[NateHowe]

Originally Posted by Athanasias

Catholics teach that we also offer our own sacrifices of ourselves to God in the mass, however we also teach that the Mass itself is a propitiatory sacrifice(The same sacrifice as Calvary only in a unbloody way) that is offered by Christ priest on behalf of the community. So to us its both.

With great respect to the Catholic tradition, that particular aspect of the Mass makes little sense to me. Essentially, you are saying that it is a new sacrifice, a new Atonement, at every Mass. This seems contrary to Paul's warning about those who "crucify the Son of God afresh" (Hebrews 6).

In our doctrine, there was one Atonement, wrought by Jesus Christ, at one time. That Atonement is infinite in power and scope, and it was the great and last sacrifice necessary to save all men who would come unto Christ and live according to His commandments. Christ suffered once. The Atonement occurred once. Our role is not to reenact or remake the Atonement, but to accept and apply it in our lives.

Originally Posted by Athanasias

Here is my question through. I am trying to understand your priesthood better and why you have priest. If your priest do not offer the sacrifice of the Eucharist then why do you have priest?

First, the Priest is not the head of the congregation, as in Catholicism or Orthodoxy. Joseph Smith wrote: "We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive Church, namely, Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists and so forth." In this organization, Priesthood leaders oversee various groups of people. In our Wards, the Bishop is the head of the congregation, and he presides in the Sacrament Meeting. The Prophet and the Apostles preside over the entire Church.

However, in addition to presiding over certain groups, the Priesthood is the power to perform ordinances. In your view, the Eucharist is the ordinance of greatest importance. For us, although the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is a supremely sacred ordinance, other saving ordinances which the Lord instituted (such as Baptism and the bestowal of the gift of the Holy Ghost) bear equal weight. Every ordinance instituted by the Savior is sacred to us, and different ordinances require different authority.

The preparatory Priesthood is named for Aaron, the great ancient Priest. Within this Aaronic Priesthood are the offices of Deacon, Teacher, Priest, and Bishop. The Aaronic Priesthood includes the authority to baptize and to administer the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

The higher Priesthood is named for Melchizedek, the great High Priest. Within the Melchizedek Priesthood are the offices of Elder, High Priest, Seventy, and Apostle. The Prophet, who is the President of the Church, is the presiding Apostle. The Melchizedek Priesthood includes authority to anoint and bless the sick, to preside in meetings of the Church, to administer ordinances in the Temple (such as Eternal Marriage), and many other privileges and responsibilities. Those with the Melchizedek Priesthood can also administer in the ordinances of the Aaronic Priesthood.

Priesthood is the government of God's Kingdom on Earth and the authority to perform the ordinances which Jesus Christ instituted for the benefit of mankind.

Originally Posted by Athanasias

Why not just have preachers and elders like the protestants? This is stumbling block for me for a few reasons. 1) Priesthood in the Old and New testament and Church history is always linked to sacrifice, especially liturgical sacrifice on behalf of a community of believers. As a matter of fact the main function of a priest himself is to offer sacrifice on behalf of the community(Heb 8:3-4). 2) Christ himself and St Paul in the New testament reveal the Eucharist to be the new covenant sacrifice that is to be offered by its new covenant priest on behalf of the community. 3) Church history also seems to see it this way as well as the Prophet Malachi in the old testament and others.

I guess this is one of my stumbling blocks about your faith. If there is no sacrifice of the Eucharist and if they are not mediators between Christ and the congregation then why are Priest needed at all since the bible and church history shows that these are the main functions of a priest? why not just have elders or pastors?

The Atonement of Christ ended animal sacrifice as a part of true worship. The Priests in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints administer the Sacrament as instructed by revelation for the benefit of the congregation. This is in accordance with scripture. Although Christ and Paul place strong emphasis on the Lord's Supper, they do not indicate or validate the doctrines of transubstantiation or the power of the Priest over Christ during the Mass. These were later alterations to true doctrine. Priests (as all those who hold the Priesthood) are servants of the Lord and of their fellow man. They are called, as were the Priests in the Old and New Testaments, to perform the ordinances dictated by the Lord for the people at that time, under the direction of the living Prophet.

This is the great key, which Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism, and other world religions ignore: Revelation from God to His Prophets. We can point to the Bible and infer a course the Lord would have us take, but the Bible was not written as an instruction manual. It is a collection of sacred historical documents from various times and authors. It does not claim to be complete, because the Bible was not written with the conscious notion that it would be collected in its current form. Whenever the Lord has had His Church on Earth, He has organized it with a living Prophet at its head and Priesthood authority as its foundation, with Christ the chief cornerstone. That is the position of the Latter-day Saints - that God reveals His will in all pertinent matters to the Prophet. The Prophet gives us direction so that we will remain aligned with the will of God. This is the oldest pattern in the world's religious history, beginning with Adam.