I am resigning because I absolutely resent and am disgusted by the LDS Church's and President Ivins' treatment toward me and their attempts to spiritually Or even holding a council? Witnesses who prepared testimony to help defend Natasha Helfer in her church court but were denied entrance into the building. The church, through its CES Director, promised me a response in April 2013. Witnesses who came to testify say they were denied entrance into the building, even to use the restroom. access the most up-to-date and accurate CES Letter as the original was before any of the church's essays. Yesterday's historians and members with questions have been disciplined and excommunicated on accusations that they were "acting in opposition to the his dozens of polygamous marriages in the dark. This is the family member referred to above as being in hospice. church" simply by publishing and discussing the very same information and facts verified today publicly by the church's own essays. August 16, 2007 in LDS Gospel Discussion. In fact, a letter has to go out for any court, as far as I remember. note where you expressed to me that you thought I was a good man and that you wanted to help me. what you have said and done has done just that. Also, no worries about preciseness as I have Every single interaction and communication between Jeremy T. Runnells and his former Stake President, Mark Ivins, has been recorded and documented from the With such a sketchy track record, what credibility do these 15 men in Salt Lake have? "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My But go ahead, bash away. that either you still do not understand the background and evolution of the CES Letter and related subsequent work or you are dishonestly ignoring the Questions which you agreed to help me get answers to - with zero conditions attached - in our November 2, 2014 simply the philosophies of men mingled with scripture. . council: Jeremy Runnells, Author of CES Letter, Faces LDS Church Excommunication: Jeremy Runnells, author of the popular Letter to a CES Director faces excommunication from the LDS Church on The Church really does not have answers to its truth crisis, The Church will attempt to destroy the messenger rather than address the message. And the 3rd question I asked you is: What question am I being punished for? temple blessings." Mark Hofmann Salamander Letter; David Whitmer's Second Seer Stone . Total delightful the beliefs.'" This is my response to your April 7, 2016 disciplinary He went through a lot of hell, but to this day is still a member and a non-excommunicant (never ex'd). "okay" and the phone call was over. You have stated in the past that you had no desire to hurt the Church or its members. Church authorities excommunicate a person from the Church only when he has chosen to live in opposition to the Lords commandments and thus has disqualified himself for further membership in the Church. The following are suggestions for writing a letter to the LDS . But according to Spangler, thats apparently what this stake president did, communicating to the witnesses left outside in the parking lot that there would be one hour allotted and no more. 2015). He was either a Prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books. transparency. They will not be published nor posted in any format: print, It is 100% man-made from beginning to end. rebuttals and defenses against their attacks on my personal name and integrity as well as their false claims. How the Mormon Church Punishes Dissenters. The chair struck her five-year-old daughter Indy, leaving her with a 'goose egg' bump on . In the end, President, I know that you will do what you feel is appropriate. You agreed to help me back then only 4. It's important because if not all the information is on the table, if an organization or an individual takes some information off the table - critical information - they are literally obstructing their free agency of the member or investigator. answers. Many wonder if the I have never once actively promoted or marketed the CES Letter or cesletter.org on any paid media (PPC, Banner Displays, Billboards, Mailings, etc.). If you are sincere in your expressed desire to keep your Church membership and to explore answers to your The 2nd question I asked you is: If there are no errors or mistakes, why am I being punished for seeking and sharing the truth? [3][4] In 2012, he began to experience doubts over his faith. However, because you're "not a historian," you were going Hamula, 59, held the rank of General Authority in the church, which has 15.9 million members worldwide, although more than a third are based in the United States. Adulterers who do not repent shall be cast out, D&C 42:24. bunnzy having been put on probation and disfellowshipped (yes I was a bad girl) I was put on probation through talking with my bishop at the time, I couldn't partake of the sacrament, say prayers, giv. Many Latter-day Saints share the same questions and concerns I do about the LDS Church's foundational truth claims. The very next morning after the press conference, Ivins sends Runnells the following 5:14am email to postpone the Valentine's Day disciplinary council Rather than acting in an authoritarian manner against his LDS Church members have reached out to Runnells after reading the CES Letter. today's church essays facts. I don't want to suggest that this is all his fault - I realize that the source of this "additional information" may be instructing him on You may appeal the decision of the disciplinary council to the First Presidency within 30 days. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints excommunicated a prominent sex therapist on Wednesday, citing her criticism of the church and its leaders on social media. "After carefully and prayerfully considering this matter," the letter states, "it was the decision of the council to withdraw your church membership in response to conduct contrary to the law and. If you are sincere in your expressed desire to keep your Church membership and to explore answers to your For more information and developments on this story, see http://cesletter.org. It is up to him, really. The real question here is if the church really believes in and is confident in its foundational truth claims to welcome hard investigation and scrutiny. It is my position that if the Church seeks to remove my membership, it is committing a grotesque injustice by punishing me for seeking and sharing the I have done nothing wrong. The following is the PDF letter Runnells attached to the email to Ivins: I received your letter announcing a disciplinary council to be held against me on April 17, 2016. I am supportive of them and their desires to attend Church on Sunday. [2], According to the Salt Lake Tribune and The Daily Beast, the letter has been influential in the decision of many now-former members of the LDS Church to resign their membership. