quoting from the Church Handbook of Instructions

[hordak]

I have. I think the deal is because it's permanent, so they want you to make sure you fully understand the Lord's will in the matter. You can stop taking the pill, using a condom or a diaphragm if you get remarried or various other situations. Sterilization is a little more permanent and thus a little more... serious? Probably not the best word, but the consequences are further reaching.

Note, from my understanding it isn't sinful to do it. They just discourage it in practice (kinda like how adoption for teen mothers is encouraged but keeping the child certainly isn't a sin) and want you to seriously consider it.

Another note: I'm not commenting on whether I think sterilization is okay, or if one should discuss it with your Bishop before hand. I'm just commenting on the policy and my understanding of it.

Edit: Sure, talk about getting off topic before I can comment.

Actually this is a good example of why the handbook isn't public. Say someone prays, gets confirmation they shouldn't have more kids and traditional methods don't work so they decide to go more permanent. Suddenly brother so and so, who has no idea about the spiritual relationship / confirmation of said member overhears the member talking about their decision, He's thumbed through the handbook once or twice and suddenly instead of a Bishop discussing the permanent nature of a decision that shouldn't be taken lightly , it becomes a discussion about how /if sterilization is a sin

[Palerider]

You might want to make sure the book is current if you are going to use a handbook. The church just doesn't give out handbooks to everyone. On our Stake High Council we don't even get the handbooks other than the Mel Priesthood Book. When you think about it, it makes sense, why would I need a handbook???

Edited February 17, 2010 by Palerider

[MarginOfError]

MOE, you make some great points, but I want to address the issue of doctrine and policy. The problem is that there is not always a clear cut line between doctrine and policy, and sometimes I think it's important to be educated about both.

A case in point is abortion. Doctrine says 'thou shalt not kill' so abortion is a sin, however church policy as outlined in the CHI gives three exceptions, in cases of rape or incest, health of the mother is in jeopardy, and severe birth defects that will cause the baby to not live beyond birth. So the policy is necessary in order to understand the full picture.

But if you study the scriptures and the words of the prophets, you might have learned already that the Church discusses abortion in the context of "Thou shalt not kill nor do anything like unto it." I have explained several times (for example, here) on these boards that the Church does not consider abortion to be the same thing as murder. And in the link I provided, I even did it without referring to the handbooks.

Another example is the priesthood ban for blacks. For many years it was taught as doctrine that blacks were less valiant fence sitters in the pre-existence and bore the curse of Cain and therefore could not hold the priesthood. David O McKay said the ban wasn't doctrine but rather policy that was subject to change, and eventually under Spencer W Kimball the ban was lifted and all previous policies and/or doctrines were nullified.

Scripturally, this doctrine never held up. Understanding the difference between doctrine and policy in this instance could have merely been a matter of diligent scripture study. Interestingly, historical study shows evidence that some members of the Quorum of the Twelve felt that the Church should extend the priesthood to all races as early as the 1920's.

In my experience what the average member sees as policy is as good as doctrine or commandment from their perspective. As an example, a friend of mine got a vasectomy a few years ago, he prayed about it, discussed it with his wife, and felt good about the decision. Afterwards, he found out that the church (as discussed in the CHI) discourages sterilization and that anyone considering it should talk to their bishop. He's a very faithful member and would have discussed it with his Bishop had he known about the church's stance and probably would not have had it done. But the average member may not know the church's stance on that issue because it is buried in the CHI and is not generally talked about in our regular church meetings.

Again, an appeal to doctrine probably would have settled this. Understanding the doctrines of family, responsibilities for our children, spiritual confirmation to prayer, and the like would make it rather simple to comprehend how or why a brother could get confirmation about having a vasectomy.

If you'd like a case-study, my father was a bishop for eight years. About 11 years ago, he had a vasectomy. The reasons leading up to the decision, my mother had become pregnant at age 44. They felt she was too aged to risk another pregnancy, prayed about it, felt they received confirmation, and my father had the vasectomy. The decision was made with no concern for policy, but it a solid understanding of doctrine and by the guidance of the Spirit.

[MarginOfError]

One comment - I don't think you can find a page in the handbook that doesn't contain the phrse "seek guidance from the spirit" or something similar. At first, it was sort of surprising to see. I've been reading policy manuals for much of my professional career - and wasn't expecting so much "go ask God" in the book.

LM

I might take you up on that challenge to find a page...but to do so would only be in jest. You're right that asking God is a very prominent theme in the CHI. My advice to leaders is to know the CHI so well that you know exactly which policies you're not following and why. And if you feel that violating a policy is going to bring an individual closer to the Savior, by all means, do it.

[Suzie]

He also assured me that it would have no bearing on my eternal salvation unless I was doing it for totally selfish reasons. Whewwwww.

I think he was right in pointing out it's a personal decision between you and your husband, however I don't think it may have been wise to say that it would have no bearing on your "eternal" salvation (did he use those words??) How does he know that? (NOT with this topic only eh but with anything else as well). I think only Heavenly Father can assure those things IMHO.