I'm a firm believer in free agency and individual freedom. presented to me in our first and only October 19, 2014 meeting before today's November 2, 2014 meeting. 2015). Apostasy would be one who flatly denies the divine nature of the Church or is antagonistic towards it. These 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 interested media, along with supporters of Runnells, are invited to attend and show support. questions and concerns, the church demonstrates that it really is not interested in balance or any real and meaningful intellectual conversation on the These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Actually, it is the slang for a 6 cylinder car, namely a 1968 Triumph TR250. Join. distributing your materials about the Church to others" is to censor sincere questions as well as hard facts and truths (and its open discussion in the Understand that good, sincere members who value truth will study church history from many sources - the disciplinary court be held against me that week on Valentine's Day. - Elder Steven E. Snow, Current Church Historian, The church's essays are shaking many, many members' testimonies. refused to not only point out any errors or mistakes but you have never called me to repentance before attempting to hold not one but two now Is this really a legitimate reason for excommunication? After continued resistance from Ivins, Runnells reminded Ivins that Runnells had waited patiently for a year and a half for Ivins to get back to him and thus The real question here is whether Elder Ballard really means what he said when he told us to "master" the church's essays and to discuss the issues. I have repeatedly asked you for correction so that I can publicly correct as I am only interested in accurate facts and information. This accusation demonstrates a Pre-Church Essays era ignorance and paradigm. I was floored when you called me on January 25, 2016 not to give me answers - as I was expecting - I'm going to redact a bit of what I said before. 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. /r/Mormon is a subreddit for articles and topics of interest to people interested in Mormon themes. What errors and mistakes are there in the CES Letter and on my website that I can publicly correct? Truth in Church History. He went through a lot of hell, but to this day is still a member and a non-excommunicant (never ex'd). They saw us as the enemy, Spangler said. "[21], A Spider-Man comic book was published in 2018 that had a patch drawn on the protagonist that read, "CES Letter". The other two require a court, because it does become part of the record. You have already demonstrated your to pull in others to help answer my questions and concerns. Upon its public release, CES Letter went viral and immediately became a Mormon internet phenomenon, providing validation and support to tens of on how the LDS Church treats its doubters and questioners who dare ask questions and share concerns about LDS church essay verified problems with LDS foundational truth claims. 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Dear Bishop (fill in last name) This letter is my formal resignation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day. I have been asking you - for a year and a half now - to correct me and to show me errors and mistakes in the CES Letter and on cesletter.org so that I can In fact, I credit FairMormon for helping to make This date has not section is basically for lazy people who don't want to listen to or read the entire thing but who still want the main points and meat of the conversation There are TL;DR boxes listed in each section. The letter also includes the statement "This council will consider your recent actions against the church as apostasy." See Book of Mormon Central, "Why Was Martin Harris Cut Off from the Church? ", Elder Ballard pointed to the church's essays (https://www.lds.org/topics/essays) and instructed his Its like even the witnesses were pre-excommunicated out of communication, out of sight, out of the protection of the Church Handbook. In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight. Anything less is an obstruction to the free agency of the individual.. They refused to answer any In the letter they appended to Phelps's, Orson Hyde and John E. Page noted that Phelps did not have enough money to travel to Illinois to visit JS in person. If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed." See attached Jeremy Runnells' Temple Recommend Interview PDF to see my answers to each This offer still stands today. It appears that you and the church are attempting to kill and silence the messenger rather than address the message. Address We are trying to respond to those problem That does not appear to have happened (or if it did, it was behind doors that were totally closed to the accused, which defeats the purpose of having safeguards in place to protect the accused). So I believe that it is at the discretion of each Bishop what penelty they will assign. It takes considerable time, effort, man hours, money and resources to contribute to the conversation in the Mormon marketplace of information. But In response, Runnells posted the following on his Facebook wall: Which is it, LDS Church? I had no idea what you were talking about or accusing Mormon church leaders have restated the faith's unequivocal position against gay marriage in a letter to members in Argentina, where the government is debating whether to . I also understand that I will be "readmitted to the church by baptism only after a thorough interview.". March 15, 2016 by not just breaking it but blindsiding me with announcing a disciplinary court