- Sute on Unnecessary Spiritual Hierarchies: Leaders Receiving the Sacrament First: “Interesting thoughts. Recall the design of the Kirtland temple. There’s a pretty big emphasis on hierarchy in it. Consider the nature of the work of eternity as flash-backed and foreshadowed in the temple drama with the returning and reporting. The structure of the higher and lesser priesthood and different offices all have some degree of seniority to it. It might rub an egalitarian the wrong way. But only if you view it wrongly. We could make all kinds of replies about what would Jesus do. But I think the symbolism of him going first, in the suffering of Gethsemane and the sacrifice on the cross sets the right pattern to follow. The leaders in authority aren’t honored for being special. They are literally the ones who sacrifice first of themselves for the congregation. I think we get that wrong idea that the bishop, stake president or general authorities are enjoying cushy perks of their leadership. Especially at the general authority level, their time is no longer their own. It’s no mere job. It become their life and they essentially sacrificed all their desires to do it.” Jul 27, 00:28
- on A Review: After Happiness: Living with Faith in a Time of Crisis: “I thought the postwar term was “Plan of Salvation,” with “Plan of Happiness” being something used much more recently?” Jul 26, 19:29
- on Judge Not in Church—or anywhere (Or What Did Church Lead You to Think About Yesterday), 7/12: “No, Kent, no! The songs in the Children’s Songbook do not have simpler melodies. They have single line melodies with an accompaniment in the left hand, instead of the four part block chords of the hymnbook, but that frees the melodies to, in at least some cases, be much more unique, and for sure more beautiful. Few notes, but better ones. We’d all be do better if we abandoned most of the hymnbook entirely, and just sang Primary songs. Although I will say that some of the new Primary songs appear to have melody lines generated at random. But then, most of the new hymns are nearly indistinguishable from the old hymns, so we’ll be plodding along for some time.” Jul 26, 19:25
- on Unnecessary Spiritual Hierarchies: Leaders Receiving the Sacrament First: “A long ago when I was a zoology student at BYU, there was a spring term thing where you could live in a lodge up above Sundance with a number of other students and some professors, and a nice lady would cook. We were there for the duration, and it was a good experience. Sundays, of course, there needed to be church. We would line up some chairs and have church. It wasn’t a church unit, so there’d be a bishop for the day, to call things to order and whatnot. The bishop could be whoever, and sometimes was female. The sacrament might go to the bishop first, or to someone who was nearer. This wasn’t dictated by the professors, it’s just how we did it. Although our professors were not very orthodox. After sacrament meeting we’d pull the couches in a semicircle around the fireplace, and have a fairly informal Sunday School lesson, maybe with some people in jammies. Those were nice times.” Jul 26, 19:04
- on Unnecessary Spiritual Hierarchies: Leaders Receiving the Sacrament First: “Thanks, Chad. I wanna use comment to opine on “culture vs. doctrine”, which seems to be making the rounds: I have never heard anyone in the Church persuasively describe the difference between culture and doctrine—they are indisputably intertwined, as they are in *in all religions*. We lean on our stated beliefs to justify the practices that serve us; conversely, we strike things from our culture using tools like scripture—again, if we choose. However you interpret hierarchy and the proper mechanisms for enacting change within the Church, it remains a living organism that responds to feedback, adapting its culture and doctrines in tandem. Even if it is true that church leaders are working to separate our beliefs from pioneer practices, we will emerge with a new culture informed by new interpretations of doctrine! I liked the comment above that established 3 Nephi as the scriptural precedent for serving priesthood leaders first—I’d never heard that; and if we repeat that enough to each other, well… you get the idea. I’m not arguing that our beliefs are trivially malleable, or not guided by God—but I think when you’re critiquing a practice, you’re critiquing the beliefs that inform the practice too.” Jul 24, 15:13
- on Unnecessary Spiritual Hierarchies: Leaders Receiving the Sacrament First: ““…that a superior officer might be first served.” Not office. Transcription error on my part.” Jul 24, 13:27
- on Unnecessary Spiritual Hierarchies: Leaders Receiving the Sacrament First: “Provo Bishop John E. Booth told a story in 1894 about Brigham Young and the passing of the sacramental emblems. Booth prefaced his remarks by pointing out, “the manner of serving the sacrament had varied at different periods of the church’s history.” Booth then said that while Young was visiting a Provo meetinghouse, he “sat on the east side of the pulpit. The one serving the bread came on the stand from the west, and passed by a member to first serve President Young. The president censured that conduct quite severely, and stated that when it came to partaking of the sacrament all were equal, and the Latter-day Saints should partake of it as their turn came. None should be passed in order that a superior office might be first served.” It’s second hand obviously but still notable. Cited in “About Administering the Sacrament,” in Provo Daily Enquirer, February 5, 1894, page 1.” Jul 24, 13:19
- on Unnecessary Spiritual Hierarchies: Leaders Receiving the Sacrament First: “I’m not sure how any church member can claim that they have never been challenged to live the principles of the Book of Mormon, as that is complete nonsense. If you need to, please review the talks from the most recent General Conference.” Jul 24, 11:32
- on Unnecessary Spiritual Hierarchies: Leaders Receiving the Sacrament First: “See, I had never been taught it was to honor them, but as they are Presiding, them partaking was essentially the signal to the congregation that the ordinance was accepted and validated as being done correctly.” Jul 24, 05:43
- on Unnecessary Spiritual Hierarchies: Leaders Receiving the Sacrament First: “the sacrament is a ritual that we put way too much emphasis on in how it is performed and not enough emphasis on how we should renew our commitment to follow/act like the Savior. It is for us to recommit ourselves and try again. I think all our temple ordinances are the same way. The leaders talk endlessly on getting them and rarely on what we should do after getting them. Same with reading the BoM. I have been asked by leaders, top down, to read that book every day but never challenged to live its principles. We have turned into an org that worships the ordinance and not using the ordinance to become better. Doing the ordinance is just part of what needs done. Becoming a new person, born again, Christ like, is the ultimate goal we just dont focus on as a church. Get them baptized, get them endowed, get them sealed. Done. Next.” Jul 23, 22:39
