Patriarchal Blessings

Thou shalt have power to translate thyself

from one planet to another; and power to go

to the moon if thou so desire. . .

Patriarchal Blessing of Lorenzo Snow, 15 December 1836

What is a Patriarchal Blessing?

Blessings are a pretty common thing in the LDS Church. Soon after a baby is born, the parents give the new child a blessing. Once the child is baptized, another blessing is bestowed to give the child "the gift of the Holy Spirit." Young men are given several blessings as they advance through the various levels of priesthood. Blessings are given, as needed, to those who are sick or have other troubles in their lives.

But of all these blessings, none is more interesting or more important to many members than their patriarchal blessing. Members of the LDS Church first began receiving such blessings when Joseph Smith Sr. was called by his son to administer them. From a doctrinal standpoint, the first recorded patriarchal blessing was given to Abraham by Melchizedek after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer (Gen. 14:17-40 JST). The first person actually eligible for such a blessing was Cain, but if such a blessing was ever given, it wasn't recorded.

There are a few differences which distinguish a patriarchal blessing from most other blessings. Unlike a father's blessing, blessings by patriarchs are generally once-in-a-lifetime endeavors. Barring unusual circumstances, it won't be repeated. Also, this is the only blessing where a person will be informed of their "lineage," which refers to the tribe they descended from. Invariably, the recipient will discover that he is of the lineage of Ephriam or Mannasseh. At least, I've never heard of any exception. Of course, mistakes are made, and the child of two Ephriams will sometimes be declared a Mannasseh. The most common explanation given for this phenomenon is that the blood of the two tribes has been so completely mixed that everyone contains a certain amount of both, and that the lineage only refers to the nature of the blessing and not to any literal descent.[1]

Usually, the blessing is received at some point during the teenage years. Short of a temple marriage or a mission call, no milestone in a young LDS life is more significant than receiving this blessing. The process of receiving such a blessing is actually rather simple: after an interview with the bishop to ensure the worthiness of the blessing candidate, an appointment is made with the stake patriarch[2]. The actual blessing is a subdued affair, usually involving only immediate family members (and possibly one or two close friends). The patriarch asks a few questions about the candidate's current dreams and goals. Ostensibly, this method of pleasant interrogation is to help foster the Spirit. From an outsider's standpoint, it appears more likely that the patriarch is simply trying to find out enough to make the blessing sound less like what it is: a collection of vague predictions and random guesses by a total stranger.

Speaking as someone who has experienced the process firsthand, but had difficulty seeing the process "through the eye of faith," I saw very little inspiration in the entire process. The entire blessing felt entirely impersonal, almost as though the blessing could have been given, with a very few modifications, to any male member of the Church. Worse, the same patriarch also gave my brother his blessing, and when I later compared them, they were in almost every respect the same. Though many find their blessings to be a source of inspiration, in my case it was one of a few critical junctures which eventually led to my leaving the Church.

Below is a growing collection of patriarchal blessings from the early days of the Church and more recent times. My ultimate goal is to document just how drastically the tone of these blessings, and LDS expectations about the future, have changed.

Submitted Blessings

From the Archives : The Blessings of a More Interesting Age

Everything Else

Notes: