Posted by:
wendell
(
)
Date: January 25, 2011 05:18AM
I never wanted to get my PB, but 3 days before I was to enter the MTC, my Bishop called me in a panic. He had just realized that I had not had my PB and had been informed that I had to have it before I left for my mission. So, late that night, I met with him in order to get "approval" to see the Patriarch. He asked me all the usual questions about morality and whether or not I was worthy to get the PB. It was a joke. Hello, I am leaving on a mission in 3 days. If I am worthy to do that, then I suppose I might be worthy to get the blessing.
Anyway, I went to the Patriarch's house that night, spoke with him for quite awhile, and then finally went into his den for the blessing. Here's how it went: (Remember, I was leaving for the MTC in 48 hours)
Most every paragraph starts out with a variation of this:
"As you leave for Ohio, I bless you with the wisdom and courage to teach these discussions"
or
"As a servant missionary of God, I bless you with health and strength over the next 2 years"
or
"The Lord has been preparing the people of Ohio for you to teach them about the gospel"
Blah blah blah! The whole thing was about my service as a missionary and was not anything like what I had been taught a PB was supposed to be about. I honestly thought it was nothing more than a Father's blessing and certainly had very little to do with my entire life. This was a big reason that I started questioning the church, the priesthood, and revelation in general. I couldn't help but think how different my PB would have been if I had not been leaving in just a couple of days.
Anyway, I was very disappointed in my PB for many years and even asked a couple of times to get a new one - my request was declined each time. The disappointment was not easy for me to take, but I am now grateful that I learned what a total joke the PB ritual is as my experience played a part in helping me escape.