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Boyd K. Packer

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Boyd K. Packer
Personal details
BornBoyd Kenneth Packer
(1924-09-10) September 10, 1924 (age 100)
Boyd K. Packer
Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
September 30, 1961(1961-09-30) (aged 37) – April 5, 1970(1970-04-05) (aged 45)
End reasonCalled to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 5, 1970(1970-04-05) (aged 45)
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
June 5, 1994(1994-06-05) (aged 69) – February 3, 2008(2008-02-03) (aged 83)
End reasonBecame President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
February 3, 2008(2008-02-03) (aged 83)

Boyd Kenneth Packer (born September 10, 1924) is the current president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Prior to his current position, Packer served as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve. Packer has been an apostle and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve since 1970 and a general authority of the church since 1961.

Background

Packer was born in Brigham City, Utah, the tenth of eleven children born to Ira W. Packer and Emma Jensen. In 1947, Packer married Donna Smith in the Logan Utah Temple and they are the parents of ten children and grandparents to over 50 grandchildren.

From 1942 to 1946 Packer served in the United States Army Air Forces.[1]

Education

Packer has bachelor's and master's degrees from Utah State University and an Ed.D. degree from Brigham Young University.[1]

Early work

Packer worked as an assistant supervisor of the church's Indian (Native American) seminary program before he was called as a general authority. He also served as a general assistant administrator of seminaries and institutes.[2]

Church service

Packer has been a general authority of the church since becoming an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1961. While serving in this capacity, Packer was assigned to serve as the mission president of the New England States Mission of the church.[2] He also served for a time as the managing director of the church's military relations committee. In April 1970, Packer was ordained an apostle to the church. Packer was 45 years old when he became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

On September 12, 1991, Packer dedicated Ukraine "for the preaching of the restored gospel".[3]

Packer has served as an advisor to the Genesis Group. He has the distinction as having ordained the first person of African descent to be ordained a high priest.[4] He is credited with having suggested singing a hymn to drive off bad thoughts.[5]

Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve

When Howard W. Hunter, who had been President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, succeeded to the presidency of the church in 1994, he called as his counselors in the First Presidency Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson, who were the only two apostles senior to Packer. As a result, Packer was named Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve. When Hunter died in 1995 and was succeeded by Hinckley, Monson was again retained in the First Presidency and Packer was again asked to be Acting President of the Twelve. Hinckley died on January 27, 2008, and when Monson became President of the Church, Packer became the new President of the Quorum of the Twelve.

As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Packer is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator.

President of the Quorum of the Twelve

Packer began his service as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on February 3, 2008, when his predecessor, Thomas S. Monson, became President of the Church. As President of the Quorum of the Twelve, Packer is second in seniority to Thomas S. Monson. Unless Packer precedes Monson in death, Packer is expected to succeed Monson as President of the Church.

Dedication of temples

The only LDS Church temple that Packer has dedicated is the Regina Saskatchewan Temple. However, in one of the Spanish language dedication sessions at the dedication of the San Diego California Temple, Packer read the dedicatory prayer.[6]

The arts

Packer has spoken out on the dynamic between the arts and church worship, characterizing some "highly trained" musicians as, "temperamental...more temper than mental."[7] He has also suggested that organists playing prelude music for worship services should focus on hymns, rather than classical music, in order to better prepare congregants to feel the Spirit.[8]

Packer self-illustrated two books first published in the 1970s: Mothers (1977) and Teach Ye Diligently (1979).[9] The church's Museum of Church History and Art, although characterizing it as the work of an amateur, exhibited Packer's wildlife paintings and sculptures in 2003 and 2004.[10]

Microfilming

Packer has been one of the leading figures in obtaining genealogical records on microfilm for the church through its Genealogical Society of Utah. In 1977, Packer was the key figure in getting Native American-related records filmed from the federal records centers in Los Angeles, Fort Worth, Seattle and Kansas City.[11] He was also involved in negotiations that same year with archivists and scholars at Jerusalem to microfilm Jewish records.[12]

