Difference between revisions of "Mormonism and Church discipline"

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==Criticism==
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*Critics charge that the LDS Church penalizes members for "merely criticizing officialdom or for publishing truthful&mdash;if uncomfortable&mdash;information," and "shroud their procedures with secrecy."
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*The LDS Church prosecutes "many more of its members" than other religious groups.
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===Source(s) of the Criticism===
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[[es:El Mormonismo y disciplina de la Iglesia]]
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*{{CriticalWork:Ostling:Mormon America|pages=354}}
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[[pt:Mormonismo e Disciplina da Igreja]]
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==Response==
 
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===Purpose of Church discipline===
 
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Church discipline has three purposes:
 
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# To save the soul of the transgressor
 
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# To protect the innocent (e.g., someone engaged in serious sin should not be able to portray themselves as members in good standing to other members, who might thereby become victims of further crimes)
 
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# To protect the good name of the Church.
 
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===Is a Church disciplinary council called a "court of love?"===
 
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The term "court of love" was used in a general conference talk by Elder Elder Robert L. Simpson in 1972. {{ref|simpson1}} At that time, disciplinary councils were referred to as "priesthood courts."  The purpose of these courts was not to convict someone of a crime, but rather to help the person on the road to repentance and bring them back into full fellowship in the Church. Elder Simpson noted:
 
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<blockquote>
 
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Priesthood courts of the Church are not courts of retribution. They are courts of love. Oh, that members of the Church could understand this fact.
 
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</blockquote>
 
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The phrase "court of love" has become a favorite phrase of ex-Mormon critics as a way to mockingly describe any Church disciplinary council. The term is rarely used among active Latter-day Saints. The term has even made it into popular media: One example is a reference made by a character in HBO series to a pending disciplinary proceeding that she (quite seriously) referred to as a "love court."
 
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===What Church disciplinary options are available?===
 
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Leaders of the Church have various options for discipline.  Bishops or stake presidents impose Church discipline, and do so after discussing the matter with the member, hearing from other witnesses (if any), and after prayerful consideration.
 
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From most to least severe, disciplinary options include:
 
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# Excommunication - the person is no longer a member of the Church.  They can participate in no ordinances, cannot speak or pray at meetings, cannot hold Church callings, may not attend the temple, may not wear LDS temple garments, and may not pay tithing.  Excommunicated members may continue to attend worship services if they are not disruptive or dangerous.
 
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# Disfellowshipment - the person remains a member of the Church, but is not speak or pray at meetings, cannot hold Church callings, and may not attend the temple.
 
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# Formal probation - {{nw}}
 
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# Informal probation - {{nw}}
 
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The last two penalties may be imposed by a bishop privately upon a member.  The first two penalties require a formal "Church disciplinary hearing," held by either the bishop and his two councilors, or by the stake presidency and stake high council.
 
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The goal in every case of Church discipline is to have the member's altered status be temporary; the goal is to encourage them to reform and return to full activity and participation in the life of the Church.
 
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Church discipline ''cannot'' impose any financial or legal penalties (see {{s||DC|134|10-12}}).
 
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The remainder of this article will focus solely on disfellowshipment and excommunication.
 
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===Why might one be disciplined?===
 
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Why might a member of the Church be subject to Church discipline?
 
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Elder M. Russell Ballard notes:
 
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<blockquote>
 
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The purpose is threefold: [1] to save the soul of the transgressor, [2] to protect the innocent, and [3] to safeguard the Church’s purity, integrity, and good name.{{ref|ballard1}}
 
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</blockquote>
 
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===What specific transgressions might result in Church discipline?===
 
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Elder Ballard:
 
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:The First Presidency has instructed that disciplinary councils must be held in cases of murder, incest, or apostasy. A disciplinary council must also be held when a prominent Church leader commits a serious transgression, when the transgressor is a predator who may be a threat to other persons, when the person shows a pattern of repeated serious transgressions, when a serious transgression is widely known, and when the transgressor is guilty of serious deceptive practices and false representations or other terms of fraud or dishonesty in business transactions.
 
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:Disciplinary councils may also be convened to consider a member’s standing in the Church following serious transgression such as abortion, transsexual operation, attempted murder, rape, forcible sexual abuse, intentionally inflicting serious physical injuries on others, adultery, fornication, homosexual relations, child abuse (sexual or physical), spouse abuse, deliberate abandonment of family responsibilities, robbery, burglary, embezzlement, theft, sale of illegal drugs, fraud, perjury, or false swearing.{{ref|ballard2}}
 
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President Gordon B. Hinckley on ''Larry King Live'':
 
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:'''Larry King''': Are people ever thrown out of your church?
 
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:'''Gordon B. Hinckley''': Yes.
 
