Disciplinary Council Defers Decision On Kate Kelly's Membership Status For A Couple Of Days; Disfellowshipment May Be More Likely Than Excommunication

Update June 23rd: I was a bit too kind-hearted in my assessment; Kate Kelly was excommunicated from the LDS Church on this date. In response, Kelly said “The decision to force me outside my congregation and community is exceptionally painful. Today is a tragic day for my family and me as we process the many ways this will impact us, both in this life and in the eternities. I love the gospel and the courage of its people. Don’t leave. Stay, and make things better.” Her response is similar to the approach taken by Denver Snuffer after his excommunication.

The leadership of Kate Kelly's former ward held the long-heralded disciplinary council on Ordain Women founder Kate Kelly on June 22nd, 2013, trying her for apostasy, and they notified her of their initial decision, which was promptly posted on the Ordain Women Facebook page:

Kate Kelly's Bishop just said via email: "After having given intense and careful consideration this evening to your membership status, and after carefully reviewing the materials you sent to us, we have decided that we want to prayerfully consider this matter overnight. I will notify you once we have a final decision, probably tomorrow or Tuesday."

This does not necessarily mean excommunication's off the table. What is most likely is that the members of the disciplinary council do not agree on the penalty. This increases the chance that disfellowshipment might be the penalty prescribed rather than excommunication. Kelly has repeatedly asserted her fundamental loyalty to the Church and its senior leadership throughout this entire saga, and this undoubtedly has influenced the council. In addition, over 1,000 letters supporting Kate Kelly were brought to the council, and perhaps they would like to review that correspondence prior to making a final decision.

The primary difference between disfellowshipment and excommunication is that in the case of disfellowshipment, one at least still remains a member of the LDS Church and thus doesn't have all sealings and blessings cancelled.

Vigils in support of Kate Kelly took place in more than 50 U.S. cities, including Salt Lake City (250 attendees), Seattle (25 at the Seattle North Stake Center), Denver, Albuquerque; the site of the hearing in Oakton, VA (60 people); Evanston, IL; Columbia, SC; and even far-off Anchorage, AK. It is unlikely that these vigils influenced the council. LDS Church spokeswoman Ally Isom issued the following statement after the Salt Lake vigil, which included a march from City Creek Park the the Church Office Building:

“In the church we want all to feel welcome, safe, valued, and there is room for questions but how we ask is as important as what we ask, we shouldn’t try to dictate to God what is right in this church”.

Church discipline is not the end of the world. The Deseret News published a story about six LDS members who made it back from various forms of Church discipline. The common denominators:

(1). The penitent valued a return to full fellowship and was fully repentant.

(2). The disciplinary councils played more of a pastoral than a judgmental role.

(3). All the council members cited in the story emphasized there was no command pressure from the General Authorities to decide on a particular outcome. This point has been disputed by some, most notably Denver Snuffer.

LDS Church To Hold Disciplinary Council For Ordain Women Founder Kate Kelly, Excommunication A Possibility

On June 11th, 2014, the New York Times reported that two dissident activist members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Kate Kelly and John Dehlin, face upcoming disciplinary councils and may be excommunicated from the Church. This post is about the Kate Kelly story.

Sister Kelly received an email on June 8th from the bishop of her previous ward in Virginia (she currently lives in Provo) informing her that she faces disfellowshipment or excommunication on the grounds of apostasy, and calling her to a disciplinary council hearing at the Oakton Virginia Stake Center on June 22nd. Disfellowshipment means limiting the participation of a church member, while excommunication is removing someone from membership. Kelly’s stake president had previously warned her in a letter in May that if she did not shut down the Ordain Women website, dissociate herself from it and repent, she faced excommunication for openly, repeatedly and deliberately acting in public opposition to the church and its leaders after having been counseled not to do so. The letter said "you are not required to change your thinking or the questions you may have in your own mind", but that she must keep her questions private and resolve them by talking to her bishop. According to this comment posted on Millennial Star, Kelly was placed on informal probation at that time, the conditions of which she could not identify herself as a member in good standing, participate in temple or sacrament ordinances, pray or speak in church. Another source reveals that when Kelly attempted to appeal the informal probation up the chain of command, Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Quorum of the Seventy said he could do nothing for her.

