Chapter 9

Principle #1

The Rights of the Priesthood Are Governed by Principles of Righteousness

The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven.

—Doctrine and Covenants 121:36

The doctrine of the priesthood includes the set of principles governing its use. The rights of the priesthood refer to the privileges and entitlements that are accorded to the priesthood holder. But the overriding principle is righteousness. As the Lord has revealed: “The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and . . . the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:36).

How could it be otherwise? God embodies all righteousness, and to use the “powers of heaven,” a priesthood holder must diligently strive to be like God. Although no priesthood holder is perfect, it is impossible to conceive that the priesthood can be used for unrighteous pursuits. The revelation continues: “But when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:37).

Just as life on earth is connected to physical laws, the priesthood is governed by eternal laws. Violating physical laws without considering the consequences is reckless. Jumping off a building and thinking that gravity will not exert its predictable effect is as foolish as thinking that priesthood can be used contrary to its governing laws.

An event from the early seventeenth century in Sweden illustrates the consequences of ignoring physical laws.

In the early 1600s, Sweden was a world power because of its navy. Its domination was fueled by natural resources of oak, hemp, and pitch that were critical for shipbuilding. Sweden’s king, Gustav II Adolf, commissioned a warship, the Vasa, that represented a substantial outlay of resources, particularly the oak from which the vessel was being built. Oak was so valuable that cutting down an oak tree without authorization was a capital offense. Gustav Adolf closely oversaw the construction process to ensure that the Vasa would fully realize his expectations as his flagship.

After construction began, Gustav Adolf wanted the Vasa to be larger. Because the width supports had already been built from precious oak, the king directed the builders to increase the ship’s length without increasing its width. Although the shipwrights knew that doing so would compromise Vasa’s seaworthiness, they were hesitant to tell the king something he did not want to hear. So, they complied. Gustav Adolf also insisted that this ship should have more than the customary single deck of guns; he wanted cannons on three decks, with the heaviest cannons on the upper deck. Again, against their better judgment, the shipwrights complied.

Over the course of several years, shipwrights, carpenters, rope makers, and others worked diligently to build the Vasa. Over one thousand oak trees were used to complete the ship. It had sixty-four cannons, and masts taller than 150 feet. To give the ship the opulence befitting a king’s flagship, several hundred gilded and painted sculptures were added.

On August 10, 1628, the Vasa began its maiden voyage. Before countless spectators, the ship left its mooring immediately below the Royal Castle in Stockholm. After being pulled along by anchors for the first several hundred feet, the Vasa left the shelter of the harbor. A strong wind entered its sails, and the ship began to tip. The Vasa righted herself slightly, but only temporarily. Before long, as recorded by an observer, “she heeled right over and water gushed in through the gun ports until she slowly went to the bottom under sail, pennants and all.”1 The Vasa’s maiden voyage covered about 4,200 feet.

The Vasa rested at the bottom of the Gulf of Bothnia until it was recovered three centuries later, in 1961. It was successfully raised from the seabed and towed back to Stockholm. Today, the Vasa rests in a temperature- and humidity-controlled museum in Djurgården, an island in central Stockholm.

Despite the Vasa’s magnificent appearance, the ship was not seaworthy. The alterations in its construction resulted in insufficient lateral stability to enable safe seafaring. Gustav Adolf’s desire for an extravagant status symbol ruined the design of what would have been a serviceable sailing vessel, the mightiest warship of its time. The story of the Vasa stands as a reminder that no matter how powerful a king may be, he is not more powerful than the laws of physics.

In a similar way, priesthood is governed by eternal laws, including principles of righteousness, that cannot be ignored without disastrous consequences. A priesthood holder must comply with the laws that govern the use of the priesthood or he will fail in his service. When used in a self-serving way, priesthood becomes priestcraft, and priesthood authority is extinguished.

God knows that His priesthood is given to imperfect men. However, even imperfect men can exercise the priesthood with good effect if they do so in accordance with correct principles. A priesthood holder must forever try to be righteous. He must be humble, meek, and submissive. Such an imperfect man will, by the grace of God, bring to pass good works. Even a perfect man, if one existed, could not exercise the priesthood for improper, unrighteous purposes.2

Notes

1. The story of the Vasa has been recounted in numerous places. See, for instance, www.Vasamuseet.se for history and other links.

2. The Book of Mormon describes several instances when individuals attempted to use religion to acquire personal gain, praise, or glory (see 1 Nephi 22:23; 2 Nephi 26:29; 2 Nephi 27:16; Alma 1:3, 16; Helaman 7:5). Each time, the man misusing power or influence was condemned.