Monday, January 25, 2010

The PPP* Part#2


I love my priesthood. My priesthood. How silly to say, cause it ain't mine. I get to hold it. I get to use it. I get to be in cahoots with someone much better that I am.

It's the Lords. He shares. I don't know if I would be so generous if he were me.

Quaint, huh? The archaic thought that I can hold something that is part of God. Not a very popular notion these days. In fact, with “God is love and everywhere and nowhere” being a metaphysical part of Gods work is a concept that is out of style, out of date, and out an audience. Even the most conservative of the conservatives have evolved to a “All you need is love...da, da da, da da...” belief that has evolved into an "all there is is love" belief that means everything and nothing to most people who seem to want less and less responsibility.

Treating everyone with kindness and love is a huge part of what it means to follow the Lord. In fact, the New Testament is all about His higher law: Love. His Sacrifice. Repentance, Forgiveness. These are not passive things. And there is more.

The priesthood could be considered several categories away form popular cultures beliefs of how God operates. On the Wheel of Fortune scale, there is about seven spaces between “God is love” and “Gods Priesthood power". In between are “Bankrupt”, “You lose”, “Be nice to others”, “Pay taxes” and a few that are less or more intelligent. “Love is good, and good is God is all and nothing” is a little hare for Vanna to spell.

Priesthood is power. Priesthood is responsibility. Priesthood is God on earth.

No one can transgress the laws of chastity and expect to find peace unless he sincerely repents of the sin. The Book of Mormon tells us that the Holy Ghost will not dwell in unclean tabernacles. And if we lose the power of the Holy Ghost, it is impossible for us to use the priesthood authority bestowed on us.

But I want to use the priesthood! I want to wear the clothing that reminds me of the commitments I have made. I want to be spiritually connected to something better than, smarter than, greater than myself. I also want to have gay sex.

The Lord said, “And let all things be done in cleanliness before me” When we are morally clean, the Holy Ghost can work through us to help us exercise our priesthood power properly. In this way, the priesthood is a great protection against sin. As we use it righteously, we not only serve others effectively but also obtain power to turn away from temptation. Elder A. Theodore Tuttle gave an example of how unrighteousness prevents us from using our priesthood authority:

“A foolish young man had been interviewed for a mission,” wrote Elder Tuttle, “and even though he was asked some very direct questions, he answered them with lies. … Then he went out and tried to teach the gospel. That, of course, was the final test, and the test in which he failed. The missionary found out he could not do missionary work without the Spirit of the Lord. …So this missionary had to repent and…set himself right with those who had interviewed him before the Spirit of the Lord would be with him”

Here's a guys bottom line: Keep hands off another guys bottom or repent. A little glib. Sorry.

Is holding the priesthood more important to you then gay sex? It's a toss op for a lot of guys. It was for me. Especially for men in our twenty's and thirty's – when things point in a different direction – glib again. The more I know about the two options, the more I tend to gravitate towards having the power. The priesthood power.

To where are you gravitating? Is it getting you what you want?

Are we really going to leave it up to Vanna?

*PPP = Promiscuous Peter Priesthood

16 comments:

  1. This will not be popular - at least to those in way different places. My understanding is that you are saying that you cannot have the Priesthood cake and eat it too. And you are right.

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  2. You show me an older man who all his life traded being true to his true self for what ever benefits he thought the "priesthood" bestowed and I will show you a sad man with ever increasing regrets for what might have been.

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  3. Thank you so much for adding my blog to your list of those you follow. It's instant gratification to at least feel like you have some sort of support for being a gay, married, mormon man. I read through all your blog entries to date. In many ways they could have been written by me. I too have chosen marriage, family and the church over my SSA (but don't let my SSA know, it thinks I have chosen it).

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  4. Sean, sacrifice is giving up something good for something better. If the priesthood is important enough to a man, he is willing to make sacrifices. Having sex outside of marriage gay or straight is something he gives up. There are men willing to make this sacrifice. Please don't belittle us.

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  5. Ideally shouldn't you be able to be an openly gay, same-sex married man and a worthy priesthood holder?
    I know it isn't how it is, but isn't that how it should be?