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:'''Larry King''': For?
 
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:'''Gordon B. Hinckley''': Doing what they shouldn't do, preaching false doctrine, speaking out publicly. They can carry all the opinion they wish within their heads, so to speak, but if they begin to try to persuade others, then they may be called in to a disciplinary council. We don't excommunicate many, but we do some.{{ref|larryking1}}
 
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Generally, most Church discipline falls into two broad categories:
 
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#serious moral sins
 
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#apostasy
 
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====Group #1: moral sins====
 
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Serious moral sins which could result in a Church disciplinary hearing include committing various felonies, such as: murder, rape, sexual abuse, theft, or fraud.  Other acts considered to be serious sins by the Church include: adultery, fornication, homosexual acts, and submitting to, encouraging, or performing an abortion except in cases where competent medical authority has determined that the mother and/or fetus' life is in serious jeopardy by a continued pregnancy.
 
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Other acts contrary to Church teachings that would ''not'' result in excommunication or disfellowshipment include failure to pay tithing, failure to attend meetings, failure to observe the Word of Wisdom, failure to attend the temple.
 
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====Group #2: apostasy====
 
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The Church understands apostasy to be the repeated public teaching of ideas contrary to the doctrines, principles, or ideals of the Church.  Those who are "apostate" continue to teach or preach their ideas even after being cautioned by their Church leaders.
 
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Apostasy is the ''act'' of trying to persuade or mislead others; it is not the fact that one disagrees with Church actions, policies, or leaders.  As President George Q. Cannon explained:
 
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:We could conceive of a man honestly differing in opinion from the Authorities of the Church and yet not be an apostate; but we could not conceive of a man publishing these differences of opinion and seeking by arguments, sophistry and special pleading to enforce them upon the people to produce division and strife and to place the acts and counsels of the Authorities of the Church, if possible, in a wrong light, and not be an apostate, for such conduct was apostasy as we understood the term.  We further said that while a man might honestly differ in opinion from the Authorities through a want of understanding, he had to be exceedingly careful how he acted in relation to such differences, or the adversary would take advantage of him, and he would soon become imbued with the spirit of apostasy and be found fighting against God and the authority which He had placed here to govern His Church.{{ref|cannon.1}}
 
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===What does not fall within the scope of Church discipline?===
 
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Elder Ballard:
 
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:Disciplinary councils are not called to try civil or criminal cases. The decision of a civil court may help determine whether a Church disciplinary council should be convened. However, a civil court’s decision does not dictate the decision of a disciplinary council.
 
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:Disciplinary councils are not held for such things as failure to pay tithing, to obey the Word of Wisdom, to attend church, or to receive home teachers. They are not held because of business failure or nonpayment of debts. They are not designed to settle disputes among members. Nor are they held for members who demand that their names be removed from Church records... <!--the following statement, "or who have joined another church" is no longer true as joining another church is, according to the current handbook, defined as apostasy and warrants a disciplinary council -->; that is now an administrative action.{{ref|ballard3}}
 
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Paul, who had suffered much, observed in his epistle to the Hebrews: "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:11.)  {{ref|maxwell1}}
 
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===Does the church excommunicate scholars?===
 
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{{Main|Excommunication/Scholars}}
 
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===Why does the Church not publicize the reasons for excommunication?===
 
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The Church does not usually publicize the reason for one's excommunication. This is done in order to protect the privacy of the individual, and give them a chance to rectify issues so that they can eventually come back into full fellowship. The purpose of excommunication is not to humiliate the individual in a public forum. Those who sincerely want to return to the Church are given the chance to do so without having to endure public scrutiny of their past sins.
 
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Individuals who have apostatized, however, sometimes use their excommunication as a means to gain publicity. They may have their own reasoning as to why they were ''really'' excommunicated, and this is what they communicate to the media. Since the Church remains silent on the real reason for the excommunication, the subject of the proceeding may spin the story any way that suits their purposes. Some excommunications have even been used to generate publicity in order to sell items such as books (or in one case, a calendar). {{ref|midgley1}} {{ref|wallst1}}
 
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==Conclusion==
 
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The purpose of excommunication is not to simply purge people from the Church. The purpose is to provide the individual with a chance to start over. Elder Ballard states:
 
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<blockquote>
 
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When members need to have certain blessings withheld, the Lord’s object is to teach as well as to discipline. So probation, disfellowshipment, and excommunication, when they become necessary, are ideally accompanied by eventual reinstatement and restoration of blessings.
 
