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I was wondering this recently — do you consider it ethical to participate in ordinances of the priesthood when you doubt the efficacy or even existence of an Aaronic or Melchizedek priesthood? I don’t see how it can hurt, in most instances. I guess I look at it from the “first do no harm” perspective. I know this was discussed a bit in an introduction the other day- it can be very positive to participate in communal (especially family) rituals, even if you don’t believe they have any binding power. I certainly don’t believe Heavenly Father will withold blessings from the recipient of the ordinances based on your belief or lack thereof. Think of it in terms of Holland’s conf talk from a year or so ago, and focus on what you DO believe. Is there power in blessing your child, even if it doesn’t come from a divine source? You bet there is! There is power manifest in the love you have for that child, and there is the power of the shared experience. As far as ordinances like the sacrament, I believe there is nothing disingenuous about participating in the blessing and passing as a service to others- a way to support your community. To me it’s sort of like gift-giving: you don’t have to enjoy, understand, or see the value in the actual item you give- the gifts I enjoy giving most are the ones I know that the RECIPIENT will find joy in. My joy comes from the giving. Yes. One does not need to believe in Santa Claus, to participate and enjoy and find meaning with Christmas.
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I’ve given this lots of thought myself, SD. My view of the priesthood has recently evolved, and I see the priesthood now as more of an authority or agency as opposed to an actual power. Therefore, exercising that authority would pose no ethical dilemma because I have been duly authorized. I’ve mentioned it before. I think that if someone has a desire to participate in an ordinance then they have enough faith to perform it. I picked up Lectures on Faith yesterday for the first time in years. I haven’t gotten very far into the book but in the beginning the focus is on faith being a principle of action and power. Participating in an ordinance is an action, so there must be some power associated with it… provided the LoF are true.
A while back when I was still sorting things out I was called to help with a blessing of someone that was sick. I had to make a difficult decision in an instant. True to myself or “sell out” again – to do or not to do. In the end I helped with the blessing. During the blessing I got my answer, that I was performing a service for someone and they requested that service. It was
veryreal to them, so it became real to me. Now one aspect that I still haven’t quite reconciled… in many regards how am I different from a non-member? My family couldn’t presence my temple sealing yet here I am making justifications as to why I should be able to. Sure, I keep the standards but again, how am I different from the non-member that lives the same standards? Is the desire alone enough faith to carry me through? Maybe so. I’m sure my non-member family desired to see my sealing as well. Why bar them? Does that mean I should bar myself? Still something to work through.
I have a cousin that suffered a head injury some time ago. He has never been the same since. Memory lapses, poor judgment, mood swings, etc. He can’t be left alone. About a year ago after a family funeral, we were asked to give him a blessing. I felt a feeling of warmth emanate from that circle. I know this warmth could be perceived in various ways. I perceive that everyone in the circle had a true love and concern for this young man. I believe it was like the most sincere and meaningful group hug that you could imagine.
I am unaware of any improvement as a result of the blessing.
I am glad that I was a part of that experience. I only wish that it wasn’t exclusionary. We do have some family that is either non-member or have WoW issues and they were somewhat discretely not invited to participate. No women were invited to participate.
Even without going into the gender issue, I would have liked for all the men to participate. I wonder if that would have ruined the experience for some other participants???
I also recently baptized my eldest child and will report more fully on that when I get time.
Yes, absolutely. There are things I accept as removing someone from “worthiness” to participate in ordinances, and I understand fully the reason why some ordinance participation requires a current temple recommend, but lack of belief is not one of those things. I’d much rather have a sincere, good, non-believing member participate (and even lots of non-members, with some things like baby blessings) than have an insincere, bad, believing member participate.
“Belief” (particularly “dogmatic belief”) is WAY down on my priority list for a lot of things.
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