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  6. Gina, Gina, Gina!! Thank you. That is the question for next essay. I think it is the next logical question - not that I do logic. THANKS FOR ASKING, and we'll talk about this next. Anyone else want to go there?

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  7. Good blogspot. Thanks for taking the time to write.

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  8. gina, ideally you are correct, but the foundations of the Mormon church could not withstand such a radical change. The Proclamation on the Family, Spencer Kimball, "plan of salvation" etc. would all be rendered false were such to happen. It's one reason why the church has fought so viciously in the Prop. 8 campaign and others.

    Also, I don't how it can be claimed that Tebow's ad (done by the radically right-wing and bigoted Focus on the Family) is not political. Women who cherish the right to control their own reproductive decisions should not just give Tim "a break." CBS has before rejected similar ads. To be consistent they should reject this one too.

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  9. sean, the foundation of the LDS church is Revelation and the Atoinment of Jesus Christ. Was the foundation rocked when the Lord allowed all worthy men to receive the priesthood? Was that not a huge issue just as gay marrage is today? Mormons welcome new revelation, and the Lord will always guide his church.
    BTW, have you seen Mr. Tebow's ad? Nor have I. I have heard through the internet and other channels but until I see it or read it for myself, I will “give him a break. He deserves the same treatment that I would want for anyone in the public eye – as does his mother. I would rather people stay off the judgment wagon until he has had his due. Thanks for letting me clarify.

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  10. Sean, I know – the question was partly rhetorical.
    The unmovable nature of the LDS organization ultimately proved too much for my faith.
    I have to believe that there are folks inside the LDS Church who are discontent with the status quo, I remember how hard it was for some people to accept that the priesthood was extended to black men, people who hated it but accepted it because they knew it was revelation. I welcome another long overdue communique from the Lord.

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  11. I like what you have to say here. We do make and keep making a choice between having priesthood power and fulfilling our sexual urges. Thanks for your blog.

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  12. The biggest problem with the Tebow ad isn't what he says. (Although I strongly disagree with re-criminalizing abortion.) He certainly has the right to say what he wants, and he certainly has a platform to do it. (Although I do have problems with the odious and bigoted Focus on the Family.) The problem is that CBS has been wildly inconsistent in what commercials they allow, and what they don't. A few short years ago they rejected an ad from a christian church that had the audacity to be "welcoming" to gays. CBS just needs to be consistent. They run ads for all reasonable viewpoints or they run none of them. If they run ads from conservative groups they should run ads from liberal groups too.

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  13. Re: Foundations: Adding blacks to the priesthood did not alter the doctrinal foundations of the church though. Giving full fellowship to gays would. Women will get the priesthood before gays are allowed in the sealing rooms.

    Mormons don't always welcome new revelation. Plural marriage wasn't popular when it was introduced, and I seriously doubt it would be welcomed in the church today if the Manifesto was revoked.

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  14. I agree with you on the CBS thing. As a business, they should be consistent and follow whatever they believe. I AGREE WITH SEAN! Hell is frozen!

    Disagree with the all-worthy-men/priesthood thing. I am old enough to remember the contraversy from both sides. It was huge! There are folks who left the church because of it. There will ALWAYS be people who don't agree with whatever comes out of SLC, Washington or the Vatican. My wife says to add South Bend. She loves Notre Dame.

    BT really big W, gays are allowed in the temple. I went last week. I choose to follow the structure to do so.

    Thanks for the comment, Sean.

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  15. Can single non-sexual (otherwise "worthy") gay men keep attending the temple till their death or is there an age where they aren't welcome? Or is there an age when they aren't allowed to perform certain ceremonies anymore? I'm curious because I think I've read that single men can't do certain things in the temple after a certain age. (i.e. Brigham Young's "menace" age)

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  16. “Any young man who is unmarried at the age of twenty one is a menace to the community” is the quote from BY referring to his opinion the a single guy on the town was just fodder for trouble. There is no age limit for a single guy taking part in the temple. You may need help if you cant stand and/or sit on your own. Good question.

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