Controversy

See also: Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Packer's LDS Church general conference sermon from October 1976 has caused controversy among some commentators. In the speech, Packer discourages teenage boys from pursuing activities which he defines as immoral, including viewing pornography, masturbating, participating in homosexual behavior, and participating in heterosexual behavior outside of marriage.[13] Packer encourages young Latter-day Saints to "vigorously resist" any males "who entice young men to join them in these immoral acts."[13] Packer cites the example of a male missionary he had known who assaulted ("floored") his missionary companion when the companion did something. What the companion did is never explicitly stated, but it is implied that it was a sexual assault of some sort. After telling the story, Packer comments, "I am not recommending that course to you, but I am not omitting it. You must protect yourself."[13]

Despite Packer saying "I am not recommending that course," some critics have argued that Packer's comments constitute an endorsement of gay bashing, and that the church itself endorses such behavior by continuing to publish Packer's speech in pamphlet form.[14][15]

Neither Packer nor the church have officially responded directly to these charges; however, other leaders of the church have since stated that the church opposes any form of violence against homosexuals. For example, Apostle Dallin H. Oaks has said, "Our doctrines obviously condemn those who engage in so-called 'gay bashing'—physical or verbal attacks on persons thought to be involved in homosexual or lesbian behavior."[16]

Publications

One of Packer's most popular[citation needed] books is The Holy Temple (Packer, Boyd K. The Holy Temple. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft. ISBN 0-88494-411-5.). This book gives a doctrinal description of the church's temples and also explains the importance of family history work. Other books by Packer include Mothers (1977) and Teach Ye Diligently (1979), both of which he illustrated, and Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b NNDB: Boyd K. Packer
  2. ^ a b "Boyd K Packer", Improvement Era, May 1970.
  3. ^ Marina Mikhailovskaya and Benjamin Gaines, “Putting Family First in Ukraine,” Ensign, September 2004, 46.
  4. ^ Lloyd, R. Scott. "Revelation Rewarded Those Who Waited", LDS Church News, 1999-12-18.
  5. ^ Ezra Taft Benson has acknowledged that this idea originated with Packer: see Ezra Taft Benson, "First Presidency Message: Think on Christ", Ensign, March 1989.
  6. ^ LDS Church News, May 1, 1993.
  7. ^ Packer, Boyd K. (1976). "The Arts and the Spirit of the Lord". Speeches. Retrieved 2008-01-31. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Bateman, Merrill J. (2001). "The Power of Hymns". Ensign: 15. Retrieved 2008-06-21. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  9. ^ "Chapter Twenty-Three The Art of Boyd K. Packer". Retrieved 2008-01-31. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessdaymonth=, |month=, |accessyear=, |accessmonthday=, and |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ "Previous Exhibits". www.lds.org. Retrieved 2008-01-30. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessdaymonth=, |month=, |accessyear=, |accessmonthday=, and |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ Allen, James B., Jessie L. Embry and Kahlile B. Mehr. Hearts Turned to the Fathers: A History of the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1894-1994 (Provo, Utah: BYU Studies, 1995) p. 247.
  12. ^ Allen. Hearts Turned to the Fathers. p. 250–251.
  13. ^ a b c Boyd K. Packer, To Young Men Only.
  14. ^ D. Michael Quinn, "Prelude to the National 'Defense of Marriage' Campaign: Civil Discrimination Against Feared or Despised Minorities", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 33:3, p. 1–52 (2001).
  15. ^ David E. Hardy (2001-04-15). "BYU's Dismissal of Gay Students Continues Confusion for Gays, Parents (opinion)". Salt Lake Tribune. p. AA3., Hardy previously criticized the pamphlet at the 26th Sunstone Symposium, see Hilary Groutage Smith (2000-08-06). "Mormon Pamphlets on Gays Criticized". Salt Lake Tribune. p. B2.
  16. ^ Dallin H. Oaks, "Same-Gender Attraction", Liahona, Mar. 1996, 14.

References

Religious titles
Preceded by President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
3 February, 2008— 		Succeeded by
incumbent
Preceded by Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
April 9, 1970— 		Succeeded by
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