Comments on: Mormonism and Commodification http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2004/01/mormonism-and-commodification/ Truth Will Prevail Mon, 21 May 2012 14:24:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Kaimi http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2004/01/mormonism-and-commodification/#comment-12909 Kaimi Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=286#comment-12909 Priesthood is not a property right, but a delegation. As such, making it non-comodifiable makes sense. Priesthood is not _ours_ to buy or sell. It is thus like many other delegations of authority. Is the presidency of the United States commodifiable? The command of the Pacific fleet? The deanship of Harvard? And so forth. Priesthood is not a property right, but a delegation. As such, making it non-comodifiable makes sense. Priesthood is not _ours_ to buy or sell.

It is thus like many other delegations of authority. Is the presidency of the United States commodifiable? The command of the Pacific fleet? The deanship of Harvard? And so forth.

]]> By: Kaimi http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2004/01/mormonism-and-commodification/#comment-12910 Kaimi Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=286#comment-12910 That last comment may not have been clear. The original owner may retain the right to sell such things. So, Harvard may be perfectly within its rights to auction off their deanship to the highest bidder. However, a Dean chosen by a search committee may not auction off her deanship. Similarly, we may believe that God has the ability to sell the priesthood, if he so desires. But the people to whom it is designated on earth do not have that capability. That last comment may not have been clear. The original owner may retain the right to sell such things. So, Harvard may be perfectly within its rights to auction off their deanship to the highest bidder. However, a Dean chosen by a search committee may not auction off her deanship.

Similarly, we may believe that God has the ability to sell the priesthood, if he so desires. But the people to whom it is designated on earth do not have that capability.

]]> By: Greg http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2004/01/mormonism-and-commodification/#comment-12911 Greg Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=286#comment-12911 "God has the ability to sell the priesthood..." And we wonder why legal reasoning gets a bad rap... ;). “God has the ability to sell the priesthood…”

And we wonder why legal reasoning gets a bad rap… ;).

]]> By: Adam Greenwood http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2004/01/mormonism-and-commodification/#comment-12912 Adam Greenwood Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=286#comment-12912 So, if Kaimi's right, and he's right, the real question that Nate needs to answer is why God can't commodify the priesthood, and that's not a very helpful question because, in some sense, maybe he could. But would he then cease to be God? If so, answering why might have some relevance in other instances of objectionable commodification. Or even in uncertain instances, like selling organs. So, if Kaimi’s right, and he’s right, the real question that Nate needs to answer is why God can’t commodify the priesthood, and that’s not a very helpful question because, in some sense, maybe he could. But would he then cease to be God? If so, answering why might have some relevance in other instances of objectionable commodification. Or even in uncertain instances, like selling organs.

]]> By: Ben http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2004/01/mormonism-and-commodification/#comment-12913 Ben Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=286#comment-12913 "God has the ability to sell the priesthood" Good thing He doesn't need the money:) “God has the ability to sell the priesthood”
Good thing He doesn’t need the money:)

]]> By: brayden http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2004/01/mormonism-and-commodification/#comment-12914 brayden Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=286#comment-12914 I think the question of why God wouldn't sell the priesthood is only understandable when one limits God's powers and abilities to the rules that we abide by on this earth. God is, by nature, not of this earth, and therefore money (or commodification in general) is not something that concerns him. (Recall Jesus' statement about taxes and Caesar.) Money, the means of commodification, is clearly an earthly phenomenon. God transcends this level of interaction. Money is of no use to God because there is nothing that he wants that can be bought. I'm assuming that if He wants something, he goes out and acquires it by other means. I guess I'm also assuming that in a celestial world there is no reason for money to exist. I don't think heavenly beings buy and sell on the market quite like mortal beings do, and this is precisely because they do not have shortages of resources. Why buy and sell if there is no scarcity? And so this also leads back to the idea of why there is no need to sell the priesthood. There is no scarcity of priesthood power. It is available to anyone who would accept God's plan and enter into His covenants. Attempting to buy the priesthood would clearly misalign one's intentions with the holy order of God's plan, and therefore that person would not be worthy of receiving it. This doesn't mean this person is evil; it just means that someone who is willing to buy the priesthood isn't quite educated in the ways of God and is not prepared to receive a stewardship as important as the priesthood. Summary - God's ways are not of this world and money, and by implication buying and selling, is a worldly phenomenon. I think the question of why God wouldn’t sell the priesthood is only understandable when one limits God’s powers and abilities to the rules that we abide by on this earth. God is, by nature, not of this earth, and therefore money (or commodification in general) is not something that concerns him. (Recall Jesus’ statement about taxes and Caesar.)

