally, each person in the presidency is assigned a part of the work to be in charge of and this allows the counselors to also assume authority and learn leadership. They must respect the goals and wishes of the president however, who is the person to whom God gives the authority for the organization.
The presidency also has a secretary. In most organizations, the secretary attends the presidency meetings and is also considered a valuable resource for ideas and problem-solving.
Let’s look at one organization to see how all this works in practice. Since I’m most familiar with the Primary, we’ll use a Primary presidency as an example. The Primary is the organization for children ages eighteen months to twelve years of age. The presidency for this organization is always female, although men may serve in other positions in the Primary. This means the women oversee both men and women.
The president is chosen first, by the bishop and his counselors. (A bishop is like a minister.) She prayerfully selects two counselors and a secretary to assist her in her work. She submits the names she’s chosen to the bishopric (the bishop and his counselors) for their prayer and approval. The bishopric invites (calls) those people to the positions. Then the president meets with her new presidency to set goals for the coming year and to assess the needs of their organization. This is done in a presidency meeting.
One responsibility they face is to select teachers and leaders for the Primary, which includes not only the Sunday classes, but Cub Scouting and a similar program for girls called Activity Days. They prayerfully select people and submit the names to the bishopric, who, again, invites those people to take the positions if they’re approved by the bishopric. This approval from above is because getting a new job often involves releasing (letting go) them from another job, requiring the leaders of that organization to need new people. The bishopric must balance the needs of both organizations. The bishopric must also assess worthiness, particularly for people who will be working with children.
The Primary presidency decides on routines and schedules for Sunday meetings. They train their teachers and their leaders and work to create a supportive environment where teachers feel comfortable coming to them for advice when they need help solving problems.
In this case, the presidency also teaches. They take turns teaching a meeting called Sharing Time, where the children come together in multi-age groups for a participatory gospel lesson before or after going to age-assigned classes.
The presidency generally solves problems alone, but may always turn to the bishopric member assigned to oversee them if a problem is outside their ability to solve, such as a safety issue involving a child. In addition to the bishopric, they have a stake Primary presidency (a stake is similar to a Catholic diocese) they can turn to for their own training and counsel.
While the church runs on volunteers, no volunteer is left without resources to turn to as they need them. They learn leadership skills that transfer into the home or workplace while serving God.
The Head of the Mormon Church: Priesthood Authority
In an earlier post I explained that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles becomes the highest body of leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as “the Mormons”) upon the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley and the subsequent dissolving of the First Presidency. A question that many people may have involves priesthood authority.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to have priesthood authority from Jesus Christ Himself. According to www.lds.org:
The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. Through the priesthood God created and governs the heavens and the earth. Through this power He redeems and exalts His children, bringing to pass “the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). God gives priesthood authority to worthy male members of the Church so they can act in His name for the salvation of His children. Priesthood holders can be authorized to preach the gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation, and govern the kingdom of God on the earth.
So, if a prophet has special priesthood authority that allows him to act as the prophet, what happens to that authority when he dies? How does the next prophet receive that authority if the last prophet has already died?
President Gordon B. Hinckley, who had been serving as our prophet and as the President of the Church at the time of his death on January 27, explained how this works in an address he gave in 1992:
When a man is ordained to the apostleship and set apart as a member of the Council of the Twelve, he is given the keys of the priesthood of God. Each of the fifteen living men so ordained holds these keys. However, only the President of the Church has the right to exercise them in their fulness. He may delegate the exercise of various of them to one or more of his Brethren. Each has the keys but is authorized to use them only to the degree granted him by the prophet of the Lord. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Church Is on Course,” Ensign, Nov 1992, 53)
So each of the Apostles holds all of the priesthood keys. This was also true in Joseph Smith’s day, Brigham Young’s day, and so on. When the current prophet dies, the Twelve Apostles hold those priesthood keys necessary to administer the activities of the Church.
President Hinckley’s reference to “fifteen living men so ordained” refers to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, plus three members of the First Presidency (the living prophet with his two counselors). At the time of this writing, after the death of President Hinckley but before the reorganization of the First Presidency, there are fourteen ordained apostles. For more information on how this works, see my earlier post entitled “Who Stands at the Head of the Mormon Church?”
