Our blessings can encourage us when we are discouraged, strengthen us when we are fearful, comfort us when we sorrow, give us courage when we are filled with anxiety, lift us up when we are weak in spirit. Every worthy, baptized member is entitled to and should receive a patriarchal blessing, which provides inspired direction from the Lord. 8:9). Does God speak to prophets with glowing stones in a hat? Theyre all sons of Abraham / Jacob. My daughter at age 14 received her pat. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. The nomadic tribe-based Hebrews we read about in Judges were for a short time united in a kingdom, with three successive kings: Saul, David and Solomon. We know Jesus died for our sins, but what did Joseph die for? But give it an other century or so and itll undoubtedly be true. chanson I think youre forgetting that heir and descendent are not synonyms. [2] Jesus said; "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." The lembda carry confirmed cmh so can they serve as a bishop by right of lineage with no counselors required? The patriarchal blessings of most Latter-day Saints indicate that they are literal, blood descendants of Abraham and of Israel. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. (Genesis 49:8-10). Well, if Jesus had descendants that survive to today, then that would have been a true belief, but it also would have been utterly meaningless, as we would all be descendants of Jesus. You can when you receive your patriarchal blessing. I tried to explain these population dynamics to some relatives this past weekend and failed spectacularly. Find out why they're not the same! And, if inspiration is tied to it, Im fine being told my lineage whether that relates to some gene manifestation, some promise, or something tied to my spirit. Does a true prophet of God preach racism? How do I get rid of inappropriate thoughts? Know the Difference between Christianity and pseudo-Christianity! I suspect that Australian Aboriginies have been interacting with the rest of the world for long enough that their DNA has spread into most of our family trees in one of the 29 trillion, trillion, trillion spaces. All the tribes will be gathered during the Millenium and will eventually then return to their individual lands of inheritance. I find it interesting and perhaps very relevant that the Kingdom of Israel was often simply referred to as Joseph or Ephraim, being the predominant tribe. Mormons are faced with confusing doctrine every time they open their scriptures. There has been ample speculation about the fate of the Lost Ten Tribes in both Jewish and Christian sources, which exploded in the 17th century. Astrology, witchcraft, Satanism, Masonry, Universalism, Hinduismit's all there in one package called Mormonism. Seeing that the majority of declared lineages today are Joseph (primarily Ephraim) I believe that this in essence means we represent the northern kingdom or the lost 10 tribes as a whole. Only one of those descendents was willing and desirous to carry on what hed begun removing the muggleborns from the school. Listen, Im the first one to honor and praise our pioneer ancestors, but we have to realize that being a bodyguard to Joseph Smith, is not all that unique. Aggregated Content Copyright 2008-2011 by the original authors. Its standard Church policy. He was a member of the Nauvoo High Council and served for a time as a bodyguard to Joseph Smith. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Of course, we meet about every week at the table of Christ, and we have a place at that table too. While the primary responsibilities of Ephraim are to spread the gospel, the primary responsibilities of Judah are to maintain and keep the records. Good questionand I dont feel confident that I have a handle on an answer. I think the point of this post and thread is to get past a bit labels like son of a whore and son of a prophet at least in a certain sense (the sense of are we not all beggars, or are we not all children of Adam and Eve?), Coincidentally, since my last post, I came across this germane passage in Romans 9: To find out how to receive a patriarchal blessing, Church members should speak with their bishop or branch president. My MP shared this as part of a zone conference talk on patriarchal blessings in hopes of increasing our appreciation for the blessingshis take was that every blessing he had read as SP had been unique. Otherwise its like the name in the temple. The lineage stuff came along later and developed its own sort of mythology and internal logic. Similarly, does it matter what my callings are (if tribes and patriarchal blessings are more like assignments?) Joseph Fielding Smith (1972), 14950. 20-21). . Probably even their dogs had wonderful characteristics and spiritual gifts. 