He also mentioned reading Quinns long Dialogue article about the politics of Ezra Taft Benson. Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe@sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support801-237-2900or emailsubscribe@sltrib.com. After the church court, when I walked into the chapel, it took about three times longer to get to my seat because so many people hugged me. The church has control of my membership; I decide whether I'm Mormon or not. She has been visited by all her ward and stake leaders since 1993, she said, but this was the first time anyone had ever proposed it. I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land, it says. She won the Cornell Award for Excellence in Religion ReportingMid-sized Newspapers from the Religious News Association in 2004, 2012, 2017, 2018, and 2022. Many religions have strictures that establish who is in and who is out, but the Mormon church draws a brighter line than most. Down in Provo, Avraham Gileadi met more quietly with his local leaders. "Mormon facing excommunication makes his living off his podcasts," by Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune, February 8, 2015 "On Attempts to Smear (i.e., Being 'Fair Gamed'") by John Dehlin ; Faith Transition episodes on Mormon Stories . Hanks was excommunicated in 1993, one of the "September Six," Mormon writers and scholars who were disciplined by their local LDS officials in the same month. By declining to talk with any priesthood leaders, he wrote, you are cutting yourself off from the blessings of the Temple and the blessings of the priesthood. He insinuated that the churchs problems with Quinn were not all theological. [Excommunicated Mormons are not supposed to take communion.] Peggy Fletcher-Stack. In the quarter-century since her ouster, Anderson consistently has attended weekly services at her Latter-day Saint congregation, the Whittier Ward. The book won an award from the American Historical Association, but it brought Quinn more grief in Utah. All rights reserved. Wearing a bathrobe, he answered after several rings and found three men in suits and ties on his doorstep. ", Kelly writes in London's Guardian newspaper "For me it is because of my faith and not in spite of it that I have a desire to stand up for myself and my sisters. This has been intentional. Some did not know that they were. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted. These dangers, Packer said, were the relatively new feminist and gay-lesbian movements, and the ever-present challenge from the so-called scholars or intellectuals.. [15], Stack wrote a children's book about religion with artist Kathleen B. Petersen, entitled A World of Faith, published in 1998.[4][16]. disciplined Anderson and five other Mormon intellectuals, church disciplinary actions threatening Mormon feminist Kate Kelly and blogger John Dehlin. . She has participated as much as she was able playing the piano and singing in the choir and watched as seven lay bishops have come and gone. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. A second bomb that first day killed Kathy Sheets, the wife of one of Christensens former business partners. Find your friends on Facebook. In Mormon history circles, this period is often called the Camelot years., After those 18 months, Quinn left for Yale to do a Ph.D. and finished it in just three years. The bishops next comment was, Whats wrong with those people up in Salt Lake? He was thrilled to have Quinn in his ward. He got up in front of the congregation and declared his belief in the Mormon gospel, in Joseph Smiths status as a prophet of God, and in the Book of Mormon as divine scripture. That has been a blessing truly fulfilled. I love John and I support him, but I have never made any claim against truth claims of the church. When he went into his office, the bishop, a man named Tom Andersen, said hed read this article in the L.A. Times, Quinn told me. He wept as he read it aloud to others. Like Quinn, hed first become interested in Mormon history when he learned that polygamy had gone on for years after its public abandonmenthe knew about this because his mothers parents were among the secret polygamists. He compared Packers treatment of Church leaders to the Roman Catholic doctrine of papal infallibility, which is anathema to Mormons. In her paper, she mentioned an internal espionage system that creates and maintains secret files on members of the church. A BYU literature professor named Eugene England rose to speak as soon as Anderson finished. (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The stake president, a man named Paul Hanks, tried to step into the apartment as he said hello, Quinn recalls. [5], The Stacks traveled in Africa for a year,[5] then settled in New York City for five years,[1] where she worked as the editor of the Hastings Center Report while her husband attended film school. I cannot be anything but a Mormon. Snuffer was excommunicated. One of Ordain Womens founders, Kate Kelly, was excommunicated in June 2014. Anderson was photographed