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Bishop

Bishop

This Thread will be used to examine the Mormon interpretation for the word / name called "Bishop" From the scriptures. What does Bishop mean in the literal sense and in scripture?

Bishop

Can anyone share why a divorced person cannot become a Bishop in our Church? What is the reason behind the policy? Is it because they're considered "single" or something else?

Bishop Studies Doctrine Mormon

I don't know if there is a straight answer for this.

It could just be, because the leadership of the church needs to set an example for the rest of the church. Once the guy gets married again then he could be a bishop. It also could be (Mostly from what I hear from bishops) that maybe the church knows that trying to do a bishop calling by yourself with out having a wife would be even tougher. Most of the bishops I have known really well, always realize they couldn't do it with out there wife. I can probably see that. I can also see that trying to do that alone to some extent would be pretty trying on a person. Not saying it couldn't be done, but it could be hard not having a companion there to help.

Its another one of those things that we have somewhat trust in our leaders that they know what they are talking about.

Bishop

A divorced man can become a bishop, but they must be remarried first. Man must be married in order to be called to a bishopric calling (1Timothy 3:2 is often cited). Of course, all callings are case-by-case. The reasons for the divorce would play a large part in the worthiness, I'm sure. A man who has been divorced due to the adulterous or abusive actions of his wife may be perfectly worthy of being called as a bishop, as long as he becomes remarried.

Bishop

I can't confirm this but I was pretty sure the church wouldn't call a man who was divorced regardless of whither he remarried or not. Also a widower cannot be a bishop unless he has remarried. Also interesting but not necessarily related a man must have more than three wives to be called as a bishop in the flds church.

Bishop

I've known two different bishops, personally, who were divorced and remarried prior to being given their calling - it does happen, but it isn't commonplace. One of them, who was the bishop of one of the wards I was a member of, had been divorced and remarried more than fifteen years prior to his calling. The other had been remarried in more recent years - out of respect, I never asked either what the circumstances behind their divorces were - the presidency called them, and it was not my place to question it. I've also known a bishop who resigned from his calling just prior to filling for divorce, but I was young and I cannot be sure whether it was a self-motivated resignation, or if he was counseled to step down by the stake presidency.

I've heard many reasons regarding why divorce can hinder a calling, and more specifically for bishops. First and foremost is always the reference in Timothy, that a man must be the husband of one wife in order to be a bishop. The next is typically that, as the father of the ward, he must be an example of a solid and worthy head of household - divorce, typically, does not fall into place with that example.

The fundamentalist church, as eag mentions, requires that a man be polygamous in order to become a bishop - they did not follow the continuing revelation taught by the lds church, but held to old practices and added their own warped twists to them. Young taught in his sermons that in order to attain the highest degree of the celestial kingdom and to become truly exalted, a man must accept the law of polygamy, be polygamous in his heart, and must enter into polygamy if worthy and able. When the church officially began excommunicating polygamists in the early 1900s, some of the excommunicated, and even active members, banded together to form their own splinter (FLDS) to protect the 'right' to polygyny, which they had become so accustomed to.

The flds believe that only the most worthy men should be called to positions of authority (Such as bishopric) - and by some of young's sermons, the most worthy men would be those who were worthy of plural marriage - since those who were worthy of plural marriage were required by the covenant (According some of his sermons) to enter into plural marriage, the FLDS twisted the teachings to mean that any man who is worthy of leadership calling would also be required to take multiple wives (And went even further to make up their own rules about how many wives constitute fulfillment of the covenant, etc)... But their assumptions and twisted interpretations of young's sermons do not coincide with current day LDS church revelation and doctrine... Since the manifesto banning polygamy, it has been church teaching that a bishop must live the everlasting covenant of marriage, which means having one wife, and not breaking the covenant - which in most cases, automatically disqualifies divorcees.

As I wrote earlier, those few men who are called after being divorced and remarried are probably only called if the covenant was broken by their spouse, rather than by them. But there have been instances where divorced and remarried men have been called in the past.

What sparked your question, happy? Did you come upon a recent article or hear something at church regarding the worthiness of a divorced man?

Bishop

Thanks for taking the time to reply. No, I just asked out of curiosity since I know divorced members cannot teach Seminary or Institute either.

EAG, I know few of them (Divorced who remarried).

Bishop Mormon Doctrine Studies

I'd assume in those situations, since I find no scriptural or doctrinal evidence for any other reason a teacher (Such as for a seminary class or an institute) cannot be divorced, it is probably a case of setting a good example. Seminary is presented to teens and upcoming adults; the majority of students in institutes are young, often unmarried, adults. I'm sure that the reasoning behind any potential prohibition of divorced members from teaching the younger minds is more likely a moral and ethical based practice than a doctrinal one. Even from a non-religious standpoint, you would probably want your children being taught by people who have their lives organized and structured, right? Divorce is a sign of a disorganized and strained life - even if the divorce was warranted - it represents a history of poor choices

That's not to say that those who have been divorced cannot be just as fulfilling and worthy in teaching positions as single or married adults... Simply that it makes sense that the church wouldn't want them presenting spritual lessons to younger adults who have not yet matured enough to understand the realities and complications of marriage, career, and complete responsibility. Many of us who have been married, had children, and been raising our families for five or more years are able to better understand the culture around us, and are able to comprehend the differences between bad luck, poor choices, and overall consequences - we, as adults, can better understand what may or may not justify a divorce, a pregnancy termination, a surgical sterilization, a household with both parents pursuing careers, etc - a seventeen year old who thinks he or she knows this world better than everyone else is less likely to fully comprehend the nature and consequences of such things.

So, in regard to teachers, I believe that may have something to do with why they choose to only offer such positions to those members who can represent church morals with integrity, would you agree?

I suppose what I'm getting to here, is that there is a rational motive behind every policy, doctrine, and practice the church sets in place; sometimes it's important to take the time to talk about it like this, and really understand the 'why' behind some teachings - it helps to better understand the world, and to make better choices as people.

What good would it be for the church to provide rules for the big stuff and not the small stuff, if you don't understand the reasons behind the big rules and simply abide by those rules 'because god said so'? The prophet is not going to receive revelation for every single decision that must be made - and he will not canonize new doctrine for every situation a person may encounter.. . It is the responsibility of each member (Especially those with families) to educate themselves on doctrine and revelation, to understand why those teachings have been bestowed, and to utilize that knowledge to teach their own families how to make better decisions. If the reasoning behind the commandment is not understood, then the commandment is useless for a member's eternal progression. In order to truly benefit from any commandment or doctrine, it is imperitive to seek out the basis for the teaching.

I think the divorce question was a great one to bring into the forum discussion.