The priesthood, God's or Gods?

[CommanderSouth]

A thought came to me as I was studying the priesthood over the last few weeks.

I know it is the power of God delegated to men, but is he the source, or does he simply delegate authority GIVEN him?

I guess this goes into "infinite regression" and so on, but it is a thought I had.

What do you all think?

[Vort]

The "infinite regression" idea is useless. Such an idea is not meaningful to us, and perhaps not meaningful at all. For any reasonable purpose, Priesthood authority originates with God.

[Guest]

God's.

[Just_A_Guy]

Rank speculation warning:

Priesthood, we are told, has two elements: power, and authority. What if the power derives from the fact that God has somehow been permitted (presumably, by other divine beings) to progress to the point where He can, in the abstract, create and populate worlds; but His authority over us specifically derives from the fact that He--and He, specifically--created this earth and all things pertaining thereto? (There's a quote out there from Brigham Young about how any man who would be a king in the divine order must raise up his own kingdom, rather than expecting to assume control over something built by someone else.)

Edited January 13, 2014 by Just_A_Guy

[The Folk Prophet]

A thought came to me as I was studying the priesthood over the last few weeks.

I know it is the power of God delegated to men, but is he the source, or does he simply delegate authority GIVEN him?

I guess this goes into "infinite regression" and so on, but it is a thought I had.

What do you all think?

To answer this question we need to be more clear. The power of God delegated to men to do WHAT?

There is a pretty great misconception about the point of the priesthood out there. It is not, as seems to be the common pov in Sunday classes, to heal the sick. This is one advantage of the power, but it is not really the point. The power of God could, theoretically, never once in the entire range of human existence, EVER physically heal a single soul, and it would have no bearing whatsoever on the eternities. No mountains moved, no oceans divided, no water into wine, and in the end, it would not really make any difference.

What does make a difference? Wherein is the Priesthood actually important? In the saving ordinances.

The Priesthood gives us the authority and the power to save souls. That is wherein it is important. That is wherein it matters.

The ability and authority to save souls is clearly and directly given to us by God. It is not magically inherent in our own existence or in the nature of the universe. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot be saved without God, and more specifically, without Christ. We cannot be saved through ANY other means or name but His. His priesthood is given to us to that end.

Moreover, the priesthood is not magic. It's not some supernatural force bestowed upon beings. God's power is. That's all there is to it. The priesthood is an OATH and a COVENANT. It is a RIGHT. That covenant is not with some universal magic, and the oath is not made to some grand nothingness. Nor is the right unalienable, as we like to think of rights, but is "inseparably connected with the powers of heaven". It is a covenant between God and us. We use the priesthood in fulfillment of that Covenant, and by following His will, we are blessed to serve him and to help bring about his purpose, which purpose is the immortality and eternal life of man. This is the priesthood.

[jerome1232]

I'm not entirely sure my random thought is germane to the topic but I've always thought of it as another way of teaching us to become one with God.

[rameumptom]

An acorn grows up to be a tree. Does it gets its ability to be a tree from its ancestors? Yes. However, being a tree is an inate thing in its DNA. It will not grow up to be anything else.

God's power is inate within him, part of his DNA. It derives from his being God, whether he was always God or not is not germane to his godness.

[SpiritDragon]

I'm not entirely sure my random thought is germane to the topic but I've always thought of it as another way of teaching us to become one with God.

Jerome1232's thought process seems similar to my own. I think the question of God's or Gods may appear to have two different meanings, but actually not be giving a second option at all. As far as we are concerned we have only One God. In trying to define our One God we would likely first come to the conclusion that Heavenly Father is that God. Yet, the scriptures often make mention of Christ being God as well. Thus we could get into a monotheistic vs polytheistic conversation. However we also learn that although they are separate beings, they are one. Further we learn of Jesus praying for us to all be one even as He and The Father are one. Therefore I find it more than plausible that any number of Gods are one with each other and therefore just as accurately called God as opposed to Gods.

After my little rambling I submit my answer to the original question of the priesthood being God's or Gods is YES.

[CommanderSouth]

Further we learn of Jesus praying for us to all be one even as He and The Father are one. Therefore I find it more than plausible that any number of Gods are one with each other and therefore just as accurately called God as opposed to Gods.

After my little rambling I submit my answer to the original question of the priesthood being God's or Gods is YES.

And when I think about the constructs in my own mind, I think this is the case. Just as we can/will be one with God and in that way will BE gods, we are still one. In this way, if there are other Gods they are still one, as it's simply what we become.

Mind you all this does is shift the question of where we came from or where God came from up a level, but it does seem to work.

[AngeloLangel]

I just would like to give a slightly different view to explain how I understand the subject of the priesthood.

When a man becomes a god, he receives an inheritance in the universe, a place or a dévelloper send his seed of mind.

When it receives this legacy of his heavenly father becomes god, and so it has full authority over the possession of his inheritance so .

This authority is an aside, as a dedicated member of the church a call, and authority on the subject, or the materials , its total area is , it receives the power to give life to everything .

So when he sends his spirit children on one of his worlds he give them some of this authority it holds.

Nobody is above him, he owns his kingdom, so he decides something for everyone .

Heavenly Father , in his kingdom , our world, and he organized his church to convey his authority , his right to rule and give life to everything ... that is the priesthood.

When a man becomes a god he receives the authority to rule over his kingdom and do what he wants , that is why he must have perfect charity , to prevail in court.

The authority he holds his own, and his goal is giving the dévelloper us the ability to reign in justice and give life like him, so that one day we got our turn authority over our kingdom .

Here , it is quite simple actually .

Angelo

ps : sorry for the translation , I made ​​with google