Kelly has posted a copy of this letter HERE, although I've not been able to get it to load successfully.

Kate Kelly describes this development in her own words on the Ordain Women website:

I was informed on June 8 that there will be a disciplinary council held in absentia by my former bishopric on June 22 to try me for "apostasy". I have moved away from the Washington, DC area, and after I left my former Stake President sent me a letter outlining what he called “informal probation” after meeting with me one time, while I was packing to move. The trial will be held in my former ward and I am not able to return.

I was open and honest with my bishop from the day we launched ordainwomen.org on March 17, 2013. I communicated with him each and every time Ordain Women did an action and asked that he come to me if he had any questions. While I was living in his ward, he never once personally called me in to meet with him. Nor did he email or call me with any questions regarding Ordain Women. Three weeks after I had moved out of his ward, and he sent me this letter. Convening a council in my absence, after I have moved, is both cowardly and unchristlike.

During two successive General Conferences, in October 2013 and April 2014, Kelly and Ordain Women announced their intention to line up outside the Conference Center and ask for admission tickets to the all-male General Priesthood Session. On both occasions, LDS authorities told them in advance they would not be admitted. Nevertheless, they showed up and lined up anyway. The latter implies that Kate Kelly and the Ordain Women activists went beyond merely advocating for women's Priesthood ordination, coming out in open rebellion against LDS Church authorities. Sister Kelly seems absolutely blind to the effects of this action and the futility of influencing Church policy through civil disobedience. Nevertheless, the LDS Church was willing to blow it off and turn the other cheek after the first incident in October 2013, although they rebutted five formal requests by Ordain Women to meet the Church authorities.

But Ordain Women chose to do it a second time in April 2013. This means they slapped the LDS Church's other cheek. Consequently, the LDS Church had no viable alternative but to initiate a disciplinary council and try Kate Kelly for her membership. But while this is just, it is no cause for joy. Those of us who believe she deserves ecclesiastical discipline ought not to be celebrating this occasion. It is a bit troubling that Kelly reports she will not be able to attend her own council, but perhaps that's a misunderstanding on her part, since it is a requirement that the subject of a disciplinary council be allowed to attend and speak in his/her own defense.

Since this post was published, the LDS Church has issued an updated statement on Church discipline which makes no specific reference to either Kate Kelly or John Dehlin:

"The Church is a family made up of millions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and opinions. There is room for questions and we welcome sincere conversations. We hope those seeking answers will find them and happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Sometimes members’ actions contradict Church doctrine and lead others astray. While uncommon, some members in effect choose to take themselves out of the Church by actively teaching and publicly attempting to change doctrine to comply with their personal beliefs. This saddens leaders and fellow members. In these rare cases, local leaders have the responsibility to clarify false teachings and prevent other members from being misled. Decisions are made by local leaders and not directed or coordinated by Church headquarters.

"Actions to address a person’s membership and standing in their congregation are convened after lengthy periods of counseling and encouragement to reconsider behavior. Ultimately, the door is always open for people to return to the Church."

Ordain Women Responds: KSTU Channel 13 reports that Kimberly Baptista, public relations director of Ordain Women, stated in an email that they have two actions in response. The first is that they are asking supporters to submit a letter describing how the group has improved their relationships with the Church or strengthened their testimonies. Representatives from Ordain Women will deliver these letters to the Church Office Building and will also send them to those who make up Kelly's disciplinary council. The letters are being collected HERE. The group is also planning to hold a candlelight vigil on June 22 at 5 p.m. MDT, the same time as the hearing. The vigil will be held outside the LDS Church Office Building in Salt Lake City, and those who gather will do so to show their support of Kelly.

Other Reaction: Predominantly LDS reaction from a number of sources (after the jump):

LDS Church Asks Ordain Women Feminists Not To Crash The Priesthood Session Of The April 2014 General Conference

The 184th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is at hand. It will kick off on Saturday March 29th, 2014 at 6:00 P.M. MDT with the General Women's Meeting, which this year is a combined meeting for all females eight years of age and older, and will culminate with the customary general sessions and priesthood session during the weekend of April 5-6. There are persistent rumors that the Church may announce a modification of the temple wedding policy during this Conference; to wit, that the one year waiting period between a civil marriage and a temple marriage may be eliminated in North America.