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<br><br>
 
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I remember as a child occasionally coming unkempt to the dinner table. My mother wisely sent me to clean up and then return. My parents would have been pained if I had taken offense and had run off—and I would have been foolish to do so. In the same way, the servants of the Lord occasionally find that they must, in loving concern, send some of Heavenly Father’s children out the door so they can return clean once again. The Lord does not want us to “miss supper.” In fact, he has a great feast prepared for those who return clean and pure through the door. He is greatly saddened when anyone decides they prefer to be unclean and miss the meal, or when they find an excuse to take offense, or when they run away. He is pleased to extend the chance to start over.
 
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<br><br>
 
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I’ve known a few rebellious people who disregard the commandments and are influenced by the evil one or by other rebellious people to transgress God’s laws. I’ve seen their distress and pain. I’ve also seen their joy when, humbled and fully repentant, they have returned to the Church and have had all their blessings restored. {{ref|ballard4}}
 
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</blockquote>
 
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Although excommunication does not always result in the individual returning to the Church, the hope that this will happen is indeed the desired outcome.
 
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==Notes==
 
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#{{note|simpson1}}{{Ensign1|author=Robert L. Simpson|article=Courts of Love|date=Jul 1972|start=48}} {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=cc61307e3584b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
 
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#{{note|ballard1}}{{Ensign1 | author=M. Russell Ballard| article=A Chance to Start Over: Church Disciplinary Councils and the Restoration of Blessings|date=September 1990|start=12|}} {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=edc72150a447b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
 
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#{{note|ballard2}}{{Ensign1 | author=M. Russell Ballard| article=A Chance to Start Over: Church Disciplinary Councils and the Restoration of Blessings|date=September 1990|start=12|}} {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=edc72150a447b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
 
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#{{note|larryking1}}CNN Larry King Live, 8 September 1998
 
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#{{note|ballard3}}{{Ensign1 | author=M. Russell Ballard| article=A Chance to Start Over: Church Disciplinary Councils and the Restoration of Blessings|date=September 1990|start=12|}} {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=edc72150a447b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
 
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#{{note|maxwell1}} Neal A. Maxwell, ''Notwithstanding My Weakness'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 1981), p.67
 
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#{{note|midgley1}}{{FR-16-1-16}}
 
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#{{note|wallst1}}[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/mormons-exposed-launches-2009-men/story.aspx?guid=%7BBBEC57D0-ADEC-4235-A453-D109E239F543%7D&dist=hppr Mormons Exposed Launches 2009 "Men on a Mission" Calendar: Excommunicated Mormon Defies Church, Releases 2009 Edition], ''The Wall Street Journal'' Digital Network, Oct. 2, 2008.
 
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#{{note|ballard4}}{{Ensign1 | author=M. Russell Ballard| article=A Chance to Start Over: Church Disciplinary Councils and the Restoration of Blessings|date=September 1990|start=12|}} {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=edc72150a447b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
 
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==Further reading==
 
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===FAIR wiki articles===
 
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===FAIR web site===
 
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===External links===
 
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===Printed material===
 

Latest revision as of 14:00, 13 April 2024


Mormonism and Church discipline


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Purpose of Church discipline


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The "Strengthening Church Members Committee"

Summary: The Strengthening Church Members Committee has been described as a "clipping service" which kept track of public statements by Church members who openly criticized the Church in the media. Although a "clipping service" probably made sense back in 1985, in the internet-rich world of 2013 it seems somewhat anachronistic. Critics of the Church have accused the committee of spying on members in order to move forward with Church discipline.


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Church discipline of scholars


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Overview
Accuracy of Church History
Forgeries and folklore

Who are the "September Six"?

The "September Six" were six individuals who were disciplined by the Church in September 1993

Six individuals were disciplined by the Church in September 1993. Supporters of those disciplined and critics of the Church have dubbed them "the September Six." The six individuals were:

  • Lavina Fielding Anderson (excommunicated)
  • Avraham Gileadi (excommunicated—now back in full fellowship)
  • Maxine Hanks (excommunicated—now back in full fellowship as of 2012)
  • D. Michael Quinn (excommunicated)
  • Paul Toscano (excommunicated)
  • Lynne Kanavel Whitesides (disfellowshipped)

Avraham Gileadi has never spoken publicly about the reasons for his excommunication, was never asked to retract any publications or statements, and has returned to full fellowship. Maxine Hanks returned to the Church as of 2012.

What are the criticisms related to the "September Six"?

  • It is sometimes claimed that the Church excommunicates or disfellowships scholars who publish historical information that is embarrassing to Church leaders.
  • It is often claimed, despite the fact that these disciplinary actions are carried out by local leaders, that they are in reality instigated by general authorities.
  • Some claim that the Church is silencing honest people for telling the truth.
  • The Church is claimed to take a "dim view" of intellectuals.
  • It is claimed that the LDS Church penalizes members for "merely criticizing officialdom or for publishing truthful—if uncomfortable—information," and "shroud their procedures with secrecy."
  • The LDS Church prosecutes "many more of its members" than other religious groups.


