The Priesthood of GOD
(Priesthood and Procreation)

     Now, just what is the true doctrine of the priesthood of God? To this one may well look to what it means to achieve the highest level of the exaltation of God, to be even as God Is. Some say it is controversial doctrine and 'has no functioning place in present day Mormon doctrine.' As most 'mis-quotes' things are often taken out of context and used to present one's own preferred doctrinal interpretations. To this let us jump over such 'mis-quotes' out of context and run directly to the scriptural horse's mouth so to speak.

SECTION 131 Instructions by Joseph Smith the Prophet, given at Ramus, Illinois, May 16 and 17, 1843. HC 5:392-393.

"In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
"And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
"And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.
"He may enter into the other[s], but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase." ~ D&C 131:1-3

Now concerning the exact state of this 'order of the priesthood' which is 'the everlasting covenant of marriage', that 'marriage' is that which the LDS church has stated as being the celestial eternal marriage between a man and a women. (The Family: A Proclamation to the World). The Church has proclaimed to the world that marriage between a man and a woman is and that such as the family of such a marriage is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children. Apostle Russel M. Ballard of the Church of Jesus Christ has resently reported:

"In our Heavenly Father's great priesthood-endowed plan, men have the unique responsibility to asminister the priesthood, but they are not the priesthood. Men and women have different but equally valued roles. Just as a woman cannot conceive a child without a man, so a man cannot fully exercise the power of the priesthood to establish an eternal family without a woman. In other words, in the eternal perspective, both the procreative power and the priesthood power are shared by husband and wife. And as husband and wife, a man and a woman should strive to follow our Heavenly Father. The Christian virtues of love, humility, and petience should be their focus as they seek the blessings of the priesthood in their lives for their family.

"It is crucial for us to understand that Heavenly Father has provided a way for all His sons and His daughters to have access to the blessings of and be strengthened by the power of the priesthood. Central to God's plan for His spirit children is His own declaration: "This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39)" ~ Conference Talk by M. Russel Ballard, April 2012, Saturday Morning Session

Thus it is in respect to the very highest 'order of the priesthood' that is eternal celestial marriage as just sited from D&C 131. Thus we may avoid the 'ticty-tacty' question of just what is meant by the Mormon truism that, "As man is God once was, and as God is man may become'. And we may jump right to the critical doctrinal fact that eternal celestial marriage is the requirement of obtaining the highest level of glory in the Celestial Kingdom of God, which is the highest bottom line of the purpose and intent of God's Great Plan for his children and that it revolves around the fact that marraige is between a man and a women! One hold the priesthood responsibility and the other the procreative responsibility but neither is the man without the woman or the woman without the man in the Lord. This is no skirting the issue by the 'smoke and mirrors of what is and what is not controversally to be understood as controversial doctrine and 'has no functioning place in present day Mormon doctrine', which is a false lever used by some to wedge their way to insert such as a woman's 'right' to priesthood ordination or even 'gay marriage' or 'gay' intent and purpose into the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Such is contrary to the very Plan of God.

Therefore, there is this eternal truth concerning the nature of the highest degree of glory in God's Heaven and Kingdom. That is that there are two great and divine roles and positions which are eternaly set and established. The one is the role of the Patriarch, the male role, which is met in God the Eternal Father. And the other is the role of Matriarch, the female role, which is met in our Mother Who art in Heaven. In God's highest degree of glory parents are not single. They are a couple, a man and a woman, eternally sealed together to advance the Plan of God. And neither is the man without the woman, nor is the woman without the man, in the LORD. (1 Corinthians 11) While in their order and functions these two orders of Patriarch and Matriarch are separate and distinct, neither is wholely functional without the other as they are coupled together as one in the LORD. And in these things neither does the female attain unto the things of the male, nor does the male attain unto the things of the female. But they do share in the blessings of both the procreative powers which are centrally held in the mother and the priesthood powers which are centrally held in the father.