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Church members are taught that a patriarchal blessing is a personal revelation directed specifically at the individual with promise and blessings specific to that person's life. But I have heard 3 or 4 children of patriarchs say that their fathers used "boilerplate" blessings or parts of blessings rather than giving each blessing as inspired. One person said that his father had 4 or 5 standard blessings and just chose one to give each person.

I never gave much credence to these claims until a friend of mine commented on something I had said about my patriarchal blessing. My blessing, which I received just before going on my mission, had one section that was very specific about priesthood responsibilities I would have in the future. The rest of the blessing seemed, to me, fairly nonspecific, but this section was very detailed. This was revelation directly and specifically for me. Imagine my surprise when my friend, whose father was our stake president, showed me that his patriarchal blessing contained that same passage verbatim.

It made me wonder if maybe some patriarchs do use boilerplate.

That reminds me of the brilliant idea someone had on the complaint generator thread: to make a patriarchal blessing generator. That would provide much, much more variance to the blessings because even though the same words/phrases will be used, the chances of any two people having whole identical paragraphs in their patriarchal blessings will be rather improbable.

I bet in the near future patriarchs will be provided with such invaluable software.

I won't take that bet, I think they already have it.

Runtu,

The patriarchal blessing I received blew me away as well as all those that have read it. I think it was even disturbing to the current stake president I shared it with about a year ago. It is specific, promises a number of gifts, speaks of missions, presiding/counseling in positions that will nearly overwhelm me, the character of my children (my wifes PB mirrors this portion), traveling around the world, being an example to the living and dead, specific admonitions and a promise of a long life (among other things).

The patriarch was a friend of our family for many years previous to my PB but did not know me well at the time. He gave my sisters and brother theirs and they were quite unique as well (keeping in mind they all asked to be removed from church records 20 years ago). He was not always respected by his peers when he was in the stake presidency because he was outspoken in reminding them of the reason for their callings.

Following my mission and after my parents divorce, he took it upon himself to tutor me once every few months, giving me books to read, explaining the nature of things. His background was in corporation consulting, lots of various callings, a mission to Germany preWWII, OSS backduring. It intrigued me that he would say that he always felt he was ahead of his time. Some things just made more sense to him and the rising generation of the church. Even when he was gravely ill, he would ask me to come visit for additional instruction. To me, his life was truly exemplary of a Follower of Christ.

Fast forward to today. Two of my children recieved their patriarchal blessings a couple years ago. They were a joke. The "patriarch" even forgot to state the lineage of one of my sons and threw it in with another short blessing after we noted the omission. He had no inspiration. None. The room we sat in was dead. Though my sons' visits were over a year apart, their PB's were pretty much a match. They sounded like a general lesson from a priesthood manual. My TBM wife was very disappointed in the patriarch's overall character and presentation as well. He acted in a manner if he thought he was entitled to the position out of tenure alone. Poser. After sharing my PB with my two sons, unfortunately for my wife, it has done much to destroy their faith in the church. One is an inactive disaffected returned missionary, the other has decided not to go. Patriarchal blessing are a very big thing. Although my mother got two, she is very much an exception to the rule. My kids got what they got.

Now that he was released a few months ago. My remaining kids have gone in for their interviews. My wife noted that the bishop told her he wished he could get a new patriarchal blessing himself (he got his from this clown too).

Do I believe mine? It's very strange because it admonishes me to know the histories of the prophets and church. Further on I am told to ask questions and learn what the problems are and then do something about it in the capacity that I'm called. Pretty surreal in light of what I know now (and the fact that I have no intentions of returning to the fold).

Inconceivable wrote:Do I believe mine? It's very strange because it admonishes me to know the histories of the prophets and church. Further on I am told to ask questions and learn what the problems are and then do something about it in the capacity that I'm called. Pretty surreal in light of what I know now (and the fact that I have no intentions of returning to the fold).

That's precisely how I felt. Roughly a third of my (rather long) PB was extremely specific, as to what callings I would hold and what I would do in those callings. As I said, the surprising thing was that it was precisely that specific section of my PB that was verbatim the same as my friend's blessing. Sort of deflated the balloon, you could say.

Runtu wrote:

Inconceivable wrote:Do I believe mine? It's very strange because it admonishes me to know the histories of the prophets and church. Further on I am told to ask questions and learn what the problems are and then do something about it in the capacity that I'm called. Pretty surreal in light of what I know now (and the fact that I have no intentions of returning to the fold).

That's precisely how I felt. Roughly a third of my (rather long) PB was extremely specific, as to what callings I would hold and what I would do in those callings. As I said, the surprising thing was that it was precisely that specific section of my PB that was verbatim the same as my friend's blessing. Sort of deflated the balloon, you could say.

Mine made no mention of specific callings (other than "missions") just specific gifts (among other things). Either you got them or you don't. It's hard to fake a gift. Do I have them? Well? At this point in my life, I dunno anymore. Probably not because the gifts seemed to culminate into leading me to believe that the church is a fraud (although some of the people are not).

Whenever I have questioned my fellow Mormons about the similarity between Patriarchal Blessings and fortune telling, they get irate. They say fortune telling is bogus. I am still fascinated by how this variation of fortune telling became part of Church procedure.

by the way, since I rejoined the Church, no one has ever mentioned that I should get one of these done.

PB's, simply put are what is known as a self fulfilling prophecy. It comes true? Great! it works!

If it does not come true? You, somewhere in your life have sinned and have become unworthy of whatever dumbass prediction is stated. It still works but you have the task of pinning what sin fits with what promise from the blessing. Pathetic.

I knew a woman on my mission who we were trying to coax back into the cult who showed me her PB. It said that she would have a loving husband, many children and be the mother of a very strong priesthood leader. She told me that her husband beat her and later, while still coming to grips with spousal abuse and living independently was given the horrible news she had cervical cancer, requiring a Hysterectomy. She could not believe that she had sinned bad enough for this to happen to her and if she had that god was an asshole. At the time I was a moron, believing that there was secret sin she was hiding.

PB's begin to be forms of reinforcing failure and reinforced in the elites circle of power. Why is it that relatives of GA's, rich Mormons, etc have expansive engrossing PB's and the mundane PB's are left for the run of the mill members?

There is nothing wrong with asking for a new patriarchal blessing. If the Patriarch you saw was not in tune with the spirit when he blessed your sons, then get a visit set up with a new one who is.

To quote Bruce R McConkie "We come into these congregations, and sometimes a speaker brings a jug of living water that has in it many gallons. And when he pours it out on the congregation, all the members have brought is a single cup and so that's all they take away. Or maybe they have their hands over the cups, and they don't get anything to speak of.

On other occasions we have meetings where the speaker comes and all he brings is a little cup of eternal truth, and the members of the congregation come with a large jug and all they get in their jugs is the little dribble that came from a man who should have known better and who should have prepared himself and talked from the revelations and spoken by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are obligated in the Church to speak by the power of the Spirit. We are commanded to treasure up the words of light and truth and then give forth the portion that is appropriate and needful on every occasion. "

When both the speaker and the listener are both in tune with the spirit you get an apropriate patriarchal blessing. All you need to see that is to compare yours with your sons.

What's the difference between a PB and a:

Tarot card reading?

Crystal ball reading?

Fortune telling?

Quija board?

Seance?

etc?