at her Salt Lake City home with the work of her late husband, Paul L. Anderson, on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. What's it like going to church for two decades as an excommunicated member? All rights reserved. He found me outside and was kind and helpful. Nowadays, anyone can Google Mormon polygamy and learn more than theyd ever need to know about that practice, about its abandonment, the subsequent fallout, and so on. [Excommunicated Mormons are not supposed to take communion.] No way. The latter, a smaller school, offered less money, but BYU had its own drawbacks: It was and is a conservative place, politically as well as religiously. She said she was really angry at the church, not at me. This new knowledge sent Quinn to the Journal of Discourses, a 26-volume collection of Mormon sermons. When they left, they said, "Have a nice day," to which I replied, "You have just assured that I will not.". He normalized what many call "sinful" behavior, by admitting to looking at nudie mags, drinking, smoking, and intimated other transgressions, yet still going on a mission. The fact that we keep going to church is a blessing. Caffeinated Version: I had my answers.". Hanks worked for the Church Educational System, where Packer had long been an administrator, and Quinn heard that Loren C. Dunn, a friend of Packers and fellow general authority, had spoken to Hanks personally. A member of that sect told Quinn about a since renounced bit of theology once preached by Brigham Young, referred to as the Adam-God doctrine. Youngs notion, roughly speaking, was that God and Adam are one and the same. Ultimately, the events of September 1993 may have helped broaden those borderlands, encouraging other members of the faith to openly question Mormon orthodoxy without entirely leaving the religion behind. There are important aspects of Mormon life, such as temple ceremonies, that are open only to the truly faithful. Look at Steve Benson, I suspect that there was no way they were going to ex him so he exed himself. I said I didn't think members believe general authorities don't make mistakes. June 19, 2014 ; 1 of 9; We had a family devotional every night with prayer, singing and scripture reading. deductible, Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe@sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support801-237-2900or emailsubscribe@sltrib.com. [5], In 1975, following discussions with Scott Kenney and others, she helped found Sunstone, an independent magazine of Mormon studies. Nor does it read like one. I did the very best I knew how to do, the thing that I felt was the right thing to do., Donate to the newsroom now. He put down in words his sincere testimony in the Mormon gospel and in Ezra Taft Bensons status as a true prophet of God. The stake president shook our hands and was cordial. Peggy Fletcher Stack. Independent publicationsmost notably Dialogue (founded in 1966) and Sunstone (1974)provided forums for scholarship and reflection about Mormon history and theology. At Sunstone, Hanks described her path back to Mormonism as a heros journey, la Joseph Campbell. On the Sunday it was held, Quinn went to a movie theater in downtown Salt Lake and bought a ticket for the first screening he could find, to take his mind off the disciplinary council. (These soon-to-be former Mormons were not required to attend.) Quinn, who later assisted the police in their investigation, did not go home for several days. Fulton has called Quinn a nothing person.. That, in any case, was his thinking. The seventh son of Taylors third wife, Samuel sympathetically portrays his notorious father, who continued to marry multiple wives well after the LDS church officially renounced polygamy in 1890. My parents never blamed me, but they were heartbroken. The Salt Lake Tribune . . Photo by George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images. West refused to do this, according to Quinn. Dubbed the September Six, the group were mostly left-leaning writers and scholars who had published articles or given talks about the role of women in Mormonism and the way the churchs leaders handle dissent. Though the letter from the current First Presidency made up of church President Russell M. Nelson and counselors Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring offered no explanation for the rejection, Bowman speculates that there may be at least two possible answers history and dissent. This other Quinn was not home when the call came, and a baby-sitter answered the phone. Bradley and Hanks are friends who trod a lot of common ground, Robertson said. By Peggy Fletcher Stack After an exhausting six-hour disciplinary hearing Sunday, Mormon leaders temporarily suspended Grant H. Palmer's membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Excommunication is a complicated and multi-layered process for sexual minorities in the church who choose to marry in a way that the church considers a "same sex" marriage. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted. I go over the temple ceremony and the covenants in my mind and remake them before the Lord often. LDS Church wants to light up a temple in a place that prides itself on dark skies, For husband-and-wife team, this new restaurant is the culmination of a decadeslong dream, article she wrote in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Women and Authority: Re-Emerging Mormon Feminism, Kate Kelly, was excommunicated in June 2014. Hankswhose nephew Paul would show up on Quinns doorstep in 1993was himself a general authority, and he had overseen the two-year Mormon mission Quinn served in England after his freshman year at BYU. The institutional churchs position toward its intellectual community has shifted slowly and subtly but in real ways in the past 30 years; it is possible that there is a worry that allowing for her rebaptism would unearth battles the present First Presidency would like to let lie buried and spur a public relitigation of the issue., Secondly, the controversies surrounding Anderson had a great deal to do with feminism in the church and with ecclesiastical dissent, he said. Lavina Fielding Anderson, one of the famed September Six writers and scholars disciplined by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1993, got a big no last week to her request for rebaptism from the men who matter most: the faiths governing First Presidency. I admire her. These men are often referred to by Mormon faithful as the Brethren. Unlike local lay leaders, who hold secular day jobs and perform their ecclesiastical duties on a voluntary basis, they are full-time employees who oversee the global operations of the church. I have kept my covenants, remained close to the church and have felt that what I have done is accepted by the Lord, the Salt Lake City editor and writer said. At the conference, he spoke about the history of same-sex relationships in the church and the shifting attitudes toward them on the part of Mormon leaders. Later he was told that despite his request that no one speak for him, a friend had attended and done just that, playing recordings of Quinns presentations at past Sunstone Symposia and reading excerpts from his writings. Mike Quinn in his Rancho Cucamonga home in California this summer. I had received a blessing from a former stake president, assuring me that when the time was right, it would come very easily, so I could be at peace. And he continued to correspond with Paul Hanks, who had written to express his displeasure at seeing his words quoted in the newspaper. By Peggy Fletcher Stack. Hanks became less diplomatic. They were receptive. He revised the story occasionally over the next decade, submitting it unsuccessfully to the Paris Review and the Atlantic. [10][11][12][13] The American Academy of Religion awarded her a first place Journalism Award in 2014 for her reporting on LDS missionaries who return home early from their volunteer missions. Last month, for instance, the Daily Beast reported that a blogger named David Twede was facing excommunication because of critical pieces he had written about Mitt Romney. by Peggy Fletcher Stack. Quinn went over local church rolls and found addresses of kids who didnt come to Sunday services. After a prayer, the stake president explains to them the details of the case. I always felt that I had Gods sanction and encouragement, so I went ahead following that path. Even early on, a fellow Mormon historian started telling Quinn he must have a death wish regarding his membership in the church. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. I assumed there was a way to work it out. He turned 65 two years later, making him eligible for Social Security and Medicare. Today, LDS leaders seem more inclined to recognize, said Wotherspoon, now host of the "Mormon Matters" podcast, "that Zion is made up of people of all types. While preparing for the retired Brigham Young University artists memorial service, Bishop Mahonri Madrigal read Pauls written testimony, or statements of faith, that the ward had compiled in 2000. Mormons from around the world have gathered to listen to church leaders during the two-day conference. Most people don't know I've been excommunicated. What do you think about these potential actions against Kate Kelly and John Dehlin? In both forms of LDS courts, the accused is typically allowed to bring in character witnesses. Peggy Fletcher Stack. By: Peggy Fletcher Stack. 