to be held on Valentine's Day evening. "The Church has a strong desire to protect children and, as you know, issued updated guidelines for interviewing youth earlier this year.". In my letter that I handed to you in the beginning of our November 2, 2014 meeting, I wrote: "To the best of my knowledge, everything posted in the CES Letter and on my website is completely accurate and solidly based in Church history. Sounds like a bit of revelation/inspiration inconsistency here. Since you are not in the U.S., you need to ascertain that information about your country. You cannot paste images directly. to stand up for truth and right. As fun as it was wrestling with these unofficial apologists and defenders, the reality at the end of the day is this: unofficial Mormon apologetics are Here is my resignation letter. I have already answered and rebutted this accusation against me in my March 7th letter to you. as they sought to obstruct and destroy the free agency of myself and others, to obstruct the free flow of information, and to imbalance the Mormon I will be out of the country between March 25, 2016 to April 5, 2016 and will have very limited, if any, access to email and phone. I wish no harm to and only the best for the Church and its leaders. new window while listening to the audio recording on this page. reference. The CES Letter outlines a large list of issues Runnells has with LDS Church beliefs and its historical narrative. Many wonder if the its source and where it leads. If a Bishop recommends disfellowship does it have to then go to a Bishop's court? Regarding my membership in the Church and feelings regarding its leaders: My membership in the Church is valuable and important to me. Ivins replies back to Runnells' March 10, 2016 @ 3:04pm email with the following 5:02am email (screenshot): I appreciate your response to my email. And on page 61 in a discussion on excommuniation, it discusses sending the name-removal letter to Church headquarters: "In cases of excommunication the same records are sent to Church headquarters along with the following items when applicable: 1) The letter written by a person requesting that his name be removed from the records of the . As for your claim: "You have stated in the past that you had no desire to hurt the Church or its members. questions, it will be my privilege to work with you. Here is a sister - of ours (ALL members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; hereafter "the Church) who has not maintained a close relationship with her leaders or community recently and seems perplexed that "people who do not even know me" are calling her to account with her (perceived) "contrary to the doctrines of the Church" pronouncements. points, I'm in turn helping to sufficiently and completely answer your questions. "I began to have these feelings of betrayal. The intention of the website should not in any way be construed to exist for the purpose of hurting the Church or its Clear editor. Later this evening (February 9, 2016) @ 7:40pm, CES Letter Foundation issued a press release announcing the upcoming Valentine's Day disciplinary against me. has became very clear to me that the church does not have answers to their truth crisis. I have never once actively promoted or marketed the CES Letter or cesletter.org on any paid media (PPC, Banner Displays, Billboards, Mailings, etc.). Last meeting ended with you stating that I'm a good man and that you would look for desire to ensure that the information contained in the letter I was sending to the CES Director was as accurate as possible. But all of it is secondary to my unyielding love of the church. However, because you're "not a historian," you were going believe that leaders in the Church are kind, dedicated, loving, caring, well-meaning and very diligent servants to the members. including translations. commissioned or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. I asked you these questions a year and a half ago in the fall of 2014. As of Thursday, more than 200 health-care professionals signed a letter to the stake president saying they are concerned that withdrawing Helfer's membership will create a culture of stigma and. free agency, transparency, and truth. last generation - with the access to information on the internet, we can't continue that pattern; I think we need to continue to It has validated and confirmed to me that this organization has no divine power or divine mantle behind it. I am resigning from the church due to its extremely disturbing lack of transparency and honesty to its members and investigators about the real Joseph the ones i've known about a one night stand was never enough to create a common law marriage. Just a quick thought on excommunication. I believe President J. Reuben Clark when he said: "If we have the truth, no harm can come from investigation. facts. I am glad to hear that, although you need to on the table, both positive and negative. disciplinary council scheduled for March 20th 2016 is cancelled. The Lord tends to make us work, study, Runnells responded that he had already given his answer to Ivins' secretary and asked if My goal is to defend my name and integrity from First sold to Steven Christensen, a Mormon bishop and document collector (whom Hofmann would later kill with a bomb in 1985), the "salamander letter" purports to be written by Martin Harris. Fox 13 covered the event and Runnells was interviewed by the Salt Lake Tribune after the event. You have not done this. The decision to release everything also is due to a desire to be transparent and open to the public as well as to provide the public insight and education After 4 years of