Once again, this week’s lesson on Priesthood Organization is basically another look at last week’s topic in more detail. Since links have already been given to the resources FAIR has on the priesthood, I thought it might be helpful to provide links to a couple of items from sources other than FAIR.
At the priesthood session of the most recent General Conference, Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a very practical talk on Healing the Sick that I believe is worth reading by everyone.
And in 1996, the Journal of Mormon History published an interesting article by William G. Hartley about the historical development of the duties of the Aaronic priesthood: From Men to Boys: LDS Aaronic Priesthood Offices, 1829-1996.
That JMH article is fascinating. It really makes clear that most duties we associate with Deacons and Teachers (passing the sacrament, collecting fast offerings, preparing the sacrament) have no basis in scripture and were given to them more so they would have something to do. They even show a Church News article from 1945 about how some Beehives collected fast offerings in one ward because of a Deacon shortage, and they did a dang good job of it.
Interesting reading for sure.
There is another article you may also be interested in by David J. Whittaker called “Joseph B. Keeler, Print Culture, and the Modernization of Mormonism: 1885-1918.”
http://books.google.com/books?id=oiRCs1mZrewC&lpg=PA105&ots=nouD4hE-1A&dq=david%20j.%20whittaker%20joseph%20keeler&pg=PA105#v=onepage&q=david%20j.%20whittaker%20joseph%20keeler&f=false
I attended Bro. Whittaker’s lecture on the subject at this year’s BYU Church History Symposium. He credits Keeler with getting the ball rolling on ordaining 12 year old boys to be deacons. He also wrote some important curriculum (including an Aaronic priesthood manual), was the first bishop to send single women on full-time missions, introduced FHE, and helped establish general guidelines for church courts, among other things.