My neighbor just got the good boy consolation prize pass into High Priest priesthood.

The levels upon reaching middle age are as follows:

Leader into High Priest
Counselor into High Priest
High Counselor into High Priest

The last is where they don't want to make you important but know that reaching 50 and still being and Elder like I am is embarrassing.

A part of me is happy for my neighbor and another sees him as comical. His child gave their farewell talk/testimony yesterday and I watched over my wife's shoulder to see if he would pop up to the pulpit. He did and his transformation was stark. No longer the joking guy he was talking about how grateful he was for the ward taking care of his mostly grown family at church while he's been away. It was comical, just not in a way he would have seen it.

But the real pariahs are the people my age who actually got to church and have a recommend and yet still don't have hp status. My eldest brother wasn't made hp until 60. I think they may run a report for worthy males of a certain age and make them hps to end their embarrassment?

The older you get, the more appropriate the "elder" title is.

I think becoming a high priest should involve peyote.

Right? And a sweat lodge.

Years ago, a good friend of mine was ordained a High Priest. I was still an Elder at the time, and I asked him “what exactly is the criteria for going from Elder to High Priest?” He said “once you start consistently failing asleep in Sacrament Meeting, they make you a High Priest.”

CrispingPin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Years ago, a good friend of mine was ordained a
> High Priest. I was still an Elder at the time, and
> I asked him “what exactly is the criteria for
> going from Elder to High Priest?” He said
> “once you start consistently failing asleep in
> Sacrament Meeting, they make you a High Priest.”

In my case the EQ was tired of me asking questions they had no answers for as well as pointing out when some answers were patently wrong, made no sense or were dumber than dirt sandwiches.

He could have cared less. He actually commented that the HP group wasn't any fun. He said he liked the elders better and would prefer to not have been "advanced." He was about 60 I'd say.

I thought I read a few years ago where they have changed the criteria for becoming a HP. Instead of it just being a prize for not being dead yet, one can only advance to HP by being in a bishopric or stake leadership position.

I got the feeling that the church was becoming top-heavy in HPs, and the Elders Quorums were sucking air. I think they also combined both groups for Priesthood meetings too, for the same reason. Both HPG and EQ were often too small to be effective.

Nope. According to my tbm brother they're ordaining the less well endowed to hp in mercy ordinations still.

Brother Of Jerry Wrote:
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> Both HPG and EQ were often too small to be
> effective.

"Effective?"

Good point.

“Too small to be even marginally functional”? Even that might be giving them too much credit.

>I thought I read a few years ago where they have changed the criteria for becoming a HP. Instead of it just being a prize for not being dead yet, one can only advance to HP by being in a bishopric or stake leadership position.

Mostly true with one exception


https://www.fox13now.com/2018/03/31/lds-church-announces-they-will-discontinue-high-priests-groups/

"The LDS Church states that this move does not rescind any priesthood office a member has been previously ordained to, and elders will continue to be ordained high priests “when they are called to a stake presidency, high council, or bishopric—or at other times as determined by the stake president through prayerful consideration and inspiration."

If you want to make old guys go inactive, leave them in Elders Quorum. It was certainly contributory in my dad's case.

There wasn't anything to discuss with the missionaries-to-be, the RMs, the young singles, and young fathers - at least not when the lessons don't afford the opportunity for the young to really learn from the experience of the old. You can only regurgitate the church's line so many times before it becomes really clear that it's boring as hell and that you aren't growing in knowledge, grace, godliness, or anything else.

Tyson

Just think what opportunities the church missed if they could demote everyone down the ladder.

"Brother Goop you're comments are so out of line and juvenile. We hereby demote you from the office of Elder to the office of Teacher".

Heck, I might be assigned as a member of the Sunbeam class if demotion were true.

After considerable teaching experience, I can say with confidence that the Sunbeams is the last class in which truly important moral principles are taught.

truth

After many many years of attending adult classes, I found teaching the Sunbeams blissful.

Be nice to your friends? Take turns? Share? :D

Yes.

"Talmadge, please don't hit Emma with the toy truck. When you do that she feels sad."