Unfortunately, the feminist activists of Ordain Women want to upstage the Conference with their selfish agenda once again. They propose to line up before the all-male Priesthood Session on Saturday April 5th and demand tickets to enter the session. They will begin with opening exercises at City Creek Park at 4:00 P.M., then form up in the standby line outside the Conference Center at 4:30 P.M. to ask for admission tickets. Then, regardless of the outcome, they will reconstitute at City Creek Park. Over 100 of them did this in October 2013 even though LDS authorities told them in advance that they would not be admitted to the Priesthood Session. To their credit, the Ordain Women organizers intend to rigorously police the conduct of activists; they will not permit their people to display signs, vent any anti-Mormon tirades, and they ask activists to dress in Sunday best. The official Ordain Women spokespersons are identified as Kate Kelly, April Young Bennett, Debra Jenson, Suzette Smith, Chelsea Shields Strayer, Hannah Wheelwright, and Lorie Winder.

The LDS Church has fired back. According to the Deseret News, LDS spokeswoman Jessica Moody sent a letter to Ordain Women accusing them of intractability and saying that their activities detract from the helpful discussions that Church leaders have held as they seek to listen to the thoughts, concerns, and hopes of women inside and outside of Church leadership. Moody reminded the group that ordination of women to the priesthood is a matter of doctrine that is currently contrary to the Lord’s revealed organization for His church, and suggested that if they really felt like they needed to make a public statement, they should reconsider their current plans to demonstrate and instead assemble at one of the free-speech zones outside Temple Square. The full letter is published at the end of this post, after the jump.

Kate Kelly quickly responded. She tried to put a positive spin on the Church's letter by characterizing it as a sign that the Church is willing to continue the dialogue. But she rejected the notion of diverting her group to the free speech zones, saying "We feel as faithful, active Mormon women we have nothing in common with people who oppose the church and want to protest against it. The church is its members. We aren't against the church, we are the church." Kelly takes umbrage at the thought of being linked with the customary anti-Mormon protestors in the free speech zones, saying that they're out to destroy the Church, and Ordain Women does not share that goal.

Prognosis: By their response, the LDS Church clearly indicates they would rather not subject these women to disciplinary councils. By suggesting the free speech zones as an alternative, the Church clearly respects Ordain Women's First Amendment rights to advocate for their cause. However, if Ordain Women chooses to line up for tickets, they are doing so against specific counsel; their actions can be interpreted as being in open rebellion against the Church, and they will jeopardize their membership. There is no way the Church could let it go, particularly after excommunicating Denver Snuffer and Brent D. Larsen under more sketchier pretexts. It is interesting that the Ordain Women activists want to stubbornly impose their minority opinion upon a 15-million member church rather than consider transferring to another church which confers priesthood upon women, such as the Community of Christ.

Unofficial LDS Reaction: Lining up in support of Ordain Women is Feminist Mormon Housewives and Approaching Justice. April Young Bennett posted additional support on The Exponent.

In support of the Church's position is Millennial Star, where Geoff B. notes that while the Ordain Women movement has garnered a total of 2,076 “likes” on its Facebook page, a counter-movement started last week called “Mormon Women Stand” already has 2840 “likes” with hundreds being added every day. A brief but eloquent statement of support for the Church's position is also posted on Rains Came Down. Public comments to media outlets such as KSL Channel 5 are mostly supportive of the Church.

Kate Kelly Won't Face Church Discipline For Her Ordain Women Activities; Too Bad Denver Snuffer Didn't Have The Same Stake President

I fully expected Ordain Women's founder Kate Kelly to face a disciplinary council over her effort to seek admission to the General Conference Priesthood Session on October 5th, 2013. Because she chose to seek admission even after she was told by Church authorities that she and her group would not be admitted, I interpreted that as an act of open rebellion against duly constituted Church authority.

