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Every once in a while in our stake, leaders will come in and suggest everyone determine their priesthood line of Authority….trace your priesthood all the way back to christ. Of course we are all the same once we hit Joseph Smith. This has always bothered me, especially since it inevitably leads to people bragging about the people they have in their line of authority.
I get rather bad reactions when I say..”Isn’t it God’s priesthood…isn’t it the same for everyone? So I should only care if the guy who passed it on to me actually had it…right? and his is just as good as the prohpets right?” Most of the time I don’t say anything now as I don’t really want to be a buzzkill…but it seems like a silly prideful game.
I would think the church would discourage this as it can lead to “I am of the lines closest to Joseph”. Those of us in non-Utah wards likely all familiar with the LDS namedroppers anyways …Packer seems to be the most popular…he must move a lot because more people have claimed to be his neighbor (or he is my parents negihbor, or I used to mow his lawn, etc).
Anyways…if you want to show your official lineage to show of in the next whos is shortest contest it is available on the church website:
https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Priesthood_Line_of_Authority Frankly, I don’t mind the general concept of tracing Priesthood lines, even though I have a very unorthodox view of the Priesthood compared to most members. I’ve never once heard it discussed in terms of whose line if the shortest; it’s always been nothing more or less than a way to say, “I got this from Jesus himself.” Again, I don’t see it quite that way, but I have no problem with the construct and the principle. Of course, if I had heard it as a length of the line contest, I probably would feel differently.
I let things like this bother me now, and I wonder why. It’s like an anesthetic is wearing off. I don’t like namedropping, but I have to admit that it’s a pretty natural tendency, and every group has its royalty. (Too bad when it’s done to impress, or in place of preparation, or in place of love and kindness.) I realize, though, that I was more susceptible than my husband. He’s always had a healthy sense of himself and doesn’t reverence pedigrees.
And all that said, I do feel blessed by the men in my life who have taken the priesthood (and not so much themselves) seriously.
it’s just a make-believe royalty to help priesthood holders feel like they’re important. I’d have to say I’ve never experienced this kind of bragging. But then I’ve grown up in branches in Britain where most people are first/second generation members. The more I hear about it, the more grateful I am that I’m no-where near Utah.
mackay11 wrote:I’d have to say I’ve never experienced this kind of bragging. But then I’ve grown up in branches in Britain where most people are first/second generation members.
The more I hear about it, the more grateful I am that I’m no-where near Utah.
amen.The most important name on my list is that of my dad. I would be reluctant to be made a high priest if that meant a loss of this connection to my father. Because I got my priesthood from an older guy (who was inactive for years, by the way), I have a remarkably short line of authority. And yes, I think the first four or five names are pretty familiar to you! I’ve been an active member my whole life, lived in both in Utah and in the “mission field” about equal amounts of time, and I have never heard of a “whose line is shorter” contest. Even when I was an iron-rod Mormon, I never thought of it in any way other than an unbroken line, and a sort of cool personal connection to the names on the list. My grandfather is in my line. I don’t remember him. It’s one more way he and I are connected. I see nothing wrong with the concept. If anyone is using it for self-aggrandizement, that is their problem, and not a general church problem. Comparing lines of authority kind of reminds me of a really old church video I saw as kid. Basically this old lady invites all these kids over for some fresh baked cookies. While they are all busy eating the cookies she tells them how her grandfather shook the hand of Joseph Smith. As her grandfather passed this handshake on down to her, she wanted to shake each of the kids hands. She ends her bit by saying “Now you have shaken the hand of someone who has shaken the hand of someone who has shaken the hand of the prophet Joseph Smith. This story, kind of like comparing lines just seems a like an exercise that gives the Lords servants celebrity status, and somehow we are better off the closer we are to a big name.
Kumahito wrote:I’ve been an active member my whole life, lived in both in Utah and in the “mission field” about equal amounts of time, and I have never heard of a “whose line is shorter” contest.
Basically the guy who ordained me, had got his p’hood about twenty five years before me, and got his off someone who was old at the time.
I was going to comment on the rich irony of a group of white men having a “whose is shorter” contest, but decided that would indeed be inappropriate for an august forum such as this. So I’ll refrain. :silent: Kumahito wrote:I was going to comment on the rich irony of a group of white men having a “whose is shorter” contest, but decided that would indeed be inappropriate for an august forum such as this. So I’ll refrain.
:silent: And I will quietly snicker in the corner.
Before anyone whips outany more comparisons, may I just add, that I have never looked at anyone else’s line of authority… it was remarked to me when I got given it, and yes, I’d heard of quite a few people on it!!! :think:
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