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.

LDS Outreach Opportunity: Join The 40 Days For Life Campaign Against Abortion Through November 3rd

Most active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have rather full plates with large families and church callings. But here's an outreach opportunity which may be better geared towards less-active Mormons who still believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Consider participating in the 40 Days For Life campaign.

The 40 Days For Life campaign is currently taking place in 306 U.S. and Canadian cities through November 3rd, 2013. The most visible aspect is a peaceful prayer vigil outside an abortion facility, but other forms of activism can include face-to-face flyer distribution (respect No Soliciting signs if going door-to-door), public witness, petition drives, and table displays. Most of the facilities targeted for the vigils are Planned Parenthood clinics. During the current campaign, they project that, as of Day 13 of this year's campaign, they have saved 135 babies from abortion. They claim that during the six years they've been running this campaign, 41 abortion clinics have closed, and 83 abortion workers have quit.

If you do not have a Planned Parenthood clinic or abortion facility in your town, you can still conduct a 40 Days for Life vigil. But you will need to select a different location which has some strategic significance – perhaps near city hall, a courthouse, or a highly visible intersection. And if you intend to wear the 40 Days For Life mantle, you need to abide by their standards of behavior. For a believing Mormon, the latter should be no problem. If you cannot find time to physically participate, they accept donations.

Why is this so important? Here's a video by Alexander Tsiaras which graphically shows the process of human progression, beginning by showing an egg being fertilized and ending by illustrating a baby’s actual birth. The actual sequence of fetal development begins at 2:05:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKyljukBE70



Here are three reasons why it would be beneficial for members of the LDS Church to get involved in this campaign:

(1). It shows that we care about unborn human life. The current map shows a disturbing lack of pro-life activism in the most Mormon parts of the country -- Utah and Southeast Idaho. Only one vigil has been mounted in Utah. This needs to be corrected.

(2). It gives us the opportunity to show our detractors that we don't have horns and a forked tail. We show fellow Christians that we are indeed Christian, and we show social progressives that we are not racist, sexist, or homophobic.

(3). It gives us an opportunity to offer the fulness of the Gospel to others as the Holy Ghost prompts us. But this does not mean if we take part in a vigil that we immediately "spam" non-Mormons with the Gospel and shove the Book of Mormon at them. First, we show respect for the venue by doing THEIR thing. Then, after we've earned the confidence of our fellow activists and they ask us about our religion, we can tell them we're Mormon and answer any questions they might have. As LDS members, we display a disturbing tendency to view non-Mormons primarily as prospective converts. We must FIRST show a willingness to love and value non-Mormons just as they are. Above all, allow the Holy Ghost the opportunity to prompt us as to when, how, and to whom we extend an offer to learn the fulness of the Gospel.

And finally, here's the official LDS Church's position on abortion. We can accept therapeutic abortion after prayerful consideration, but we don't accept elective abortion, and Church members who undergo elective abortions may face a disciplinary council:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in the sanctity of human life. Therefore, the Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience, and counsels its members not to submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortions.

The Church allows for possible exceptions for its members when:

-- Pregnancy results from rape or incest, or
-- A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy, or
-- A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.

The Church teaches its members that even these rare exceptions do not justify abortion automatically. Abortion is a most serious matter and should be considered only after the persons involved have consulted with their local church leaders and feel through personal prayer that their decision is correct.

The Church has not favored or opposed legislative proposals or public demonstrations concerning abortion.

Mormons In The 111th Congress: Where LDS Lawmakers Stand On Immigration

The latest effort at immigration reform promoted by Utah U.S. Senator Bob Bennett triggered my interest on where members of Congress who are also members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stand on immigration issues, since Senator Bennett himself is LDS.

