what about priesthood

Some history

Different religions have priests that have something to do with their gods.  The priests seem to somehow stand between the people and their god.  They approach the God in behalf of the people. Sometimes it involves communication or sacrifice. Rarely do they claim to have the power or authority of the god and usually the communication is one way.

The Bible talks a lot about priests in the time of Moses that were called to take care of the tabernacle and the temple.  In ancient Israel the priesthood was hereditary and only members of the tribe of Levi had the priesthood.  It was a family responsibility to serve the people. 

Moses and the prophets before him like Abraham had a different kind of priesthood. They were chosen by God. They didn’t just speak to God.  God also spoke to them. 

“Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah spoken of as "a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4), and so Jesus plays the role of High Priest once and for all. Jesus is considered a priest in the order of Melchizedek because, like Melchizedek, Jesus was not a Levite, and thus would not qualify for the Levitical priesthood (Heb. 7:13-17).” wikipedia.org

To Christians the priesthood that matters most is the priesthood of Jesus Christ.  He had the power and authority of God.  He spoke for God.  He did God’s will.  Before he was born, Jesus was Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament, who spoke to the prophets and gave them his priesthood.  He told Moses to ordain Aaron and his descendents  to the Levitical or Aaronic priesthood.  But  he gave Moses his own priesthood, the Melchizedek Priesthood. 

When he established his church in ancient times, Jesus called twelve apostles and gave them special authority to give the Holy Ghost.  I’ve talked about this before. With the priesthood given them by Jesus Christ they were able to do all of the miracles he did.  After Christ's death and resurrection his apostles tried to establish churches. They knew that someday the gospel of Jesus Christ would be taught in all the world and Christ would return to reign on the earth as Lord and King.  But first there would be a falling away. The apostles would be killed and the church would be taken over by men who did not have the priesthood of God.

It took angels in modern time to bring that priesthood back to the earth.(see "angels-know-about-baptism.")  

So what is Priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now?

It isn’t a job.

Priests aren’t paid.

It isn’t an exclusive position. 

There are many priests.

It is about more than priests.

Mormons sometimes seem to have too many answers to questions you have never thought of and they don’t answer the questions you do have like--  What about women? And

Why didn’t the Mormon church let blacks have the priesthood?

They want you to be baptized by someone who has the same priesthood John the Baptist had.

They want you to be confirmed a member of the church and be given the gift of the Holy Ghost by someone who has the same priesthood that Peter James and John got from Jesus Christ. 

Women?

I am a woman.  I do not have the priesthood.  But men with the priesthood have given me authority to teach in the church, to be in charge (at different times) of the organizations in the church that serve women, young women, and children. I have been given authority to be a missionary.  I have been given authority to work in the temple.  I have access to all of the blessings of the priesthood.

Blacks?

I know black priests and elders.  The president in charge of the congregation in St. Croix is black.  I don’t know why they were the last people to have access to the blessings of the priesthood.  In Bible times among the Israelites only men who were Levites were chosen to have the priesthood.  They had work to do.  They had responsibility to keep a people prepared to receive the Messiah. 

Now every worthy male may be ordained to the priesthood.  Not all are called to be apostles, or seventies, or bishops.  But every worthy young man can expect to be called to be an elder and a missionary to help take the gospel to all the world.  The only people who don’t have access to the blessings of the priesthood are those who don’t want them or whose countries have kept missionaries from teaching and baptizing their people.

The full blessings of the priesthood are available only in holy temples, and many people still live far from a temple.  Some are unable to travel to a temple.