41 But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a further country, where never mankind dwelt. Mormon vocabulary is vastly different from the norm. Patriarchal blessings are unique to each person and can contain personal counsel and warnings, as well as promises to us from God if we are obedient. Why does Mormonism have so many false doctrines about our galaxy and the Lord? Why? G. Homer Durham (1960), 75. Mormon Patriarchal Blessings and the Tribe of Ephraim. Historically other assignments were relatively rare, but in recent years they have been becoming more common; I believe that assignments to every one of the Twelve Tribes have been made by patriarchs. This has bothered me for over thirty years. It is to play an important part in convincing Lamanites, Jews, and Gentiles that Jesus is the messiah and that God does remember his covenant people (see Book of Mormon: Title Page From Book of Mormon). Should we trust someone who's involved with these things? (E.g., a baby born in 2000 had two parents born in 1975, four grandparents born in 1950, eight great grandparents born in 1925 and 16 great, great grandparents born in 1900.) Evidently, the Church thinks enough of this tradition that they continue to insist that declaration of lineage is the most essential part of the blessing. Were all adopted into the covenant relationship. How to Witness to a Mormon/Help for your Mormon friends & loved ones, Church leaders have said that without the vision of Joseph Smith, they'd have nothing so let's take a look at some of the things of Joseph. If Im in the kingdom of Israel, does it matter where? Mormon lives are busier than most. The bit about Joseph is hard to make sense of. Next on the list so you can trace your ancestry back to Adam? McConkie, Bruce R. A New Witness of the Articles of Faith, pp. Since Mormons like to rely on their own works they should take heed to what God said in Micah 5:12-13 , And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: 13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands., Posted in Book of Mormon | Tagged Ephraim, false gospel, Lehi, Mannasseh, Nephi, patriarchal blessings | 2 Comments. Why must Mormons follow a prophet and not God? Perhaps its about being an heir. Elder John A. Widtsoe, an Apostle, declared, "In giving a blessing the patriarch may declare our lineage-that is, that we are of Israel, therefore of the family of Abraham, and of a specific tribe of Jacob. To answer about the personal importance I attached to lineage, I would stay the most important impact has been on my mission. Patriarchal blessings include a declaration of a persons lineage in the house of Israel and contain personal counsel from the Lord. In the 19th century, a lot of Mormons were fond of the notion that Joseph and our other prophets were descended from Jesus himself. Guide to the Scriptures, Evangelist, Israel, Patriarchal Blessings, Patriarch, Patriarchal, Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light, Declaration of Lineage in Patriarchal Blessings, Request a copy of your own or a deceased ancestors patriarchal blessing, ChurchofJesusChrist.org, Whom do I talk to about getting a patriarchal blessing? New Era, July 2010, Your Patriarchal Blessing, Ensign or Liahona, February 2010, RobertK. Wagstaff, When Should I Get My Patriarchal Blessing? New Era, August 2009, About Patriarchal Blessings, New Era, March 2004, DanielH. Ludlow, Of the House of Israel, Ensign or Liahona, January 1991, Teaching Children about Patriarchal Blessings, Ensign, October 1987, DavidA. Edwards, What a Patriarchal Blessing Can Do for You, New Era, May 2013, The Gathering of the House of Israel, Patriarchal Blessings, Lesson Helps for Teaching Children, What is a Patriarchal Blessing, The Latter-day Saints Channel Q&A, episode62, Request a copy of your own or a deceased ancestors patriarchal blessing. Anyone or anything that disagrees with the LDS Church is considered anti-Mormon. About a year ago our Stake Patriarch spoke on this, and since Ive heard a Stake Patriarch opine on it decades ago, I could see a change in trend (or else just two different people with two different opinions). More than 1/2 the witnesses denounced their testimonies! In other words, does it matter exclusively that I have my ordinances done and am part of the big old family of God connected (sealed) in a great chain from Adam to Zed, or is there great eternal importance to _my_ particular familythat Im sealed to my spouse, my parents, my children, etc.? No, the slots increase geometrically, not arithmetically, so the answer is 256 (16 x 16). The only name that counts in the temple is the name of Jesus Christ. Someday there will be a big family reunion for all the children of our Heavenly Father. Semi-annual reminders to follow the prophet. 