President Hinckley continued:
My Brethren of whom I have spoken are Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. I bear witness of their integrity. I bear witness of their faith. I bear witness of the voice of inspiration and revelation in their calls. Every one is a man of tested strength. But the greatest of these strengths lies in the acknowledgment that he must have divinely given direction and blessing if he is to perform acceptably.
Now, in conclusion, do you believe this body of men would ever lead this Church astray? Remember whose church this is. It carries the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who stands as its head. His is the power to remove any found remiss in his duty or who is teaching that which is not in harmony with His divine will. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Church Is on Course,” Ensign, Nov 1992, 53)
It is important to remember that the Lord alone has power over life and death. Furthermore, as President Hinckley testified, each of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve has proven to be faithful to the Lord and has tremendous experience in Church leadership. While I am confident that any one of them is capable of leading the Church under the direction of the Lord, the Lord Himself chooses who acts as His prophet on earth at any given time. And Jesus Christ Himself stands at the head of the Church.
Who Stands at the Head of the Mormon Church?
Who stands at the head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormons? This almost seems like a trick question right now, but the answer is actually quite simple.
Our beloved prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, who passed from this life on January 27, previously explained the answer to us:
“The head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is His Church. But the earthly head is our prophet. Prophets are men who are endowed with a divine calling. Notwithstanding the divinity of that calling, they are human. They are subject to the problems of mortality.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Church Is on Course,” Ensign, Nov 1992, 53)
And so it was with President Hinckley and our other beloved prophets who have gone on before him. Prophets are human, subject to illness and death. But the Lord Jesus Christ stands at the head of the Church.
Now the question that many people will have right now, after the passing of President Hinckley and before the sustaining of a new prophet, is there a mortal leader of the Mormon Church right now?
The answer is yes.
While there is a man serving as the prophet of the Church, he typically has two counselors that serve with him in what is called the First Presidency. The body of leadership directly under them is the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Just as they were in Christ’s day, these men are special witnesses of Jesus Christ and they hold the keys of the priesthood. The senior member of the Twelve is set apart as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve. Members of the First Presidency usually come from the Quorum of the Twelve and hold the same keys of authority.
This next part may seem confusing. But the Lord’s house is a house of order, and there is a very orderly way that Church leadership functions upon the death of the prophet.
When the man who is the prophet dies, the First Presidency is dissolved. Those who had been serving as his counselors return to their original positions of seniority within the Quorum of the Twelve. These positions are determined by the dates that they were formally called into the Quorum. If two apostles join the quorum on the same day, the older one has seniority over the younger one.
The counselors to President Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson and Henry B. Eyring, have returned to their positions in the Twelve. President Monson, having been called as an apostle in 1963, is the senior member of the Twelve. In fact, throughout President Hinckley’s service as the prophet, President Monson has been the President of the Quorum of the Twelve. However, due to his status as a counselor in the First Presidency, the apostle next in line has been serving as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve. This is Boyd K. Packer, who was ordained in 1970.
President Eyring was called to the Twelve in 1995, and his position of seniority is directly after Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Upon the passing of any member of the Twelve, when a new apostle is called he takes his place last in line and the others “move up” in position. The Quorum of the Twelve, then, currently stands as follows:
Thomas S. Monson
Boyd K. Packer
L. Tom Perry
Russell M. Nelson
Dallin H. Oaks
M. Russell Ballard
Joseph B. Wirthlin
Richard G. Scott
Robert D. Hales
Jeffrey R. Holland
Henry B. Eyring
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
David A. Bednar
Quentin L. Cook
Now upon the passing of the prophet and the dissolving of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve is the presiding body of the Church. The senior apostle of that quorum, then, in a very real sense, is the presiding officer of the Church. And that individual right now is Thomas S. Monson.
Following the funeral services for President Hinckley, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (currently with fourteen members) will meet together, pray for guidance, and make a unanimous decision whether to sustain a new prophet and reorganize the First Presidency, or to do so at a later time. It is expected that President Monson will be sustained as the new prophet and a new First Presidency will be organized soon.
But as members of the Church, we do not need to fear during this time without a formally sustained prophet. For, whether the First Presidency is formally organized or not, Christ stands at the head of the Church and the Quorum of the Twelve holds all the keys and authority necessary to lead the Church on the earth.