However, Sister Kelly's local priesthood chain of command in Washington DC does not share that perspective. Kelly states that while she was called in by her bishop and stake president to explain her actions, she was told she was not facing any disciplinary action. Furthermore, she states that her priesthood chain of command told her they were not ordered to call her in by senior Church authorities, and that the senior leadership is not contemplating a crackdown on Ordain Women activists.

The money shot from Sister Kelly's post on Feminist Mormon Housewives:

The most important, immediate takeaways from my encounter with leadership were:

1) They explicitly and emphatically assured me that I was not facing any type of disciplinary action for my founding of, and participation in, Ordain Women.

2) They told me there was no directive from any area authority or higher-level Church leader instructing them to meet with me, interview me or punish me in any way. Hence, they assured me when I asked, there is no concerted effort on the part of the Church to “crack down” on members of Ordain Women or target us specifically for our unequivocal calls for female ordination.

Clearly the power dynamic was not balanced, but I came away from the meeting feeling proud and satisfied. While they do not agree with me, I felt I spoke clearly and the discussion was a productive one. My friend Suzette, and my dad also recently met with their leaders. They both discussed their Ordain Women participation with candor and had their temple recommends renewed.

Other commenters to the post indicate they also haven't faced any excommunication threats. So if Kate Kelly's activism passes muster with her local leadership, that would seem to settle the issue. The Church has set a newer and more flexible standard as to what constitutes acceptable public disagreement with Church policy by members.

Too bad Denver Snuffer didn't have the same stake president. Unlike Kate Kelly, Snuffer never led any public protests; his book, Passing The Heavenly Gift, was deemed by Church authorities to denigrate all LDS presidents since Joseph Smith. I can offer two reasons as to why Denver Snuffer was treated more harshly than Kate Kelly:

(1). Stake presidents enjoy considerable autonomy to run their fiefdoms with minimal interference. The Church chooses not to micromanage their stake presidents, reflecting Joseph Smith's old mantra "I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves". The First Presidency upheld the excommunication of Denver Snuffer on appeal.

(2). Unlike Kate Kelly, Denver Snuffer also held the priesthood. Because the priesthood confers additional authority and responsibility, a bearer of the priesthood incurs additional accountability. Thus Snuffer's stake president must have concluded that Snuffer, as a priesthood holder, should be judged by a higher and harsher standard than an ordinary member. This is implied by Doctrine & Covenants 121:36 which states, in part, "...the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness".

Is Ordain Women Organizer Kate Kelly Guilty Of Apostasy? Feminism Becoming Incompatible With Mormonism

The actions by Ordain Women during the 183rd Semiannual General Conference continue to generate considerable backlash from believing Mormons. And one woman pulls no punches about her attitude. Jenny Hatch, the editor of The Natural Family Blog, lets 'em have it right between the eyes. She reproves with major-league "sharpness".

Most impressively, Jenny Hatch is wise to the true agenda of the Mormon feminist movement:

I believe this group of activist women are an organized cabal of professionally trained leftist agitators who have been tasked with doing a well publicized stunt in order to be excommunicated so they can then then whine to the media for the next twenty years about how evil and patriarchal the church is, having put their Feminist beliefs on the line and paid the seemingly ultimate sacrifice. I just wonder how much money they have been paid to do it…

I have quietly observed Joanna Brooks well timed book rollout, her many blog posts, media appearances, book tours, and I even attended her lecture on the campus of SUU [Southern Utah University] last fall. She is a statist progressive who has no clear understanding of the basic doctrines of the church.

She is someone who believes her agenda of ordaining women to the Priesthood will “shape” the future of the Faith I love.

And I am here to tell you, “No, it will not”.

In her post today [October 7th] she made it clear they are just getting started as a group.