Are the reasons for discipline ever made public?

Church leaders and officials rarely make the reasons or evidences presented at disciplinary councils public

Church leaders and officials rarely make the reasons or evidences presented at disciplinary councils public. Thus, former members are able to claim whatever they like about excommunication without contradiction from the Church.

D. Michael Quinn claims that his excommunication was the direct result of his historical research on the origins of Mormonism. He refused to attend his own disciplinary council, telling his stake president that it was "a process which was designed to punish me for being the messenger of unwanted historical evidence and to intimidate me from further work in Mormon history." [1]

Despite Quinn's belief that his Church discipline was all about his history, his stake president wrote back on 11 May 1993, saying "There are other matters that I need to talk with you about that are not related to your historical writings. These are very sensitive and highly confidential and this is why I have not mentioned them before in writing." [2]

<onlyinclude>

Statement by The Council of the First Presidency and The Quorum of the Twelve on Church Discipline

January 1994:

Statement by The Council of the First Presidency and The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
In light of extensive publicity given to six recent Church disciplinary councils in Utah, we believe it helpful to reaffirm the position of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We deeply regret the loss of Church membership on the part of anyone. The attendant consequences felt over time by the individuals and their families are very real.

In their leadership responsibilities, local Church officers may seek clarification and other guidance from General Authorities of the Church. General Authorities have an obligation to teach principles and policies and to provide information that may be helpful in counseling members for whom local leaders are responsible. In matters of Church discipline, the General Authorities do not direct the decisions of local disciplinary councils. Furthermore, the right of appeal is open to anyone who feels he or she has been unfairly treated by a disciplinary council.

It is difficult to explain Church disciplinary action to representatives of the media. Considerations of confidentiality restrain public comment by Church leaders in such private matters. We have the responsibility to preserve the doctrinal purity of the Church. We are united in this objective. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught an eternal principle when he explained: "That man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that that man is in the high road to apostasy."[3]:156 Citations in this letter were within the text; FairMormon has moved them to endnotes to improve readability.</ref> In instructing His Twelve Disciples in the new world about those who would not repent, the Savior said, "But if he repent not he shall not be numbered among my people, that he may not destroy my people. . . ." (3 Nephi 18꞉31, see also Mosiah 26꞉36, and Alma 5꞉59.) The Prophet also remarked that "from apostates the faithful have received the severest persecutions."[3]:67 This continues to be the case today.

The long standing policy of Church discipline is outlined in the Doctrine and Covenants: "We believe that all religious societies have a right to deal with their members . . . according to the rules and regulations of such societies; provided that such dealings be for fellowship and good standing; . . . They can only excommunicate them from their society, and withdraw from them their fellowship." (D&C 134꞉10.)

Faithful members of the Church can distinguish between mere differences of opinion and those activities formally defined as apostasy. Apostasy refers to Church members who " repeatedly act in clear, open and deliberate public opposition to the Church or its leaders; or persist in teaching as Church doctrine information that is not Church doctrine after being corrected by their bishops or higher authority; or continue to follow the teachings of apostate cults (such as those that advocate plural marriage) after being corrected by their bishops or higher authority."[4]

The general and local officers of the Church will continue to do their duty, and faithful Church members will understand.

As leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we reach out in love to all and constantly pray that the Lord, whose Church this is, will bless those who love and seek divine truth.

Signed:

The Council of the First Presidency and

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles [5]

Learn more about Church discipline
Key sources
Wiki links
Online
  • Dallin H. Oaks, "Sin and Suffering," Ensign (July 1992): 70. off-site
  • James E. Faust, "Keeping Covenants and Honoring the Priesthood," Ensign (November 1993): 36. off-site
  • M. Russell Ballard, "A Chance to Start Over: Church Disciplinary Councils and the Restoration of Blessings," Ensign (September 1990): 12. off-site
Navigators


Notes

  1. ↑ D. Michael Quinn, Letter to Paul A. Hanks, 7 February 1993; cited in Lavina Fielding Anderson, "DNA Mormon: D. Michael Quinn," in Mormon Mavericks: Essays on Dissenters, edited by John Sillito and Susan Staker (Salt Lake City, Signature Books, 2002), 329-364.
  2. ↑ Paul A. Hanks to D. Michael Quinn, 11 May 1993; cited in Anderson, "DNA Mormon."
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Joseph Smith, Jr., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected by Joseph Fielding Smith, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976). off-site
  4. ↑ General Handbook of Instructions, 10-3.
  5. ↑ "News of the Church," Ensign (January 1994) 75.


Mormonism and Church discipline: Issues and Individuals


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