Priesthood Piety

“Families and future missionaries were ushered into a large convention-like hall — the torture room, my husband called it. This was our third experience in the same room being ripped from a son with whom we would have very limited contact for the next two years. Essentially, we were giving up our parental rights to Micah’s mission president. After we all watched a video about being called to serve a mission, heard two brief talks by MTC leaders, and sang a couple of LDS hymns, Micah said his goodbyes to his father and me individually. He held my shoulders, pierced me with his eyes, and told me he loved me but was excited to begin his mission. I didn’t know what to say. He hugged and kissed me one last time, then embraced his cherished younger sister and his dad. Then he turned to exit the door for missionaries, which was opposite the door for families.

As he reached the door, he spun and gave us a two-fingered salute. It was more than I could bear. While my husband stood in shock, I bawled silently. We exited the family door in emotional agony. The torture room had lived up to its name once again… Each of the three times I had a son in the Mission Training Center, it was agonizingly difficult to work just a few blocks away at my office at BYU during their training. Even if I drove by the training center, I could see nothing because of the high walls surrounding the complex. The church had the missionaries well isolated…

We adjusted to his absence as best we could, just as we had twice before with his brothers, setting a place at the table for him on holidays. Occasionally I went to his bedroom to pray and cry, mourning his absence, pleading with Heavenly Father for Micah’s success in spreading the Mormon gospel. Our relationship with Micah became distant…”

~ Lynn K. Wilder, Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way out of the Mormon Church

“My LDS Aaronic Priesthood experience began in 1975 when I was ordained a Deacon.  I don’t know what being a young lady was like back then and I’m at a bit of a loss as to what kids go through today; although I can make a good guess. The mid-70s was a curious time in the church because the Priesthood ban on blacks had been lifted and as with any large scale change there were camps that advocated the change, some accepted it and some resisted it…

We were taught a simple axiom:  “If it isn’t accomplished by the power of the Priesthood then it’s being accomplished by Satan’s power.” This is a powerful social doctrine that I have encountered in some form everywhere I have lived.  It can be restated as simply as “they weren’t really healed because the priesthood wasn’t involved” or more complexly to cover the idea that the only authority from which any true spiritual experience comes is the priesthood.  Either way it pushes the idea of exclusivity of contact with the Lord and interface with him.  As a young man this idea that only LDS priesthood is efficacious in matters spiritual and temporal was often taught with great campfire tales from well-intended adults like,

“There were these two missionaries and they were teaching this guy who had a broken leg.  He went to a faith-healer and the faith-healer healed him.  The missionaries came over to give him another discussion and he told them about the healing.  The missionaries, realizing that the healing was not done by the power of the priesthood insisted he allow them to give him a blessing.  He agreed.  They gave him a blessing and immediately the leg re-broke!...

The LDS Church is not much different than any other church, including its claims of absolute exclusivity of salvation.  If you’ve preached that gospel and then realize its dubious underpinnings you can turn against it with the true anger of a jilted spouse.  Once the bowling ball has landed on the teacup the question shouldn’t be about the church any more.  The better question is what, amongst these pieces, is worth gathering up and carrying off.  Are you just going to be mad you dropped your bowling ball on your fine china or are you more interested in what parts of that china you should rebuild?  Often we want to be angry and destroy things, to finish the job and show our wrath at our mistakes.  I would offer that is a waste of time. 

There were and are good things and people in the Mormon Church.  If you were baptized at 8 like I was then you owe a great deal (good and bad) of who and what you are to the LDS church.  Rather than be mad why not look for those things that are good and worthwhile and picking them up and using them to build the new you…  

Being LDS helped me learn to love my neighbor and pay attention to the needs of others. I am not angry. I do not want my tithing or my time back.  I don’t wish evil on the church or its members.  I’m not gleefully licking my chops waiting for some collapse of the church.   I don’t run about telling people to “beware!” or “run away!” If you’re digging the LDS church—dig on my friend, it’s all good.  The Church has made me into who I am… Somehow I don’t think Jesus would want me to spend a lot of time and energy on being pissed off at Salt Lake City or, especially, myself.

~ Brent Allen, Without A Fight: Leaving the LDS Church

Photos
~ The First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles.
Standing, from left to right: Anthon Hendrik Lund, John William Taylor, John Henry Smith, Heber Jeddy Grant, Francis Marion Lyman, George Teasdale, Marriner Wood Merrill.
Seated, from left to right: Brigham Young, Jr., George Quayle Cannon, Lorenzo Snow, Joseph F. Smith, Franklin Dewey Richards.
~ Salt Lake City Temple