1992). Ive heard claims in both directions and Im genuinely curious. In Abraham we are told, And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father (Abr. First, the patriarch will be inspired to declare your lineagethe tribe of Israel to which you belong. The most important aspect of our patriarchal lineage is that it ties us to the covenant made between God and Abraham. Yet, the Church considers themselves to be a Christian church. Could this book cost you salvation in Jesus? Original Content Copyright 2008-2011 J. Max Wilson. I met David Stewart (of cumorah.com) years ago and he mentioned that he tracked patriarchial lineages online from people whod volunteer that info. Quotes & false prophecies from Mormon leaders. Charles, in turn, has four descendents but one heir, William. This exact point annoyed me to no end (as a mathematician) reading that Salazar Slytherin who supposedly lived a thousand years ago had exactly one heir. So while we may all be descendents of all of Jacobs sons, perhaps we are the heir of the one declared our lineage? This doctrine of adoption was understood by ancient prophets and apostles (e.g., Rom. Adoption into the House of Israel See this page in the original 1992 publication. With meetings, temple attendance, food storage, the strive to be perfect - it's overwhelming and far from having peace in knowing Christ. The 10th Mormon president/prophet of the LDS Church called the cross 'repugnant'! I think thats a nice evolution of and conclusion to the tribalism of the distant past. Those who are not literal descendants are adopted into the family of Abraham when they receive baptism and confirmation (see Law of Adoption). Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. To some it is referring to literal genealogical ancestry; to others, adoptive ancestry; to others, it is a metaphor or symbol of inclusion within the House of Israel, while still others see the different tribes as representing different responsibilities in building the Kingdom of God in the last days. So its likely that we have many many literal ancestors in those kajillions of pedigree slots from whom weve received no genetic contribution whatsoever. The Lord says to disregard the prophet who speaks a lie in His name - Deuteronomy 18:20-22, See how the Mormon canon of scripture contradicts itself & the Bible, The Early Christian Church's Statements of Faith. I recall him saying that the tribe of Dan is overwhelmingly from Ireland. Who, or what, is the foundation of your Christian faith? 16:11-12; 3 Ne. Of course, genetically we are all the seed of Abraham at this point. Too many members use it the wrong way. He mentioned (if I remember correctly) that assigning tribes outside of Ephraim was discouraged as modern members could be adopted into Ephraim and should be used with high discretion. I feel to this day the Patriarch who did my blessing was not inspired..rote blessings to all. Multiple non-Ephraim blessings would be flagged. All our blessings were *exactly* the same word for word. In a similar vein, Ive always found D&C 15 and 16 a fascinating phenomenon. I always assumed as a kid that I would end up in one of the obscure tribes like Asher or Dan because I was, frankly, an obscure kid. This principle ought (in its proper place) to be taught, for God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them, for the day must come when no man need say to his neighbor, Know ye the Lord; for all shall know Him (who remain) from the least to the greatest. Are these incidents all coincidental, or well planned trickery? 541-75. .. 1 Chr. asos mens hoodies "And they [others of the tribes of Israel] shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants…and there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim, and they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy" (D&C 133:30-33; see also Israel: Gathering of Israel). (This is why the old one drop rule, as we now know, was ridiculous; everyone, even Brother Brigham, has one drop.). To be more accurate according to population genetics: every single one of us is a mixture of all of the tribes of Israel, assuming that each of the Patriarchs has any living descendants today. Rumors were his wife did it as well. 72-77. But what about the over 600 hundred laws? Brigham Young said that Joseph was a pure Ephraimite, but Ugo Perego through investigation of Josephs DNA discovered that he was old irish and a descendant of Niall of the 9. Those who follow the counsel in their patriarchal blessing will be less likely to go astray or be misled. I think they did. Judah is a lions whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? For Latter-day Saints, identification of a person's lineage in latter-day Covenant Israel is made under the hands of inspired Patriarchs through patriarchal blessings that declare lineage. Should I be worried? May 30, 2012 | AAAA AskGramps Website, Bible, Blessings, Family Roots | 3 comments. (Not the modern white-supremacist kind, but the 19th Century, Englishmen-are-Ephraimites strain.). Its not like people from Benjamin are better clerks than others or Issachar play better sports or Reuben are all the leadership. Because of their rebellion against the Lord many centuries ago, Ephraim's descendants were scattered among the Gentile nations, along with members of the other tribes, beginning with the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel c. 722 B.C. By seed we mean the heirs of the body. Ephraim (it was explained) is viewed as the missionary arm, the