"Nephi, could you please share the Cheerios with Zina?"

All I ever needed to know, I learned in Sunbeams.

Hp quorums have been eliminated all high priests not holding high leadership positions were demoted.
Once your released from your position as Bishop or higher you are no longer a high priest. That change happened before the pandemic. You will find that in the current choi which is now available to everyone online.

Well current members I know would think you are wrong and besides the news article mentioned about contradicts you.

Lol. PHIL is probably not an active member. I love it. Either that or PHIL has no idea how priesthood currently works.

Cut PHIL some slack. When is the last time you knew an active member that actually knew their own doctrine.

Actually, once ordained a HP, always a HP. The only difference now is that you are also part of the Elders Quorum. The HP Quorum still exists on the stake level but its only members now are HP’s in current leadership (stake presidency, high council, bishopric). Makes no sense but that’s how it works.

Like

I think historically there was only one high priest at a time which makes the issue moot IMV.
.

I am still a 70

I remember when everyone dreaded being a 70.
Was one of my father's biggest fears.

He said when the stake president came by (yes in my time the leadership often came to your house) he told my Dad he assumed my Dad would just prefer to skip ahead to high priest. Dad said yes and made the change shortly thereafter.

I love how the eternal and unchanging priest hood evolved to put the 70 above the high priest.

Elder is what the highest leaders are called so it is confusing. My neighbor's missionary kid while speaking kept saying President Bednar. The first shall be last and the last shall be first.

I always heard that high priests have 'socials' and elders have a party.
But that's only true if you consider Costco ham, funeral potatoes, green jello and red punch spiked with Sprite a 'party'.

I wonder how much of it is really about how much tithing you pay.

Yeah, I am a cynic.

I think it is just so dumb and childish, so much of that in LDSInc. I think the whole temple thing tops it all.

yet another insult:

check what happens when a PH holder makes a mistake/ has an over-the-top SP & gets Xd...

His wife might forgive him & want him 'back in the fold', but hub has to crawl to the 1st prez, and ? start all over with his PH status (I don't know about this part for sure)

If you get ex’ed and later return to the LDS Church (e.g., have your “blessings restored”), then you automatically are returned to the same priesthood office you had at time you got kicked out. So if you got ex’ed when a HP, then you become a HP again when you get back into church.

Let's make him a high priest, or, translated: Throw the dog a bone.

I was an Elder well into my 50's. The Elder's quorum was filled with younger men and I didn't feel like I fit there anymore so I started going into the High Priest's quorum. After years of going to the High Priest's quorum I asked the Bishop why I had never been ordained to HP. He thought that I was already an HP since I had been going there for years. Only then was I advanced up the chain one cog. It shows how much the Bishop was aware of his underlings.

I actually turned down the offer to be made a high priest. Our bishop thought I might like being in the High Priest Quorum better but I didn’t want to be with a bunch of old lawyers and doctors who were trying to outdo each other in a spiritual giant pissing contest. The Elders Quorum was better company.

It all means nothing. Aaron was the first high priest and you had to be of the tribe of Levi to be one. The tribe of Levi refused to worship the golden calf and because of their righteousness they were made officiators in the temple.

The Mormons just took this tittle from the Bible and invented a new use for it. It’s all made up gobedly gook.

Mormons consider Melchizedek a high priest long before Aaron. It's why they use his name for the greater priesthood and Aaron's for the lesser.

They don't consider Christ as the last high priest.

Do they consider Jesus a high priest at all?

Yes. Jesus is or lets say was considered a high priest in the 60s and 70s. Mormon doctrine is nothing more than wisps of steam.

The LDS version of the bible clearly states Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Since I left over 40 years ago I can't vouch for this weeks doctrine.

In my experience HP quorum membership is much more of a good old boys club that the elders quorum. You stuck it out in all those boring meetings, did you home teaching and bowed you head and said, yes. HP membership is a reward for being a good boy and paying your 10%.

In Utah, lots of the HP guys have lived the same ward or stake for many years and are buddies with the other good old boys. Defenders of the faith making sure group think is alive and well.