2) I would very gladly swap my OSF compensation package with any member of the LDS First Presidency, Quorum of the 12 Apostles, or 1st Quorum of the Seventy. Men only become gay in prison, or sometimes in the Navy. It did not happen overnight, but many LDS leaders seemed to regret the furor and the hurt that surrounded those excommunications. The truth is not uplifting. Thats according to Quinnmy request to speak with Packer, whose health has badly deteriorated in recent years, was declined. After Quinn finished his lunch at BYU, he decided not to go home. (He took the surname from actor Anthony Quinn, whom he knew growing up in the Los Angeles barrio.) Salt Lake City Laurie Lee Hall was excommunicated from the LDS Church for being a woman. He decided he would suppress that part of himself and be a good Mormon. It was his death and funeral that prompted the couples current bishop to bring up the possibility of her rejoining the church. In 1997, the acclaimed historian Richard Bushman, who spent much of his career writing on non-LDS topics, began studying his religion again in earnest, and convened an annual seminar that helped attract young scholars who might have pursued other interests. One theory on that first day of panic was that the bombings were connected with the business, an investment company called CFS. Today my story was picked up by the Salt Lake Tribune in Peggy Fletcher Stack's thoughtful article about excommunication. From that point on, she explored various Christian teachings and practices, assisted clergy with religious services and served as volunteer chaplain at Holy Cross Chapel for 13 years. The Quarum of 12 Apostles wanted to ex her, but the Quarum of Public Relations blocked their move. Paul Toscano, a combative lawyer, showed up for his, at the Cottonwood Stake Center in the southern part of Salt Lake City. But the Churchs case against Twede will never be known: After the Daily Beast story, the council was postponed, and a few weeks later, Twede resigned from the faith. Quinn went to Californiahe had another fellowship at the Huntington Librarystaying this time with his mother. How have the members of your ward treated you? Ironically, this testimony only ever deserted him on his Mormon mission. Packer, the second-most senior among the 12, was the substitute president of the Quorum of the Twelve whenever Hunter was sidelined for medical reasons. She and five other journalists at the Salt Lake Tribune won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Woodwards piece, headlined Apostles vs. Historians, called Quinns talk a stirring defense of intellectual integrity that had put Benson and Packer on the defensive. It was illustrated with a large photograph of Quinn up top, and a considerably smaller one of Packer. Hed been told it was an unusually accepting congregation. A diligent historian, meanwhile, will come to see that the truth of the matter is complicated. Quinn had been avoiding this confrontation for nearly five years. Right next to Pauls was Lavinas description of her beliefs in Jesus Christ, Mormon founder Joseph Smith, the scriptural text he produced, The Book of Mormon, and the role of prophets. Though he maintained a solemn belief in the Mormon gospel and in the sacrament partaken of by the faithful at Sunday services, he stopped attending church altogether. After reading Peggy Fletcher Stack's article (linked in April's post), I realized that many of us share Lavina's ongoing concerns, including the exclusion of women from institutional authority and the side-stepping of the Heavenly Mother doctrine. Robert Kirby does this also, but much more indirectly. Paul's mother was great. Ordain Women's Kate Kelly loses last appeal; husband to resign from Mormon church . was pressured to resign from Brigham Young University and subsequently excommunicated from the faith in 1993 as part of the famed "September Six . The modern Mormon church has become a fairly top-down organization, but most responsibility for attending to its members still resides in local lay leaders. It is always harder on the loved one who has to stand by and see someone they love being hurt. He slept on her futon and had no Internet access or health insurance. Hed better start keeping it to himself. The demographics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints include statistical data relating to the church's population and particular groups within it.. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. She declined. Peggy Fletcher Fletcher (Peggy Bennett Fletcher) See Photos. Whats more, all Mormons are supposed to have a calling in the church, which makes for a wonderfully participatory religion but also discourages casual membership. Mormon author Grant H. Palmer has been summoned to an LDS Church disciplinary hearing on Sunday, facing possible excommunication for apostasy. And he based at least one of his forgeries on the work of Michael Quinn. Until 23 years ago, one could not formally leave the church without being excommunicated. He was housesitting. The biggest thing that got me was the excommunication of bill reel segment of the Mormon stories podcast. His hiring was vetoed by the ASU administration, and many observers believe the administration caved to pressure from Ira Fulton, a Mormon donor who between 2003 and 2006 gave at least $155 million to the school. All rights reserved. Quinn read Hanks letter that night and wrote a detailed response. It took several hoursa vigil was held outside for the first few, with candles and hymns and hot chocolate. Quinn is no longer actively seeking an academic job. I know how to avoid people I didnt want to be in contact with, he says.
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