Excommunication from any religious body.

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   Perspycaciousposted 10 years ago

   Two individual members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) have apparently chosen to make questions related to their own personal standing within their local church congregations a public matter. The local and national media have interviewed each of them, and it appears that, as a result, the LDS disciplinary process has become better understood.  Excommunication, and discipline short of excommunication, is a facet of most Christian religions to insure that false doctrines and corruption not endanger the faithful.  Once again, however, it seems that such processes (common to so many faiths) take on added notoriety when general ignorance of the LDS church's procedures are involved.  Surely the LDS church is not the only faith that exercises the priesthood solely through its male followers, nor is it the only faith that disciplines its members for publicly questioning doctrines.  Once again it appears, in part due to the actions of these two members, that the LDS church is criticized for what is normal practice in other major faiths.

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      Emile Rposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Actually, i don't know of any main stream sects who insist everyone toe their line. Discipline and excommunication, shunning, etc. aren't the norm either.
      
      I don't know anything about the case, but I think if a church is intimidating its members it should be made public. The embarrassment of having their dirty laundry aired publicly might help them change their ways.
      
      I know a Mennonite who was shunned. The horrible smear campaign by his church almost pushed him to suicide. It's horrible what people are willing to do in support of religion.

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   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   It is their flip-flopping on being inclusive that is biting them on the ass. You can't have an advertising campaign including openly gay members and then also harass members for being gay.

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      Perspycaciousposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Neither individual is being disciplined for LGBT.

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         psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         They are in the progressive movement and they are being slapped for that.  Their activities include gender and sexuality issues (esp. Dehlin who is a *huge* gay/lesbian advocate).
         
         If LDS is never going to move in that direction, they should stop vacillating so the progressives, both the long term ones and the ones they lured with their recent campaigns, can get the message and move to another denomination.

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            Perspycaciousposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Easy come, easy go, doesn't accomplish much either way.  There is a reason Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking still has relevance today.  At the same time there is still a role for Martin Luthers in today's religious world.   
            I am not sure either of these protagonists rises to that level, nor is the LDS church as fixated or corrupt as the church Luther tilted with.

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