Mormon Church to excommunicate member over Romney posts

[mirele]

Quote

David Twede, 47, a scientist, novelist, and fifth-generation Mormon, is managing editor of MormonThink.com, an online magazine produced largely by members of the Mormon Church that welcomes scholarly debate about the religion’s history from both critics and true believers.

 

A Mormon in good standing, Twede has never been disciplined by Latter Day Saints leadership. But it now appears his days as a Mormon may be numbered because of a series of articles he wrote this past week that were critical of Mitt Romney.

 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/21/mormons-want-to-excommunicate-romney-critic.html

 

(link not broken, it's a big website)

 

The posts in question can be found here: mormonthink.com/politics.htm (link broken to protect the innocent)

 

What's interesting about this is that Twede first sent out a notice on Monday, it was posted to some ex-Mormon boards, and then the notice disappeared down the memory hole at Twede's request. I posted on one of the boards and in e-mail to friends that if I was in Twede's place, I'd be dropping a dime to either Gawker or the Daily Beast. I have to wonder if he saw that?

 

While I resigned my membership, I know people who have had their membership threatened. It used to be these things could pass relatively unnoticed, but in more recent years, some people so threatened (because of their writings or academic work) have fought back. For example, Thomas Murphy, an anthropologist, called up a reporter to complain and the church backed down after it hit the Associated Press. This was nearly a decade ago.

 

Church leadership may think it can do this crap in a corner and nobody's going to notice, but fuckitall, a Mormon's running for president and do the suits in SLC really think the press is going to ignore something like this? Hardly.

[DarkAnts]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/21/mormons-want-to-excommunicate-romney-critic.html

(link not broken, it's a big website)

The posts in question can be found here: mormonthink.com/politics.htm (link broken to protect the innocent)

What's interesting about this is that Twede first sent out a notice on Monday, it was posted to some ex-Mormon boards, and then the notice disappeared down the memory hole at Twede's request. I posted on one of the boards and in e-mail to friends that if I was in Twede's place, I'd be dropping a dime to either Gawker or the Daily Beast. I have to wonder if he saw that?

While I resigned my membership, I know people who have had their membership threatened. It used to be these things could pass relatively unnoticed, but in more recent years, some people so threatened (because of their writings or academic work) have fought back. For example, Thomas Murphy, an anthropologist, called up a reporter to complain and the church backed down after it hit the Associated Press. This was nearly a decade ago.

Church leadership may think it can do this crap in a corner and nobody's going to notice, but fuckitall, a Mormon's running for president and do the suits in SLC really think the press is going to ignore something like this? Hardly.

There is a long history of academics being excommunicated from the church when they question fundamental doctrine. Archaeologist and historians are the most frequent targets because they cant find any physical evidence to support the mormon churches assertion that the lost tribes of Israel came here or that Jesus was here. My grandma was excommunicated for questioning doctrine in the 1920's. They said that she did not have faith and a submissive soul. I wear that as a badge of honor and tell all missionaries who come to my door.

[PennySycamore]

When I hear about scholars being excommunicated, I think immediately of Fawn Brodie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawn_Brodie

[ADoyle90815]

There is a long history of academics being excommunicated from the church when they question fundamental doctrine. Archaeologist and historians are the most frequent targets because they cant find any physical evidence to support the mormon churches assertion that the lost tribes of Israel came here or that Jesus was here. My grandma was excommunicated for questioning doctrine in the 1920's. They said that she did not have faith and a submissive soul. I wear that as a badge of honor and tell all missionaries who come to my door.

That's true, one of the leaders, Boyd Packer even said that one of the enemies of the Mormon church was "so-called" intellectuals, with feminists and gays being the other enemies. There's a group of scholars who were known as the September Six who were either excommunicated or disfellowshipped which is just below excommunication, in 1993. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_Six

[Letgo]

I just read Twede's article and did not come away with a feeling that he is critical of the LDS church, but that he was simply explaining WHY some people feel that Mormons are not Christians. There are major differences between the beliefs of mainstream Christianity and those of the LDS. Twede did not make fun of his church or in any way imply it is wrong. Stating their beliefs and citing references should not be an offense worthy of excommunication. So why is the LDS leadership so touchy about this?

[MyName]

^^ one article said David said it was his article about LDS and politics that is the one that really "pissed them off."

TY, op, for posting this!! I will keep track of this story.

[ADoyle90815]

The New York Times just picked up this story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/us/we ... .html?_r=1

[Beeks]

Looks like it's more about him being an atheist (or previously being an atheist?) than it is over Romney stuff.

[mirele]

Looks like it's more about him being an atheist (or previously being an atheist?) than it is over Romney stuff.

Something like that. He wants to be a cultural Mormon.

However, the church has been forced to respond in its own newspaper. I believe this is a first.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865562969/LDS-Church-says-disciplinary-claim-is-patently-false.html

I still hold this is not going to end well for the church.

ETA: You know things are not good when you have fucking spies out there trying to figure out who you are. That smacks of Scientology. *shakes head* The people at the Foundation Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) are a bunch of creeps.

[lizziesmom]

Not holding my breath that the mainstream media even picks this up. Romney seems to be getting an awful lot of passes. I wonder if he is trying the W. strategy of setting the bar so low when he emerges from the debates having said something, people will be impressed.