The priesthood received by these young boys is called the Aaronic Priesthood. This priesthood is often known as the preparatory priesthood, preparing young men or new converts to receive the higher priesthood. At the age of twelve, young boys pass the sacrament of bread and water to the congregation during services (often known as communion in many churches.) They also serve church leaders in various ways and hold the office of “deacon.”

At fourteen, they can become, if worthy, “Teachers.” In the priesthood sense, this does not mean teaching a class. They prepare the bread and water mentioned above for the service. They can also serve as home teachers with an adult companion, often the boy’s father. A home teacher visits a regular list of families monthly or more often to teach a brief gospel message and to make sure the family is well and not in need of help. When a family needs assistance, it is frequently the home teacher to whom they turn first. The home teacher either provides the service or arranges for someone else to do it.

At sixteen, they can be “Priests.” This is not the equivalent of a Catholic priest. It is another level of service within the Aaronic Priesthood. Now they can actually bless (pray over) the sacrament of bread and water. They can also ordain others to levels of priesthood they themselves have held and can perform baptisms.

Young men are taught that priesthood isn’t something they have only at church. It goes with them every moment. This means they have a responsibility to positively represent the Church and to uphold its moral standards every moment of their lives. They are taught to treat women with respect and to honor their parents and leaders as part of their priesthood duty.

The young men, as they’re called, usually belong to the Boy Scouts of America. This helps them stay very busy doing worthwhile projects and having experiences that help them grow into responsible adults.

They are encouraged to do well in school and go on to college, so they can effectively serve a mission when they are nineteen. This lasts for two years, after which most go on to finish school and marry.

While teenagers certainly have fun, they are taught that the teen years for both boys and girls are meant as a time to prepare for adulthood. Acting under the guidance of wise fathers, leaders, and mentors, the boys learn what will be involved in quality adulthood. They prepare to become husbands, fathers, citizens, and church leaders.

They have multiple adult leaders in their church programs. These adult men serve as role models of men who treat their wives with respect and are involved with their children. The boys often see their leaders teaching a class while cradling a baby in their arms, or watch as a father comforts a crying child. This quiet modeling prepares the boys to become active, nurturing fathers, and loyal, loving husbands in the future.

Amidst the fun of the teen years, LDS boys are learning to be men.

The Church has guidelines designed to help teens stay morally safe during the dating years and to prevent marriage from happening too soon. One way they help teens is through a booklet called “For the Strength of Youth.” Each teen receives a copy, as well as a wallet card that summarizes important points.

The pamphlet instructs teens to avoid dating until they are at least sixteen years old. It warns:

“Dating before then can lead to immorality, limit the number of other young people you meet, and deprive you of experiences that will help you choose an eternal partner.

Not all teenagers need to date or even want to. Many young people do not date during their teen years because they are not yet interested, do not have opportunities, or simply want to delay forming serious relationships. However, good friendships can and should be developed at every age.

When you begin dating, go in groups or on double dates. Avoid going on frequent dates with the same person. Make sure your parents meet those you date. You may want to invite your dates to activities with your family. Plan dating activities that are positive and inexpensive and that will help you get to know each other. Do things that will help you and your companions maintain your self-respect and remain close to the Spirit of the Lord.”

Dating any one person steadily is strongly discouraged until youth finish high school and are adults. At that time, they can begin to explore more serious relationships, but still holding themselves to very high standards. Young men are encouraged to avoid romantic relationships until they return from their two-year missions, and girls to avoid serious relationships with men who haven’t left yet. Men traditionally leave for their missions when they are nineteen years old. For this reason, most Latter-day Saints don’t marry until they’re in their early twenties.

Both male and female members of the Church are held to the same high standards of morality in their dating relationships, reserving intimacy only for marriage. Couples are instructed to help each other uphold these standards, and each are equally responsible for their behavior.

For more on teens, go to Mormon Youth.org.

In contrast, teenage girls who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are generally living very typical teenage lives. They go to school, join clubs, attend dances, and date.  Members of the Mormon Church do not live in isolated enclaves, but participate in public life and live normal lives in their communities worldwide.

The Church offers a program to help teenage girls prepare for adulthood. This program began in 1869, when Brigham Young asked his ten teenage daughters to organize the Young Ladies Department of the Cooperative Retrenchment Association.for the teen girls in the Church. He asked them to help the girls study the scriptures and to dress modestly and simply, while still dressing attractively. The girls weren’t happy about bypassing the season’s new fashions, but they agreed to do so. Over time, the program grew into something far more encompassing. Girls learned public speaking, encouraged one another to stay in school, played sports, put on plays, and went to camp.

Programs were created to help girls complete goals, much like today’s scouting programs. Following are the requirements to be followed by the girls in 1910, well after the FLDS church was organized and the members were not a part of our Church. How many of these things could be done by a modern girl, even in these liberated time? Certainly, they were “liberated” even for their own time:

1. Have a party with from 8 to 12 persons, with refreshments that cost no more than a dollar—and keep accounts.

2. Learn to float in the Great Salt Lake. Propel yourself 50 feet. Learn to get on your feet unassisted.

3. Without help or advice, care for and harness a team of horses at least five times. Drive 50 miles in one season.

4. Care successfully for a hive of bees for one season, and know their habits.

5. Pack a horse successfully.

6. Build a tree house sufficiently large for two girls to sleep in.

7. Pick 800 pounds of cherries or their equivalent in any six days.

8. Clear sagebrush, etc., off half an acre of land.

9. Identify 12 kinds of lace and tell the reasonable price and appropriate use of each.

10. Raise three trees that bear food which attracts birds in winter.

(Janet Thomas and Lisa A. Johnson, “Young Women—Then and Now,” New Era, Nov 1994, 38–41

Requirements changed over the years to meet the needs of changing times and an increasingly world-wide church. However, the goals of the program are the same: To help young women come unto Christ. The girls recite a theme at each meeting:

“We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. We will “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9) as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are:

Faith
Divine Nature
Individual Worth
Knowledge
Choice and Accountability

Good Works and Integrity

We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values, we will be prepared to
strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.”

Following are a few of the things girls can do today to earn their awards. In addition to the smaller choices, they must complete a series of projects they plan and carry out independently.

“Living gospel principles requires faith. Choose a principle such as prayer, tithing, fasting, repentance, or keeping the Sabbath day holy. In your own home or another setting, plan and present a family home evening lesson about how faith helps you live that gospel principle. If possible, ask a family member to share an experience that has strengthened his or her faith. Share your own experiences as well. In your journal write down one of those experiences and describe your feelings about faith.”

Learn about an area of work or service that interests you. Talk to someone who works in that field, and find out what that person’s job responsibilities are, what training or education the person obtained to do the job, and what contributions this person’s job makes to society. Record your findings in your journal.

Help plan your family’s menus, obtain the food, and prepare part of the meals for two weeks. During that time help your family gather to share mealtimes.

Establish a pattern of wise money management by making a budget for saving and spending your money, including the payment of tithing. Live within your budget for at least three months. Set priorities that allow you to meet your most important needs before satisfying your wants.

Participate in a dance, speech, music, or drama performance at school, in your community, or at church.

Teenage LDS girls are using their time wisely to prepare for the time when they’re grown up. This includes preparing for a career in the event one is needed and using the teen years to learn how to care for a home and family, and to serve in the community. They do this within the safety of their own home under the guidance of their parents, leaders, and teachers. Teenagers are strongly discouraged from marrying, because the teen years are a time of preparation and education.