In case you are not familiar, Senator Bennett has introduced a bill entitled the "Fairness In Representation Act", which would require the U.S. Census Bureau to collect information on the citizenship status of respondents. The primary purpose of the bill is to prevent illegal immigrants from inflating a state's population totals to the point to where they would get additional U.S. House seats as a result. That's only fair, since the Census Bureau won't count American LDS missionaries deployed abroad, a decision which screwed Utah out of a fourth U.S. House seat in 2000. It's uncertain whether it could be passed and implemented in time for the 2010 census, but could be applied in all future census determinations. The bill is currently co-sponsored by Sens. Mike Enzi (R-WY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Jim Bunning (R-KY); Crapo is also LDS.

If you want your Senators to co-sponsor this bill, you'll find contact information for U.S. Senators available HERE.

NumbersUSA has been tracking and grading U.S. lawmakers over a period of many years. Their standards and ratings are consistent and can be considered reliable. To view the grades assigned to all lawmakers, click HERE, then click on the name of the lawmaker of interest. The grades of LDS lawmakers are posted below. Click on the lawmaker's name to go to the official Congressional website, and on the grades to go to the raw data, which is current as of September 18th, 2009:

(1). U.S. Senate:
-- Michael Crapo (R-ID): Career grade A-, Recent grade A
-- Harry Reid (D-NV): Career grade C-, Recent grade F-
-- Tom Udall (D-NM): Career grade D, Recent grade D-
-- Bob Bennett (R-UT): Career grade C-, Recent grade C-
-- Orrin Hatch (R-UT): Career grade C+, Recent grade B

(2). U.S. House:
-- Jeff Flake (R-AZ): Career grade C, Recent grade C
-- Wally Herger (R-CA): Career grade A, Recent grade B+
-- Howard McKeon (R-CA): Career grade A, Recent grade A
-- Mike Simpson (R-ID): Career grade B, Recent grade B
-- Dean Heller (R-NV): Career grade A, Recent grade A
-- Rob Bishop (R-UT): Career grade B, Recent grade B
-- Jason Chaffetz (R-UT): Career grade A+, Recent grade A+
-- Jim Matheson (D-UT): Career grade C+, Recent grade B+
-- Eni Faleomavaega (non-voting delegate from American Samoa): Not listed, because he doesn't cast votes on bills

Most LDS lawmakers are fairly strong on immigration issues. The variability tends to reflect party differences; the LDS Church, despite its belief in the 12th Article of Faith, which states, "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law", maintains a benign neutrality on immigration issues, pursuing a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" attitude, particularly when it comes to calling elders for missionary service.

Independent LDS Political Activism: Nauvoo Third Ward's Kristy Combs Mobilizes Opposition To HB2234, Illinois' Proposed Civil Union Legislation

Only a slothful servant needs be commanded in all things. And Kristy Combs neither needed nor received any directive from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to launch a last-minute mobilization campaign to stop a civil union bill from making it out of committee in the Illinois State Legislature. Media story published by KTVX Channel 4 in Salt Lake; additional background provided by BoxTurtleBulletin and by Voice Of Deseret.

Combs, a member of the Nauvoo (IL) Third Ward, decided that HB2234 poses enough of a threat to the traditional family to warrant preventive action. So she decided the best way to get her fellow ward members involved was to send them a mass e-mail through the Church's secure e-mail network. So she contacted her bishop, informed him of the subject of the e-mail, and Bishop Chris Church gave her his approval to use the network. Not because he necessarily agreed with the content; in fact, he later reiterated that participation in the campaign was strictly voluntary and not a test of faith. But he approved her request simply because it met the necessary criteria for using the e-mail network.