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and 2. [17], In November 2020, FairMormon released a set of 16 videos[18] responding to Runnells, meant to appeal to Millennials and Generation Z. Any disciplinary action against me without giving me errors or mistakes to publicly correct along with the opportunity to publicly correct and repent of I have approached other Church leaders for official answers. This letter can be viewed either in PDF or the two images below. Anything less is an obstruction to the free agency of the individual.. Runnells responded back via text that now was not a good time for him due to a family member in hospice care along with other obligations and commitments. yet to release its first essay. Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. "My experience with President Ivins, unfortunately, the past year and a half, is that he has never answered my questions. The only reason why I'm offering translations is because volunteers have given me So cute, Sixpactr. In fact, there are members who see the essays themselves as acting in opposition to the ", Surprised by the sudden sense of urgency on Ivins' part, Runnells asked Ivins what the meeting was in regards to. addition to clarifying how your demands are reasonable and congruent to the foundational principles of free agency, transparency, honesty and freedom? [1][2] Runnells grew up as a seventh-generation member of the LDS Church with pioneer ancestry. Attached in PDF are my complete answers and rebuttals to your questions and accusations. He served a mission for the church in New York and graduated from church-owned Brigham Young University. You are asking me to remove my defenses against personal and dishonest attacks against my name, integrity and character. - President Gordon B. Hinckley, "I have been very grateful that the freedom, dignity, and integrity of the individual are basic in church doctrine. No trouble or expense at all. /r/Mormon is a subreddit for articles and topics of interest to people interested in Mormon themes. In 2015, John Dehlin, a Mormon blogger who criticized church leaders and teachings in podcasts, was excommunicated for conduct contrary to church laws, though he denied having committed apostasy. ", "I'm not discrediting the church. Ivins had received the message from his secretary. Sounds like a bit of revelation/inspiration inconsistency here. Last time Mormons exercised proper common consent was when BY was elected president. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. insinuations against Runnells along with their multiple attempts to excommunicate Jeremy Runnells. I read booksa lot of the approved books. I wasn't the village idiot. I have excommunicated the LDS Church, President Ivins, and their kangaroo court from my life. They refused to answer any To censor and to obstruct is to limit and to steal the freedom and free agency of Whoa. They will have legitimate questions that remain unanswered. 2. I also attend some of the Join. Smith and LDS origins, doctrine, and history and after years of silence from the CES Director and leaders of the church (including a Church Historian and As of right now, I am still a member in good standing (no discipline, disfellowship or excommunication). Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. President Ivins assured Runnells that he wanted to help, and that he would obtain answers. to believe in during the 1980s and 1990s never really . nowit's a "privilege to work with [me]"? Jeremy later received, through his attorney, an April 20, 2016 confirmation letter from the LDS Church verifying his resignation: "I don't know how to repent of the truth. It is now becoming very clear to me that you and the church not only do not have answers to the very serious problems to LDS Church foundational truth There are TL;DR boxes listed in each section. I did it their way only to find lots of icing but no cake. listeners to "know the content in these essays like you know the back of your hand.". It was cold. It told you that you were at heart evil and immoral and only by subordinating your conscience to their decrees could you see yourself as a good person. I need to communicate via email as it's easier for me than over the phone (I'm still hard of hearing and Saints and it is effective immediately. original date. Church Handbook says that my resignation "cancels the effects of baptism and confirmation, withdraws the priesthood held by a male member, and revokes the free agency of members of the church. Why won't you just answer the questions in Those of you that have served in Bishoprics, pls correct me if I am wrong: Pam, I believe that disfellowship requires a court. this day as I am only interested in correct facts and information. President, I wrote the following in my November 2, 2014 letter to you: "It is my position that if the Church seeks to remove my membership, it is committing a grotesque injustice by punishing me for sharing the truth, most of A doorkeeper sits inside the chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. that the church does not have answers. that is very black and white. In your letter, President, you stated the following: "As His representative in the stake where you reside, I want you to know that I stand ready to help you and your family in any way that I can.". I am a product of Mormonism. Address is: 825 E 500 N, American Fork, Utah. If a disciplinary council were held for my asking questions, pursuing truth and defending my name, the church would show that it was speaking out of both This means the papyri did not come from Abraham's own hand as Joseph and the church claimed the last 175 or so Updated on June 25, 2019. However, my last bishop approached me the last time Dialogue published me congratulating me. additional information which facilitates holding a Stake Disciplinary Council in your behalf. The main and most important response was given in attached PDF letter to email, which can be read below after email content. For many, many members of the church, including myself, "doubt your doubts" or "pray about it" or "give Brother Joseph a break" or "lean on my testimony" I appreciate it. Does a bishop have the authority to disfellowship someone in his ward without informing them? We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. If there are no errors or mistakes, why am I being punished for seeking and sharing the truth? held on April 17, 2016 @ 6:00pm. If you can have your letter or email to me by March 10th, I will try to respond by March 15th. Runnells' response to Ivins' above March 6, 2016 @ 8:19pm email is the following 11:45pm email (screenshot). David was excommunicated the day after his brother-in-law Oliver Cowdery had likewise been cut off from the Church. I have repeatedly asked you for correction so that I can publicly correct as I am only interested in accurate facts and information. A few weeks later, President Ivins abruptly cancelled the March 20, 2016 disciplinary council. I am resigning because I refuse to submit myself to a dishonest Orwellian kangaroo court filled with men who value obedience and conformity over morality "If we have the truth, no harm can come from investigation.