Mormon who runs website for doubting church members ousted

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Mormon man who gained notoriety over the past decade for running a website that offers doubting Latter-day Saints a forum to chat has been kicked out of the religion.

John Dehlin announced the decision from regional church leaders Tuesday. He becomes the second high-profile church member to be excommunicated in the past year in what Mormon scholars consider to be the Utah-based faith’s way of keeping dissenters in line.

A regional church leader in North Logan told Dehlin in a letter that Mormon officials made a unanimous decision to excommunicate him for apostasy, defined by the church as repeatedly acting in clear public opposition to the faith.

More at this link.
 
This was pretty much expected by those of us who are former Mormons who have been following his experience.
 
I am shocked he did it for 10 years without being excommunicated until now.
 
The LDS church tends not to excommunicate quickly, esp if there is a “in the public eye” component.

They try other avenues first.
 
Marie5890 said:
The LDS church tends not to excommunicate quickly, esp if there is a “in the public eye” component.

They try other avenues first.
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The exception being Kate Kelley from “Ordain Women”. They swooped in on her pretty quickly compare to John Dehlin.
 
Is the excommunication permanent or do they have a chance to repent and join again?
 
I really don’t see what the issue is. He publicly speaks against the teachings of his church. No wonder he is excommunicated. Makes perfect sense to me and I certainly don’t think this guy is a victim, other than falling prey to this belief system in the first place. 🤷
 
I really don’t know what to think of John Dehlin. I am simply baffled by him. Frankly, I’m not shocked that the LDS church excommunicated him, and I don’t really feel all that sorry for him. He knew exactly what he was doing. He threw down the gauntlet when he published his interview with Sandra Tanner and refused to take it down.

He openly doubts the truth claims of the LDS church yet wants to be a part of it because he culturally identifies with Mormons. :confused: I just don’t understand it. When I stopped believing the truth claims of the LDS church, I stopped attending and resigned after the stake president and elders’ quorum president showed up at our front door. I didn’t want to be a part of something I believe to be false and that had been damaging to me.

I don’t think John started Mormon Stories with the intent for things to end up the way they did. I think he was trying to reconcile the issues and figure out how to deal with them and stay Mormon in a public forum of his creating. For a while he encouraged people to stay LDS.

I think the take away is that it is ok for Mormons to doubt so long as they doubt their doubts and not talk about it with anyone else.
 
iepuras said:
I really don’t know what to think of John Dehlin. I am simply baffled by him. Frankly, I’m not shocked that the LDS church excommunicated him, and I don’t really feel all that sorry for him. He knew exactly what he was doing. He threw down the gauntlet when he published his interview with Sandra Tanner and refused to take it down.

He openly doubts the truth claims of the LDS church yet wants to be a part of it because he culturally identifies with Mormons. :confused: I just don’t understand it. When I stopped believing the truth claims of the LDS church, I stopped attending and resigned after the stake president and elders’ quorum president showed up at our front door. I didn’t want to be a part of something I believe to be false and that had been damaging to me.

I don’t think John started Mormon Stories with the intent for things to end up the way they did. I think he was trying to reconcile the issues and figure out how to deal with them and stay Mormon in a public forum of his creating. For a while he encouraged people to stay LDS.

I think the take away is that it is ok for Mormons to doubt so long as they doubt their doubts and not talk about it with anyone else.
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Yeah, I’m not real sure why he would want to stick around at all, but the reason given for his excommunication was not that he had doubts, but rather:

“You do not have the right to remain a member of the church in good standing while openly and publicly trying to convince others that church teachings are in error,”

I don’t disagree with that reasoning.
 
SteveVH said:
Yeah, I’m not real sure why he would want to stick around at all, but the reason given for his excommunication was not that he had doubts, but rather:

“You do not have the right to remain a member of the church in good standing while openly and publicly trying to convince others that church teachings are in error,”

I don’t disagree with that reasoning.
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I don’t either. If someone publicly denies believing in the truth claims of the LDS church, it is not surprising when excommunication or a quick resignation follows.

I think he provoked the excommunication. He could have resigned, but he didn’t. Dehlin knew exactly what he was doing.
 
iepuras said:
I really don’t know what to think of John Dehlin. I am simply baffled by him. Frankly, I’m not shocked that the LDS church excommunicated him, and I don’t really feel all that sorry for him. He knew exactly what he was doing. He threw down the gauntlet when he published his interview with Sandra Tanner and refused to take it down.

He openly doubts the truth claims of the LDS church yet wants to be a part of it because he culturally identifies with Mormons. :confused: I just don’t understand it. When I stopped believing the truth claims of the LDS church, I stopped attending and resigned after the stake president and elders’ quorum president showed up at our front door. I didn’t want to be a part of something I believe to be false and that had been damaging to me.

I don’t think John started Mormon Stories with the intent for things to end up the way they did. I think he was trying to reconcile the issues and figure out how to deal with them and stay Mormon in a public forum of his creating. For a while he encouraged people to stay LDS.

I think the take away is that it is ok for Mormons to doubt so long as they doubt their doubts and not talk about it with anyone else.
Click to expand...
I agree with everything you have said here.

The only reason I could see him for still wanting to “identify as mormon” would be that he lives in the mormon corridor, and it is definitely ingrained in the culture there more so than anywhere else. Not to mention all of the nonexistent shunning he will have to endure if he claims not be be mormon. 'Cause we all know that mormons don’t “shun” people. 😛
 
twopekinguys said:
I agree with everything you have said here.

The only reason I could see him for still wanting to “identify as mormon” would be that he lives in the mormon corridor, and it is definitely ingrained in the culture there more so than anywhere else. Not to mention all of the nonexistent shunning he will have to endure if he claims not be be mormon. 'Cause we all know that mormons don’t “shun” people. 😛
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I can definitely see the whole cultural thing to be more important to Mormons from the Mormon corridor, especially if they fit into the culture and didn’t have negative experiences.

I live in Texas so I haven’t even noticed any shunning really (other than the ongoing issues with my family). I rarely run into Mormons anymore. Although a couple of Mormon “friends” came by my house (unannounced) around Christmastime. I hadn’t seen either of these ladies in well over a year, and they were thinking of me and missing me. It was just weird.
 
Marie5890 said:
The LDS church tends not to excommunicate quickly, esp if there is a “in the public eye” component.

They try other avenues first.
Click to expand...
Seems to me that it’s the “public eye” that prods them into excommunicating people. According to the transcript Dehlin released of a previous interview they can doubt and support what every they want they just can’t be public about it.

It was interesting to read that the church still teaches that all other churches are an abomination.
 
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