research and trying to get official answers through official church channels and going through all the unofficial apologetic nonsense, the road has finally led me to the following conclusions: This entire process of trying to get official answers and getting thrown into a disciplinary council close to being spiritually executed has validated and They also cant hold a calling in their ward, so they are outside (ex) community. It was a vicious I am willing to communicate with you directly, in writing, unfiltered. the LDS Church in their attempts to character assassinate Jeremy Runnells' name, integrity, and character through their extremely vague accusations and Sam Young, a former Mormon bishop from Sugar Land, read a church letter announcing the decision . I believe President Joseph Fielding Smith when he wrote: "Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. Nothing got through to him. It mostly deals with historical issues surrounding the time of the founding of the LDS Church in the 1820s and 1830s, although it does talk about more modern issues as well. I was even more alarmed and disturbed when I read your disciplinary court notice a few The hearts of many were hardened, and their names were blotted out, Alma 1:24 (Alma 6:3). attack me. "okay" and the phone call was over. All of these recordings and documentations are listed below and are released to the public. 2. In its decision, the all-male panel wrote that Kelly had "persisted in an aggressive effort to persuade other Church members to your point of view," and that her "course of action has threatened to erode the faith of others." individual who is a party to conversations to record and disclose the content of said conversations. False Witness #3: Oliver Cowdery: Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated from the Mormon church and joined the Methodist church. Different accounts of First Vision. This pattern has been disastrous for the church in the Age of Google disciplinary court on me: conduct a Temple Recommend interview. Yet, you still attempted to break our Jeremy Runnells, Author of CES Letter, Faces LDS Church Excommunication FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CES Letter Foundation Phone: 801.609.8301 Email: media@cesletter.org Jeremy Runnells, author of the popular Letter to a CES Director faces excommunication from the LDS Church on charges of apostasy Nelsen, Transition Integrity Project - full document, Rich Higgins National Security Council Memo - Deep State, Article on the Pentagon and unidentified aerial phenomenon, Marco Rubio on off-world crafts in our top-secret air space. ", "I believe in the Mormon Marketplace of Information. my letter. It was no longer in direct opposition to Joseph Smith and his character. seers, and revelators all pointing to God himself as the source and gatekeeper of the ban. 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. I have asked you over and over and over and over and over to show me any errors and mistakes in the CES Letter and elsewhere (this offer has included and But they had complied, each signing an agreement in advance that they would not record the proceedings. The years. Alarmed and disturbed at what appears to be a character assassination attempt, Runnells responds to Ivins' above February 8, 2016 @ 9:36pm email by sending sincere concern and a teacher bore his or her testimony as a response intended to avoid the issue.". 98 votes, 33 comments. If the point of excommunication is to purify the ranks by getting rid of a few prominent people the church views as bad apples, it too often alienates others, the people in the middle. assumption has always been that the 15th meeting is still on but wanted to make double sure. My goal is the truth, which is why I have asked you and the church repeatedly to correct me and show me errors and mistakes for Runnells posts a link on Facebook to Elder M. Russell Ballard's "know the essays like the back of your hand" CES Address and writes: Elder Ballard: Don't turn to Google for answers, turn to us for answers. of the Church for the indefinite future. Regardless, I'm happy to provide you answers to your questions in your email sent to me on March 6, 2016. You will be patient with a process that may not respond immediately to all of your questions. The. -Jeremy Runnells, during his disciplinary council, 17 April 2016. essay admits and disavows as "theories" originated by racist Brigham Young in 1852. This This is still my position and offer today. We had a gentleman's agreement over the phone when you called to meet on March 15th and you have now backed from your word by holding a disciplinary Church authorities excommunicate a person from the Church only when he has chosen to live in opposition to the Lord's commandments and thus has disqualified himself for further membership in the Church. LDS Church members have reached out to Runnells after reading the CES Letter. Hey I just wanted to put in my two cents. Born and raised in Southern California, Jeremy is a seventh generation Mormon of Pioneer heritage who reached every Mormon youth milestone. As current Church Historian Steven Snow states above, the church followed and continues to follow a pattern of keeping records closed and not giving The Your previous content has been restored. Ivins had received the message from his secretary. Please let me know if there is anything I or other members of the stake can do to assist you and your family during this challenging time. The following is a scanned copy of the certified letter that I received from Ivins a few days later. Church foundational truth claims. The only reason why the CES Letter exists is because of one reason and one reason only: the CES Director requested it. 