ones to restore the gospel. He was told in his blessing that he would be blessed with many beautiful daughters. He and my mother became the parents of five sons. Yes, know that there have been and probably are patriarchs who are on automatic. According to Religion 430-431 - Doctrinces of the Gospel Student Manual, the tribe of Ephraim is greatly praised by the LDS Church. Therefore, your life and priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage (D&C 86:810). The patriarchal blessing is a powerful shamanic evocation of ancient covnenants, telling the recipient that they are partaking of the promises made to Abraham. [1] The words, inspired by the Holy Ghost, are spoken by the patriarch performing the ordinance. As always, Mark E. Petersen is the definitive resource: http://www.ldslastdays.com/default.aspx?page=talk_patriarchs.htm. Your an idiot. If you look at how the office of patriarch came about, you find that Joseph may have been just a little jealous of Brigham for coming up with the idea of patriarchal blessings first and so elevated his own father to patriarch over the whole church. Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Biographical Sketches Of Joseph Smith The Prophet And His Progenitors For Many Generations. What can I do to feel better when I have sinned? Our patriarchal blessings indicate what the Lord expects of us and what our potential can be. 11: 1 ). It is to be done by this sealing power, and the other Comforter spoken of, which will be manifest by revelation. Kevin, are Australian aborigines truly an exception to the rule? 45 For through that country there was a great way to go, namely, of a year and a half: and the same region is called Arsareth. In response to a previous comment, Richard Bushman was interviewed by Dan Witherspoon on the Mormon Matters podcast about his work as a patriarch and the directions he was given in that calling re: tribal assignments, etc. My daughter is hoping for Slytherin. We and our blessings are in the hands of the Lord, but there is a general testimony that when the gospel law has been obeyed, the promised blessings have been realized.1. An essential part of a patriarchal blessing is a declaration of lineage. In the great majority of cases, Latter-day Saints are of the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe to which has been committed the leadership of the Latter-day work. Find out why! Since families are of mixed lineage, it occasionally happens that members of the same family have blessings declaring them to be of different lineage. Its meaning lies in how we honor each other as believers perhaps. It also stands as a sign that God will keep His covenants with the remnants of the house of Israel (see 3 Ne. Men have stumbled at times because promised blessings have not occurred in this life. No one need assume that he or she will be denied any blessing by reason of not being of the blood lineage of Israel. I have a dozen or so ancestors who have the exact same claim to fame (almost typed clame). Regarding Patriarchal blessings and the declaration of lineage, President James E. Faust stated: . Upon that revelation we both concluded that bloodline has nothing to do with it, at least not with the significance most want to consider. It hurt my feelings, that I was only worthy of a lesser lineage but I am over it now. So, with that framing, what do patriarchal blessing lineage assignments mean to you? Patriarchal blessings may contain promises, admonitions, and warnings. Ive only devoted a few Saturday mornings to this scripture study project, but the []. Lineage, I have concluded, belongs in the same category as all those promises in patriarchal blessings about the recipient living long enough to go back and build up Jackson County. According to the Bible, when Joseph brought his two sons to his father, Jacob, for a blessing, Ephraim received the birthright blessing in place of Manasseh (Gen. 48:13-20), one of the departures noted in the Bible from the custom of bestowing on the firstborn son the special privileges that belonged to him by right of primogeniture. 3:5). Ive read it in all of their histories. I found his perspective to be rather blurry, administrative and academic as compared to other patriarchs in the church, but was appreciative of his personal honesty and openness to the processes and policies. Believing Gentiles, even though not of the blood lines or genealogical ancestry of Israel, become adopted into the house of Israel. 2:11). Patriarchs are privileged to impart blessings directly rather than just solicit blessings to the individual, for the patriarchs are entitled to speak authoritatively for the Lord. James Russell Uhl. She is now 26. The original tribe of Levi did not receive a land inheritance (other than the levitical cities), so that its priestly members could live throughout the land, so Joseph (the dominant tribe in the north) was basically bifurcated into two representing his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to keep the tribal number at ten.