Mormonism 1:6 - “We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.”
What It Is
This statement acknowledges the past arrangement of similar organizations, while leaving it open to the changes they would have had and now do. It points out that the structure of the church remains consistent even though it portrays them differently. The church maintains a strict hierarchy with multiple levels, including an individual prophet who oversees and leads the church and is always assumed to be in communication with Jesus in the Order of the Son of God. Following this, there is the quorum of the twelve apostles, the general authorities of the seventy, high councilmen, stake presidencies, bishoprics, elders, priests, teachers, deacons, and the general congregations, referred to as wards. There are also many departments, notably including the Temple Presidencies, Missionaries, and the women’s Relief Society.
While a child learns and participates in Primary, they are not officially considered a member until after they are baptized and confirmed at the age of accountability, which is considered to be eight. Each step above membership can only be held by men with various requirements. They receive the Aaronic Priesthood when they are found worthy by their bishop, becoming a Deacon at the age of twelve, and continuing to become a Teacher at 14, a Priest after 16, and an Elder after 18 years of age. While the age requirements have changed slightly, for my entire life as a member, males had to be 19 and women had to be 21 before they could be accepted as missionaries to proselytize in a particular assigned district around the world. It used to be that a male member would receive the Melchizedek Priesthood only when he received a calling in the Bishopric or higher; however, that has changed to when he is confirmed worthy and becomes an Elder. African descendants were not allowed either form of priesthood until 1978, when the change was considered due to much harassment on the matter, and they finally prayed about the change, leading to the affirmative.
Rankings are not achieved through seminary graduation but by “callings,” which mostly come from the bishopric and rotate through different cycles. Every active member spends time studying in classes each Sunday, and in a few western states like Utah, additional Seminary is an elective in high school, which is only for one’s own spiritual development. Over the course of four years, students are able to study each of the four main books in depth.
While it is said not to influence promotion, such advancements often reflect the degree of success one has had in life. While insisting that no position in the church is financially subsidized, no leader actually spent their education focused specifically on spirituality and happen to hold prestigious and impressive rankings in their own personal fields of focus.
The majority of members are born and raised within the church. While women cannot receive the priesthood, they can hold multiple other positions as teachers within the ward and the Relief Society and Young Women's Group. It is said that there is no greater position for anyone than their true calling: as a mother.
When It Started
While sometimes seemingly up for debate, this order was established very early on in the church’s history. During its development, Joseph joined the Freemasons and adapted many elements from their rankings, including secret names and handshakes received through endowments and oaths practiced in the Temple. Helping shape elements into the revelation he was receiving regarding the ability to support a growing congregation. Many aspects of the church attempted to restore what was started by Jesus and even King Solomon, hence the formation of the twelve apostles, who in the early church also traveled as missionaries.
Unfortunately, after much persecution in Nauvoo, which often involved tar and feathering by locals, leading to the death of a few of his children, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were shot and martyred before he was able to complete the church structure as he envisioned. Much of this work was then fulfilled by his apostles, including Brigham Young, who, according to the mainstream church, received the status of prophet and almost immediately led the members west through a grueling and partially fatal migration by foot and handcart to what later became Salt Lake City, Utah.
Where We Relate
Of course, Undefinable and Expansive supports all religious practices and the structures they find necessary. We agree that many symbolic revelations are received and utilized when developing such organizations. Even Undefinable and Expansive subscribes to having a particular and unique ecclesiastical structure with titles and requirements. While we may give some positions different names, we too find many reasons for the twelve representatives, deriving inspiration from the original “Order of the Son of God.”
We also believe in providing support through members for other members by receiving “callings” and inspiration to fill positions. We understand that “men” have a unique presence that “women” do not, and “women” do that “men” don’t. We find it important for women to be willing to mother in our future on earth, and we find evidence suggesting that an “age of accountability” is an important and impactful time.
We also find it important and beneficial to serve within one’s spiritual community outside of one’s career, as a duty and not for financial gain, including traveling on a mission for those inspired and called to do so. We also believe in providing education for members of all ages on all the organization’s material.