She hits the nail on the head; the fact that Kate Kelly is a "human rights lawyer" from Washington DC is no coincidence. Feminism is divisive, corrosive, inherently anti-male, blaming men for all the sins of the universe, past, present, and future. In fact, one non-Mormon preacher, John Hagee, once suggested that feminism could be considered witchcraft, defining witchcraft as the unrighteous control over someone through manipulation or intimidation for the purposes of domination (scroll down to Hagee on Feminism). Feminism actually cultivates and enshrines female victimhood by encouraging vulnerable women to blame men and patriarchy for their problems instead of taking their share of responsibility for problem-solving. And although some "sensitive" men may go into "Uncle Tim" mode and identify with feminists as a reflection of Stockholm Syndrome, most men and are put off by feminism because they want to remain men and don't think they should have to walk on eggshells in their own homes or in church.

However, it might be a mistake to condemn all 150 of the activists who showed up at Temple Square on October 5th as apostates. Not all are equally culpable; many have been misled and have become deluded. It is only the leadership of this group that could really be considered as "sinning against the light". On The Millennial Star, LDS Philosopher articulates a good distinction between heresy and apostasy. He suggests that while heresy is limited to thought alone, apostasy takes place when the "heretic" promotes that heresy publicly. To wit:

In short, if you have a different opinion, if you disbelieve certain core Church teachings, you are fully welcome to worship with us. It’s ok to have questions and doubts. That doesn’t make you a bad Mormon. We want you with us. But when you start to publish opinions that directly contradict the established teachings of the Church, and earnestly try to persuade others to believe such an opinion, you are engaging in apostasy. For example, if you believe that same-sex activity is not sinful, you might be a heretic, and that’s ok. We can accept you. We will try and teach you, but we will embrace you with open arms and fellowship nonetheless. If you publish a book about it, or write a blog post about it, in which you try to convince others that the established teachings of the Apostles on sexuality are wrong and misguided, you are not longer just a heretic — you are an apostate.

According to the 2010 Church Handbook of Instructions Volume 1 (not officially available online), it is not heresy that's actionable, but apostasy. According to paragraph 6.7.3, apostasy is one of the transgressions mandating a disciplinary council. Here's how the Church defines it:

Apostasy. As used here, apostasy is used to refer to members who:

(1). Repeatedly act in clear, open, and deliberate public opposition to the Church and its leaders.

(2). Persist in teaching as Church doctrine information that is not Church doctrine after they have been corrected by their bishop or a higher authority.

(3). Continue to follow the teachings of apostate sects (such as those that advocate plural marriage) after they have been corrected by their bishop or a higher authority.

(4). Formally join another church and advocate its teachings.

Unlike other transgressions like murder, rape, and incest, which mandate excommunication as the only outcome, the CHI does not mandate excommunication as the only outcome for an apostasy trial. Thus a stake court may consider the full range of actions from formal probation, disfellowshipment, or excommunication.

While Kate Kelly is certainly not guilty of items (2), (3), and (4), she comes close to the line on Item 1. Even after she was told in advance by the Church that women would not be admitted to the Priesthood Session, she and her cohorts chose to go to Temple Square and seek admission. This is more than just apostasy; this constitutes open rebellion against the Church leadership, and even if there's no track record of Kate Kelly doing this "repeatedly", it certainly warrants a response by her local Church leadership in Washington DC. At the very least, her bishop and/or stake president should call her in and ask her to explain her actions. In fact, some of the Ordain Women activists have already been called in by their bishops to explain their participation, although Kelly herself claims her local leadership has been supportive. Whether it would escalate into a full-blown disciplinary council would depend upon her response. If Kate Kelly's act of open rebellion goes unexamined, this could encourage more rebellion. Denver Snuffer's so-called "apostasy" pales by comparison.

Feminism is growing more and more incompatible with Mormonism with each passing day.

Feminist Mormon Women Plan To Crash The LDS General Conference Priesthood Session For Political Reasons; Where Are The Disciplinary Councils Now?

According to a post on Feminist Mormon Housewives, the group Ordain Women plan to crash the Priesthood Session of the upcoming 183rd Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

They do plan to be dignified about it, however. On Saturday, October 5th, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. MDT, they plan to meet at City Creek Park and walk over the the Conference Center together. The women and their so-called "male allies" will form up in the standby line in order to gain admittance to the Priesthood Session. If they are admitted, they will celebrate this "historical achievement" by attending the Priesthood Session together. Afterwards, they will reconstitute at City Creek Park to speak to the public about the outcome. At this meeting, Ordain Women will also make a public statement continuing their unequivocal call for complete equality and the ordination of Mormon women. The possibility of a full-blown media circus exists. How many will show up? As of this post, 126 people have posted their intent to participate on the Ordain Women Facebook Page, with another 67 saying Maybe.

