The words are spoken by an ordained patriarch (evangelist) of the church, but are believed to be inspired by the Holy Ghost.
Smith Sr. gave his son a blessing on December 9, 1834, prophesying that the younger Smith would establish Zion, subdue his enemies, enjoy his posterity to the latest generation, and "stand on the earth" to witness the Second Coming (after the resurrection, in preparation for Judgement Day).
[3] Before Joseph Sr. died on September 14, 1840, he ordained his eldest living son, Hyrum Smith, to succeed him as Patriarch to the Church.
The patriarch places his hands on the seated person's head and speaks the blessing aloud.
Since adherents believe the blessings are direct revelation from God, the church advises members to treat them as sacred, not to be shared casually with others.
Any member found worthy and spiritually mature by their priesthood leader may receive a patriarchal blessing.
During his presidency, Joseph Fielding Smith advised patriarchs to be conservative in their blessings unless "especially inspired otherwise".
[6] Although they are not generally ordained patriarchs, every Latter-day Saint father who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood can pronounce blessings upon his child or spouse, as necessary.
[9] Daniel H. Ludlow has said "in a patriarchal blessing, lineage is being declared ... when terms indicating direct descent are used, such as 'son of,' 'daughter of,' 'seed of,' 'blood of,' 'descendant of,' or 'from the loins of.'"
[10] The church also teaches that "[b]ecause each of us has many bloodlines running in us, two members of the same family may be declared as being of different tribes in Israel".
In a 1980 address to students at Brigham Young University, James E. Faust attempted to assure listeners that if they had no declared lineage in their patriarchal blessing, that the Holy Ghost would "purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham.
[15] In Elijah Abel's 1836 patriarchal blessing, no lineage was declared, but he was promised in the afterlife he'd be equal to his fellow members.
[16]: 106 After the priesthood ban, Black people were still allowed patriarchal blessings but were denied declaration of lineage out of policy.
[13]: 26–27 In Brazil, this was interpreted to mean that if a patriarch pronounced a lineage, then the member was not a descendant of Cain and was therefore eligible for the priesthood, despite physical or genealogical evidence of Black African ancestry.
[19] The sacrament of evangelist blessing is available to people of all beliefs and faith traditions who understand its purpose and desire to receive it.
Some former Mormons and LDS Church critics have said that patriarchal blessings are similar to fortune telling, and that like fortune telling the practice unfairly gives members false information that members will often later use to make major life decisions.