Read the full text of Illinois HB2234 HERE. KTVX news video embedded below:



Here's the text of the e-mail:

From: Kristy Combs (kristyc at mchsi dot com)
Date: March 3, 2009 12:27:59 PM CST
Subject: Civil Union bill scheduled for a hearing Thursday - calls needed

This message has been authorized for sending by Bishop Church.
The Civil Union Bill (HB 2234) has been scheduled for a hearing in the Youth and Family Committee this week on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. in Springfield. If the bill is voted out of committee, it becomes eligible for a vote before the full Illinois House of Representatives. This bill will legalize civil unions in the state of Illinois, and will treat such civil unions with the same legal obligations, responsibilities, protections and benefits as are afforded within marriage. In other words, civil unions will be different in name only from marriage. As has already been seen in Massachusetts, this will empower the public schools to begin teaching this lifestyle to our young children regardless of parental requests otherwise. It will also create grounds for rewriting all social mores; the current push in Massachusetts is to recognize and legalize all transgender rights (An individual in Massachusetts can now change their drivers license to the gender they believe themselves to be, regardless of actual gender, which means that confused men and women are now legally entering one another’s bathrooms and locker rooms. What kind of a safety issue is this for our children?). Furthermore, while the bill legalizes civil unions, it will be used in the courts to show discrimination and will ultimately lead to court mandated same-sex marriages.

To help defeat this bill, please call your state representative and state senator and ask that they support traditional marriage and vote against the civil unions bill. If you are unsure who your legislators are, please see the link at the end of this email.

Also, please take a moment and call the following members of the Youth and Family Committee to encourage them to vote no on this bill. We need 4 votes to keep it from passing out of the committee. And - as always, please pass this on to all who believe in protecting our families and our children. If you are interested in attending the hearing, it will be held on Thursday, March 5th at 9:00 a.m. in Springfield in Room 122B of the Capitol Building (I can give you directions to the Capitol Building if needed).

Members of the Youth and Family Committee:

Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) (Greg Harris is also the sponsor of this bill, but he needs to hear your opposition to this bill)
Chairperson
217-782-3835

Rep. LaShawn K. Ford (D-Chicago)
Vice-Chairperson
217-782-5962

Rep. Mike Fortner (R-West Chicago)
Republican Spokesperson
217-782-1653

Rep. William D. Burns (D-Chicago)
217-782-2023

Rep. Michael P. McAuliffe (R-Chicago)
217-782-8182

Rep. Al Riley (D-Matteson)
217-558-1007

Rep. Dave Winters (R-Rockford)
217-782-0455

Directions for identifying your legislators:

You can use the following link to identify your state legislators and their contact information:

http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/SelectSearchType.aspx?NavLink=1 (and enter your 9 digit zip code). If this link doesn’t work, you can use the general link www.ilga.gov and then click on ” legislator lookup” near the bottom of the page, then click on “by zip+4″. Type in your zip code, and you’ll see a list of your legislators. You want your state senator and state representative as they will be the ones voting on the bill.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Sister Combs.

Predictably, the left-wing and pro-gay blogosphere chimped out, with all the hysterical condemnation they normally direct towards anyone opposing the gay agenda, not just Mormons. Results of a Google blog search of the phrase "mormons oppose illinois civil unions" (without the quotes) can be viewed HERE. Some even suggested that the LDS Church officially put her up to it.

Not so, says official LDS spokesman Scott Trotter. Here's the statement he issued late on March 4th:

“As is widely known, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in the sanctity of traditional marriage. The Church has not taken a position on any legislation currently being considered by the Illinois State Legislature. The Church did not send an e-mail to its members in regards to House Bill 2234, although a false report to the contrary has been circulated. An e-mail was sent from a local Illinois Church leader to his congregation – one of 129 congregations in the state — who was free to express his own views.”

-Scott Trotter, Church spokesman

Kristy Combs is to be commended for her initiative, courage, and activism. The LDS Church is an activist church; it encourages people to get involved. That's why so many members are called to positions within a given ward. It is not intended to be a church for spectators.

Update: On March 5th, HB2234 was passed by the Youth and Family Committee by a 4-3 vote. The bill now goes to the full House for consideration. The bill guarantees some of the rights and responsibilities to persons in civil unions that are currently granted to persons in civil marriages. Among those rights are the ability to participate in healthcare visitation and decision making for one’s partner, survivor benefits and the right to make disposition decisions about deceased partner’s remains. The bill also re-affirms religious institutions’ right not to solemnize a civil union.