Despite their protestations to the contrary, these people are not doing this because of an honest desire to serve the Lord. Their real motivation is obvious -- to turn Priesthood ordination into a political football, sow hate and dissension within LDS ranks, and inflict damage upon the Church. On FMH, Rah writes "I predict that the conversation will be hard, messy and in some sad cases pit mother against daughter, wife against husband, friend against friend." This is NOT the way our Savior works; this is the way of Satan. Unfortunately, Ordain Women is also leading astray some fundamentally honest but frustrated women who have been persuaded that ordination of women could "double the power of God in one day". Notice there is no corresponding group of men planning to crash the General Relief Society Meeting to be held on Saturday September 28th. The LDS Church needs to politely but assertively lay the smack down on these women and refuse them entrance.

If Ordain Women does indeed try to carry this out, the leaders of this group also need to be hauled before disciplinary councils and tried for their Church membership. If Denver Snuffer, who has consistently expressed love and loyalty towards the Church and the Gospel, was worthy of excommunication, then excommunication of these insurgents is FAR MORE JUSTIFIED. A commenter on Pure Mormonism noted the double standard between the treatment meted out to Denver Snuffer and that accorded to dissident Mormon feminists.

LDS Church Officially Responds To The "Ordain Women" Initiative; Most LDS Women Still Do Not Support Female Ordination

Although the Ordain Women initiative has been previously presented and discussed on this blog, the mainstream media has launched a fresh wave of publicity. Just today, the San Jose Mercury-News published a story which was first published by the Salt Lake Tribune on April 3rd, 2013. And the story contains official reaction from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can visit the Ordain Women website HERE.

It appears the LDS Church does not view the Ordain Women initiative as heresy or apostasy at this time, and it is unlikely that the people who submitted a supportive profile will face any disciplinary councils. LDS spokeswoman Jessica Moody issued the following statement:

"The worth of a human soul is not defined by a set of duties or responsibilities. In God's plan for his children, both women and men have the same access to the guidance of his spirit, to personal revelation, faith and repentance, to grace and the atonement of his son, Jesus Christ, and are received equally as they approach him in prayer. But a male-only priesthood was established by Jesus Christ himself, and is not a decision to be made by those on Earth."

This is a smart and sensible reaction, because the Ordain Women movement is proceeding cautiously. They are not advocating that priesthood be extended to women independent of revelation. Kate Kelly, one of Ordain Women's founders who is a lifelong Mormon who served a full-time mission and who is also an international human rights lawyer in Washington, D.C., said "We sustain the prophet and the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and ask them to prayerfully consider this change. We believe that what we are doing demonstrates our faith in the gospel." The key is that she sustains the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, which deflects concerns about apostasy.

To support her contention, Kelly points to a 2011 self-reported survey of about 3,000 Mormons who no longer believe in the church that found 63 percent of all women and 70 percent of single women cited gender issues as being the primary reason for their loss of faith. However, the key is that her referenced survey was limited to those Mormons who no longer believe in the Church; in contrast, in a survey of U.S. religion by Robert Putnam and David Campbell, who published "American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us" in 2010, they reported that 90 percent of ALL LDS women opposed female ordination in the Church, while only 52 percent of LDS men were against it. So it appears that Kate Kelly is more concerned about doubters and skeptics than about mainstream Mormons. The Mormon Women Project, which showcases diverse, talented and strong LDS women, is not enthused about the Ordain Women initiative because they are uncomfortable with movements that take on the church as a whole, and fear that overreaching will kill any influence LDS women already have on Church direction.

So long as Ordain Women sustains the "Brethren", and does not solicit or support diatribes against the LDS Church, I see no reason to question their worthiness, although they will have to remain vigilant against feminist manipulation. A repeat of the 1993 purge of the "September Six" would not be in our best interests.

Some pertinent comments to the Mercury-News story (after the jump):