Money, the means of commodification, is clearly an earthly phenomenon. God transcends this level of interaction. Money is of no use to God because there is nothing that he wants that can be bought. I’m assuming that if He wants something, he goes out and acquires it by other means.

I guess I’m also assuming that in a celestial world there is no reason for money to exist. I don’t think heavenly beings buy and sell on the market quite like mortal beings do, and this is precisely because they do not have shortages of resources. Why buy and sell if there is no scarcity?

And so this also leads back to the idea of why there is no need to sell the priesthood. There is no scarcity of priesthood power. It is available to anyone who would accept God’s plan and enter into His covenants. Attempting to buy the priesthood would clearly misalign one’s intentions with the holy order of God’s plan, and therefore that person would not be worthy of receiving it. This doesn’t mean this person is evil; it just means that someone who is willing to buy the priesthood isn’t quite educated in the ways of God and is not prepared to receive a stewardship as important as the priesthood.

Summary – God’s ways are not of this world and money, and by implication buying and selling, is a worldly phenomenon.

]]> By: brayden http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2004/01/mormonism-and-commodification/#comment-12915 brayden Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=286#comment-12915 Just to clarify my summary, the reason that commodification is only applicable to this world is because only in this world (and others like it) do we have resource scarcity. Just to clarify my summary, the reason that commodification is only applicable to this world is because only in this world (and others like it) do we have resource scarcity.

]]> By: Ben http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2004/01/mormonism-and-commodification/#comment-12916 Ben Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=286#comment-12916 Or, paraphrasing Brayden and then Hugh Nibley, since you can get anything in the world with money, (Nibley's corollary) than anything you can get with money is worldy. The priesthood, like Jesus, is not of this world. Or, paraphrasing Brayden and then Hugh Nibley, since you can get anything in the world with money, (Nibley’s corollary) than anything you can get with money is worldy. The priesthood, like Jesus, is not of this world.

]]> By: Frank http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2004/01/mormonism-and-commodification/#comment-12917 Frank Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=286#comment-12917 While there may not be buying and selling in the next world, I'm not convinced that there won't be scarcity. We know that in the next life individuals will be at varying levels of glory and power. Some will be able to reproduce and create worlds, while others won't. Indeed, some will have the priesthood and some won't. Thus there will be scarcity, of sorts, and a scarcity analysis doesn't explain why the priesthood can't be bought or sold. While there may not be buying and selling in the next world, I’m not convinced that there won’t be scarcity. We know that in the next life individuals will be at varying levels of glory and power. Some will be able to reproduce and create worlds, while others won’t. Indeed, some will have the priesthood and some won’t. Thus there will be scarcity, of sorts, and a scarcity analysis doesn’t explain why the priesthood can’t be bought or sold.

]]> By: cooper http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2004/01/mormonism-and-commodification/#comment-12918 cooper Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 /?p=286#comment-12918 Well the priesthoog may not be for sale, but it seems they always find a way to "sell" the relief society. Not for real money mind you just lots and lots of casseroles! (just trying to add some light mindedness ;o)) Well the priesthoog may not be for sale, but it seems they always find a way to “sell” the relief society. Not for real money mind you just lots and lots of casseroles! (just trying to add some light mindedness ;o))

]]>