Boyd K. Packer

 

Boyd Kenneth Packer (born September 10, 1924) is the current Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Packer has been an apostle and a member of the Quorom 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 Temple and they are the parents of 10 children and grandparents to over 50 grandchildren.

From 1942-1946 Packer served in the US Air Force.^[1]

Education

Packer has a bachelors and masters from Utah State University and an Ed.D. degree from Brigham Young University.^[2]

Early work

Boyd K. Packer worked as an assistant supervisor of the church's Indian (that is Native American) Seminary program before he was called as a General Authority. He also served as a general assistant administrator of seminaries and institutes.^[3]

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.^[4] He also served for a time as the managing director of the church's military relations committee. In April 1970, Packer was made an apostle to the church. Packer was 45 years old when he became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which is a relatively young age to be called to serve in the second-highest governing body of the LDS Church.

Travels Abroad

In 1991 Boyd K. Packer dedicated Ukraine for the preaching of the gospel.^[5]

Actions at Home

Boyd K. Packer served as an advisor to the Genesis Group. He has the distiction as having ordained the first person of African descent to be ordained a High Priest.^[6][7]

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. Conforming to the usual seniority-based succession pattern, the death of either Church President Hinckley or First Counselor Monson would make Packer the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, while if Packer should survive both Hinckley and Monson he would become President of the Church.

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

Artist

Packer is also known for his artwork. He has created sculptures and paintings which were briefly on show in the Museum of Church History and Art and now are in the family holdings. Packer's wildlife paintings and sculptures created over seven decades reveal his love of nature and also portray his life experiences and religious convictions.

Packer was on the commitee that found the stored Mormon panorama of C. C. A. Christensen and latter expressed how he was inpressed by the power this work transfered to the viewer. ^[8]

Microfilming

Packer has been one of the leading figures in getting new areas of microfilms acquired by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through the 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.^[9] He was also involved in negotiations that same year with archivists and scholars at Jerusalem to microfilm Jewish records.^[10]

Sing Your favorite hymn

Boyd K. Packer is credited with having suggested singing a hymn to drive off bad thoughts. Men of the stature of Ezra Taft Benson have acknowledged that this idea originated with Boyd K. Packer.^[11]

Writings

Probably Boyd K. Packer's most widely read work is The Holy Temple. This book gives a doctrinal description of temples and also explains the importance of family history work. Other books by Book K. Packer include Teach Ye Diligently(1991), and Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled.

Talks

Packer has often addressed subjects of the power of Christ to make us clean and our need to be right in the sight of the Lord.^{[12] [13]} He also gives talks that clearly explain the roles of various positions in the church, such as his 2002 talk on the role of the Stake Patriarch.^[14]

Controversy

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

Packer's LDS Church general conference address from October 1976 has caused controversy among some commentators. In the speech, Packer encourages teenage boys to avoid immoral activities, which Packer says includes viewing pornography, masturbating, participating in homosexual behavior, and participating in heterosexual behavior outside of marriage.^[15] Packer encourages young Latter-day Saints to "vigorously resist" any males "who entice young men to join them in these immoral acts." Packer cites the example of a male missionary he had known who "floored" his missionary companion when the companion made a homosexual advance toward him. After telling the story, Packer comments, "I am not recommending that course to you, but I am not omitting it. You must protect yourself." Manuals printed by the church also allow members to fight in self-defense.^[16] An article in the New Era taught "You have a right to use physical force to protect virtue, family, freedom." However, it emphasized violence should only be used as a last resort.^[17]

Some critics have argued that Packer's failure to "omit" the possibility of using violence to "protect yourself" against homosexual advances constitutes an endorsement of gay bashing by Packer, and that the church itself endorses such behavior by continuing to publish Packer's speech in pamphlet form.^[18][19] Previously, when Packer had discussed avoiding other forms of sexual advances, he only said "Do not let anyone at all touch or handle your body, not anyone!" without clarifying whether physical force could be used.^[20] Neither Packer nor the LDS Church have officially responded directly to these charges; however, other leaders of the church have since stated that the church strongly 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."^[21]

Notes

References

• Official Biography
• Searle, Don L. (June 1986). Elder Boyd K. Packer: Disciple of the Master Teacher. Ensign, 8-9. 
• Packer, Boyd K. (October 1976). To Young Men Only. LDS Church. 
• Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages

See also

• Council on the Disposition of the Tithes

External links

• The Unwritten Order of Things (delieved at Marriott Center, 15 October 1996)
• http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/conferences/97_apr/Packer_Washed_Clean.htm

Preceded by Thomas S. Monson

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles April 9, 1970—

Succeeded by Marvin J. Ashton

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