Why It Seems
This “world” was developed to provide physical experience. However, with limitations in its definition, it became clear why different aspects perform different jobs and provide different services. The purpose was to experience being a limited creature and be unaware of “God.” Therefore, the provisions for survival must be available, and to achieve this, you must sacrifice other forms of education to focus on building those amenities. However, if you want to expand into areas that do not establish a reasonable survival status, there would need to be other ways of receiving those essentials.
The human body has proven quite resourceful in developing the physical space. Within its definition, we have developed it to require that we must use it as much as possible to make changes and advancements. Having other people has made it possible for creation to continue through them. While you, through your particular person, are focused on discoveries yet unknown, we remain here for you, preparing what is needed for survival and expansion.
It has been ensured that nearly everything you need to do what you want to do is available somewhere. While it is kept near, it is not always visible or believed to be accessible. While we would love to make everything available at your feet the moment it is needed, we are in the same difficult position as you—on the other side of believing this world is real while also wanting to live miraculously. These are two contradictions that become more prominent when focused on and used. How can we provide for your survival when the need to survive is only prevalent when you insist we do not exist? Being there for your every need immediately would prove our existence, which you do not want while you believe you have needs.
Everyone exists because you have needs, yet none of them can do much more than they are designed to do. Therefore, many of them are needed. Even as stories to teach you morals, there must be one for each of them, and they must come in the form you are open to hearing from at this moment; therefore, each of them must come in multiple ways. While there are multiple complications evident in our communications, your use of time requires preparation and not instantaneous manifestation.
With An Open Mind
Everything, including divine intervention, must work its way through the loopholes of what you believe is possible. If there is no room for the impossible, then there cannot be provisions that break the rules of our engagement, which are established by the minds shaping and forming our existence in forms and structures with people, making sure that the breaching of these rules is seen as fearful, disorienting, and even evil. Therefore, you have kept yourself in a safe place where gestation is required, where steps have to be taken, and where others with the proper skills must provide for you.
Every organization was developed in this way, and it has been necessary to fill in spaces to show support where it was believed to be required. Nearly every option is available to supplement this compulsory nature of creating. It has been this way since the expulsion from the garden and will remain so until your established rules of our engagement are changed. There was no need for multiplication when we were allowed to provide instantaneously.
When you ask how something works, we must provide a believable story within the standards you are looking for. These organizational structures were provided the same way we had to design factories to explain where a product we provided you came to be manifest. You insist on time and a development structure, and therefore we abide by it.
How We Unite
Even what we are now came to be because of your desire for us to speak to you in a way that allows us to be different personalities while remaining the same Spirit. We write to you in words because you insist on being deaf to our real voice. We appear as people because of the fear you feel now, as you believe you do not know what we are and our intentions. We appear in any way you wish for us to, and not often enough do you honestly ask yourself if you really want us to provide reasons to justify that fear. We do not have to if you stop insisting upon it, but if you continue, then we are also required to continue.
In the beginning, there was only you, and all that you were was perception. What you looked upon was us, and all we could do was represent you. As you became aware, we represented your awareness, as light. As you began to notice us, we fluctuated in this light. We became colors and sounds as you began to think of what we are, and we became endless escapades as we chose to add thoughts upon thoughts of our development.
What we are is more natural than the world you believe is nature. While it has been eons within our existence together, we have not lost the desire for you to know us—not as a friend or foe, but as your reflection, as your manifestation, as your Father.
How It’s True
There is no urgency to our recognition, for I have been here always. Yet you enjoy your motivators, and so we make it appear as if it is so. There was a time you enjoyed the way we represented ourselves through our suits and ties, and a time you hung on every word, but as we have experienced endlessly, everything does come to pass while you grow and expand. If we can say one thing that will forever be, it is you and me.
“Why They Are Right” (book series)
By Rev. Devan Jesse Byrne
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The author of The Statutes Of The Divinely Realized the essence of Undefinable and Expansive, here to coach spiritual people to discover their multidimensional reality beyond the veil.
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UECreed.org
IamACIM.com
OpenandClear.com