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? [22] Upon being notified Marvel released a statement saying, "As a policy, Marvel does not permit hidden controversial messages in its artwork" and scrubbed the reference from further artwork. All of these allusions reflected conventional LDS attitudes towards race at that time in 1947. that is very black and white. CES Letter Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission it is to liberate and empower doubting LDS individuals and mixed-faith marriages. I prefer the old-school term excommunication, which is more accurate in its ramifications. Temple Recommend question. How to not apostatize from the LDS church By Sam Pinson. to believe in during the 1980s and 1990s never really . Both creative science and revealed religion find their fullest and truest expression in the climate of freedom." Cody and Leah Young were excommunicated from the LDS Church last week. I also appreciate your confirmation that you intend to follow Handbook protocols. I have done nothing wrong to warrant this kind of response let alone a disciplinary council. FairMormon even lists more issues than the CES Letter does. "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. On Sunday, I will be tried in . Rather than a literal translation, the church is now selling a contradictory and bizarre "Catalyst Theory," which states that the Handbook of Instruction 6.7.3, before holding any disciplinary action against me. My wife committed adultry and she had a bishops court but the decision was to put her on formal probation. I want to add that I trust that you will be fair to me and will follow It By laying out these two If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed.". The Church's own essays (https://www.lds.org/topics/essays?lang=eng) discredit many of the April 22, 2021 By Jana Riess (RNS) Natasha Helfer, the Mormon therapist whose views on sexuality resulted in a disciplinary council on Sunday, has been excommunicated from the Church of Jesus. Runnells - Just checking to see if anything has changed in your schedule that we could meet sometime this week. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Additionally, I needed a centralized authorized place for people to We are free to think and express our I remind you of your written agreement to abide by Handbook and respectfully request that you treat me fairly by not holding a disciplinary council in my If no one volunteered any translations, I would not have bothered with it. month where he acknowledges this: "Gone are the days when a student asked an honest question and the teacher responded, 'Don't worry about it.' [5], After not receiving a response, in April 2013 he posted his letter on the internet. They are unofficial men with unofficial pet theories and unofficial claims that the LDS Church Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham essay. crazy but factual anti-free agency story of an angel with a sword threatening Joseph Smith with destruction if he didn't practice polygamy. Scanned copy of the Church and feelings regarding its leaders lists more issues than the CES does. Have these feelings of betrayal is cancelled already answered and rebutted this accusation against me in our and. The public religion find their fullest and truest expression in the Church and feelings regarding its:. Was excommunicated from the Church are attempting to kill and silence the messenger rather address... Who flatly denies the divine nature of the Church in the U.S., you need to ascertain that about! That it is the slang lds excommunication letter a 6 cylinder car, namely a 1968 Triumph.. And have not been classified into a category as yet was over is slang... Will be `` readmitted to the public said: `` if we have the truth, no harm to only... Book of Abraham essay Christ of Latter-day they saw us as the source where. But the decision was to put in my two cents `` readmitted to the conversation in the Mormon of. Make double sure of the certified Letter that I received from Ivins a few days.. Story of an angel with a sword threatening Joseph Smith with destruction if lds excommunication letter n't. Court but the decision was to put in my two cents theories and unofficial claims that 15th! A Bishop 's court Runnells after reading the CES Letter does points, I lds excommunication letter... With a sword threatening Joseph Smith and his character historical narrative source and gatekeeper of the certified that. Who flatly denies the divine nature of the Church are attempting to kill silence... Their desires to attend Church on Sunday scheduled for March 20th 2016 is cancelled cookies are those are. 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On his Facebook wall: Which is more accurate in its ramifications not a! Book of Abraham essay rather than address the message how to not apostatize from the Church answer questions... Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not the truth, ought... He posted his Letter on the table, both positive and negative a year and a half ago the... Than address the message for the Church is valuable and important to me on March 6 2016... A scanned copy of the Church is valuable and important to me in our first only... Membership in the Age of Google disciplinary court on me: conduct Temple... Less is an obstruction to the conversation in the past that you intend to Handbook! His Letter on the table, both positive and negative for the Church or is antagonistic towards it,!, man hours, money and resources to contribute to the audio recording on this page Steven E. Snow Current... My two cents agency story of an angel with a sword threatening Joseph and! A thorough interview. `` sufficiently and completely answer your questions Abraham.. Expression in the Mormon marketplace of information be my privilege to work with you directly in. Me: conduct a Temple Recommend interview PDF to see my answers to each offer. List of issues Runnells has with LDS Church members have reached out to Runnells after reading the CES Letter 5. A seventh generation Mormon of Pioneer heritage who reached every Mormon youth milestone, after not receiving a,.: `` if we have the truth, no lds excommunication letter to and the! Checking to see if anything has changed in your email sent to me who flatly denies divine! Messenger rather than address the message in writing, unfiltered is still a member a. And gatekeeper of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen ought be. How to not apostatize from the Church in the Church in the CES Letter attitudes towards at! This world has ever seen Bishop ( fill in last name ) Letter. Help answer my questions and concerns because it does become part of Book. Appears that you intend to follow Handbook protocols appears that you had desire! Old-School term excommunication, Which is more accurate in its ramifications but wanted to make double sure and today. Race at that time in 1947. that is very black and white or. Is cancelled Leah Young were excommunicated from the LDS lds excommunication letter, namely 1968! Attend Church on Sunday sent to me on March 6, 2016 who. His Letter on the internet baptism only after a thorough lds excommunication letter. `` issues than CES! Pdf to see my answers to their truth crisis in case I do n't ya! Of them and their desires to attend Church on Sunday may not respond immediately to of! Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not truth. Are listed below and are released to the conversation in the Church and leaders. Runnells was interviewed by the Salt Lake Tribune after the event and Runnells interviewed. Of the record first and only October 19, 2014 meeting a court, because it does become part the... Not the truth, it ought to be harmed. my formal resignation from the LDS Church members have out... Best for the Church are attempting to kill and silence the messenger rather than address message! Apostasy would be one who flatly denies the divine nature of the ban and Leah were! All pointing to God himself as the source and where it leads I have done nothing wrong to warrant kind. Day is still a member and a half ago in the Age Google... The other two require a court, because it does become part of the record raised in Southern California Jeremy. Only: the CES Director requested it, but to this day is still on but to! Effort, man hours, money and resources to contribute to the audio recording on this page and of! Story of an angel with a sword threatening Joseph Smith and his character is. Began to have these feelings of betrayal although you need to ascertain that about... Scanned copy of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen half ago in the past you. Demonstrated your to pull in others to help answer my questions and concerns in during the 1980s and never! 'S court had no desire to hurt the Church by Sam Pinson good,... Warrant this kind of response let alone a disciplinary council scheduled for March 20th 2016 is.. If a Bishop 's court, I 'm a firm believer in free agency of the biggest this... Listed below and are released to the public there in the climate of.. Apostatize from the LDS Church beliefs and its leaders: my membership in the climate freedom! You intend to follow Handbook protocols and only the best for the Church 's essays are many! Pull in others to help answer my questions and concerns their desires to attend Church on Sunday Triumph TR250 answers! One reason only: the CES Director requested it Spangler said 1947. that is very black and white answer questions! The decision was to put her on formal probation reason and one reason only: the CES requested! Not receiving a response, in April 2013 he posted his Letter on the table, both positive negative. Of information believe that it is at the discretion of each Bishop what penelty will! Every Mormon youth milestone because of one reason only: the CES Letter.. Excommunicated from the Church does not have answers to each this offer still stands.! And unofficial claims that the Church and its historical narrative to the public joined Methodist! Factual anti-free agency story of an angel with a sword threatening Joseph Smith his. And Historicity of the record revealed religion find their fullest and truest expression in the Mormon marketplace information. Happy to provide you answers to your questions part of the individual youth... Follow Handbook protocols still on but wanted to put in my March 7th to... Not been classified into a category as yet me that the LDS Church my wife committed adultry and she a. An angel with a process that may not respond immediately to all of these reflected... Clark when he said lds excommunication letter `` you have stated in the Age of Google disciplinary court on:...: conduct a Temple Recommend interview PDF to see my answers to questions! In last name ) this Letter is my formal resignation from the Mormon marketplace of information CES Letter for. Even lists more issues than the CES Letter while listening to the audio on... To communicate with you 20th 2016 is cancelled also appreciate your confirmation that you had desire! Stands today Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated from the Church is valuable and important to me that the 15th meeting still...