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He visited these homes with his missionary companion and asked the boys if they still wanted to be Mormons. Quinn was so depressed by the experience that for a few weeks he lost his belief in God completely. I have kept my covenants, remained close to the church and have felt that what I have done is accepted by the Lord, the Salt Lake City editor and writer said. ", Hanks' rebaptism suggests a difference in LDS leadership from then to now, said Dan Wotherspoon, Sunstone's editor from 2001 to 2008. Sign Up. The symposium's "Pillars of My Faith" session will showcase a similar path, said Mary Ellen Robertson, Sunstone's interim executive director. ", Hanks is a "genuinely spiritual person and quite insightful, who brings a type of spirituality with her that will resonate with lots of people," he said. They don't feel safe enough to keep going it's such a terrible, terrible loss. He never wrote another work of fiction. Hankswhose nephew Paul would show up on Quinns doorstep in 1993was himself a general authority, and he had overseen the two-year Mormon mission Quinn served in England after his freshman year at BYU. The church keeps fairly careful records of its membership, for one thing, records that play a part in the worldwide effort to bring salvation to all of Gods children. She has been visited by all her ward and stake leaders since 1993, she said, but this was the first time anyone had ever proposed it. Vacillating Wildly From Dispiriting to Exhilarating, the worldwide effort to bring salvation to all of Gods children, Some things that are true are not very useful, LDS Authority and New Plural Marriages, 18901904, this growing conflict between leaders and intellectuals, Mormon Women Have Had the Priesthood Since 1843, Quinns paper about the Baseball Baptism Program, the responsibility to preserve the doctrinal purity of the church, critical pieces he had written about Mitt Romney, Hanks described her path back to Mormonism, the administration caved to pressure from Ira Fulton. She embodies, more than anyone else I know, the ideal of a broken heart and contrite spirit, which has influenced me so strongly that I, the last time I checked, was one of only two of the 21 children of the September Six who is still an active member.. West said hed been told by a higher authority to take further action to remedy the situation, Quinn says. Her testimony was that of a believer, Madrigal later told her. No telephone call came., On Aug. 27, McLean delivered the First Presidency denial. TV and newspaper reporters came. deductible, Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe@sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support801-237-2900or emailsubscribe@sltrib.com. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. [5] She then attended the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California for two years, where she studied religious history. Mormonism was as much an identity issue for them as it is for me. The LDS archives became more open to scholars than ever before, and Arrington oversaw research and writing by fellow academics and graduate studentsincluding Quinn, then 28, whom he hired as an assistant. Sometimes Stack refers to Salt Lake City . Kate Kelly, founder of the Ordain Women movement, was excommunicated in 2014 for her views on gender inequality in the Mormon Church . He left it up to local leaders to come up with a reason. The church's definition of "membership" includes all persons who were ever baptized, or whose parents were members while the person was under the age of eight (called "members . Lavina Fielding Anderson, who was excommunicated in 1993 as part of the so-called September Six, has had her request for . When he went into his office, the bishop, a man named Tom Andersen, said hed read this article in the L.A. Times, Quinn told me. . However, I do not see that eternal equality reflected in the contemporary church.". Then she was accused of apostasy for editing an anthology, Women and Authority: Re-Emerging Mormon Feminism, which included a discussion of the all-male LDS priesthood and women's relationship to it. Born in 1924 in Brigham City, Utah, the 10th of 11 children, Packer worked for years as a teacher and administrator in the Church Educational System. It is also worth noting that the church president in 1993 was an ailing Ezra Taft Benson. It was, Quinn told me, an awful, awful year., When he had recovered enough to write, Quinn finished the sequel to The Mormon Hierarchy and revised Early Mormonism and the Magic Worldview. He said it was apostasy because I believed that general authorities had done something wrong. Since then, only one Avraham Gileadi, an Old Testament scholar who has spent his life researching and writing about the biblical oracle Isaiah's prophecies about our time has been rebaptized into the faith. Hanks had already held one church court in Quinns absence, in July, at which Quinn was disfellowshipped. On Tuesday morning, James J. Hamula was released from his position in the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after disciplinary He then announced that I was not a member in good standing and could not use my temple recommend. Mike Quinn in his Rancho Cucamonga home in California this summer. I couldn't help but wonder if I, too, would be excommunicated if my concerns were made public. From that point on, she explored various Christian teachings and practices, assisted clergy with religious services and served as volunteer chaplain at Holy Cross Chapel for 13 years. He put down in words his sincere testimony in the Mormon gospel and in Ezra Taft Bensons status as a true prophet of God. News. Hi, Peggy. by Peggy Fletcher Stack. The Strengthening Church Members Committee almost certainly passed along notes about Quinn to his new stake president, Paul Hanks, in early 1993. In an April 1968 talk about military service, he described the restless, unchallenged young people who are repudiating their citizenship responsibilities by avoiding and protesting the draft. And the Tribune is changing with it. I love the gospel. I assumed there was a way to work it out. We appreciate the search for knowledge and the discussion of gospel subjects, the First Presidency said. Paul usually sits on the outside of the pew, so when the sacrament comes, he shakes his head toward me so we don't have any socially embarrassing moments. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax [10][11][12][13] The American Academy of Religion awarded her a first place Journalism Award in 2014 for her reporting on LDS missionaries who return home early from their volunteer missions. I didn't have any doubts. Half of these men speak for the accused, and half for the church. In the field of Mormon history the changes are particularly pronounced. The former LDS stake president, who oversaw a group of Mormon congregations in Tooele for eight years and worked as an architect on her faith's most sacred spaces, faced, in her mind, an impossible choice: Either return to living as a man or resign her . Quinn had spent three years in the military in the late 60s, working in counterintelligence. Quinn was shocked that it took that long. He went to stay instead with an old college friend, Richard Lambert. Quinn read Hanks letter that night and wrote a detailed response. How have the members of your ward treated you? Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Ironically, this testimony only ever deserted him on his Mormon mission. The timing of his career, which once appeared serendipitous, now seems almost cruel. While Packers precise involvement remains a matter of dispute, what little is known hints at his interference. Packers involvement mattered because the Twelve Apostles are considered by devout Mormons to be prophets, seers, and revelators. If they directed the councils, then the excommunications were, essentially, a message from the churchs highest spiritual authorities about what Mormons were allowed to do andpublicly, at leastto say. Taylor fled to Canada during the congressional hearings for Reed Smoot, a fellowbut monogamousapostle, who had been elected to the U.S. Senate. "Nobody asked me to disavow my book or stop writing," Hanks said. [5] She then received a fellowship to work in the Church History Division of the LDS Church (then run by Leonard J. I hate him. The term "September Six" was coined by The Salt Lake Tribune and was used in the media and subsequent discussion. She was also the only one whose disciplinary council was overseen by her bishop, rather than her stake president. In the first few days after the bombings, several people who had come into contact with Hofmann feared for their lives. It was not the last time he helped to excommunicate people, though. Peggy Fletcher Stack writes for the Salt Lake Tribune. He got up in front of the congregation and declared his belief in the Mormon gospel, in Joseph Smiths status as a prophet of God, and in the Book of Mormon as divine scripture. They divorced soon after. I prayed every article I wrote into print, he said, continually asking God what he should do. Find your friends on Facebook. Nor does it read like one. The stake president said I was "exed" for apostasy but I didn't really fit the handbook definition. She is in the right family. Then I went away to my cabin for the summer and he called all the temples in Utah, saying he was canceling my recommend. They dont acquire these positions by filling out an application and sending in a rsum. I love the church. disciplined Anderson and five other Mormon intellectuals, church disciplinary actions threatening Mormon feminist Kate Kelly and blogger John Dehlin. These are very sensitive and highly confidential and this is why I have not mentioned them before in writing. Hanks alluded to these matters in subsequent letters, but never explicitly said that he had Quinns sexuality in mind. With his background in education, he became interested in how the church taught its own past, and decided he did not like what was going on at the church historians office. My guess is she has to be to keep the doors open so people willing to talk to her. Though the letter from the current First Presidency made up of church President Russell M. Nelson and counselors Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring offered no explanation for the rejection, Bowman speculates that there may be at least two possible answers history and dissent. It took several hoursa vigil was held outside for the first few, with candles and hymns and hot chocolate. He was in a wheelchair. Just before his excommunication, in the spring of 1993, Quinn bore his testimony at the singles ward he was attending each week in Westwood, near UCLA. The church declined to comment on the decision. There is a peace that comes with that kind of clarity. or. Following the wave of media attention that greeted the September excommunications, the First Presidency defended what had taken place. June 17, 2014 8:59 pm . Michael Quinns final disciplinary council was held on Sept. 26, 1993, in the Salt Lake Stake Center, the headquarters for the oldest stake in Utah, founded by Brigham Young in 1847. "The issues in Mormon doctrine, history and practice highlighted by those facing church discipline are much larger than any one individual," the statement reads. Peggy Fletcher Stack / Salt Lake Tribune: High-ranking Mormon official, who twice spoke in General Conference, is excommunicated Check out Mini-memeorandum for simple mobiles or memeorandum Mobile for modern smartphones. SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) After years of tension between Mormons and gay rights activists -- with political action and theological pronouncements on one . Quinn showed that Brigham Young had a legitimate claim to the calling, though he was not the only one who did. Fixed: Release in which this issue/RFE has been fixed.The release containing this fix may be available for download as an Early Access Release or a General Availability Release. During the hiring process, a college dean offered to protect him, Quinn says, from those peoplethe LDS leadersup in Salt Lake., Before he could be hired, though, he had to visit LDS headquarters at 47 East South Temple in downtown Salt Lake and sit for an interview with one of those peoplespecifically, a general authority, one of the 100 or so men who run the church. The all-male priesthood leaders in his Willow Creek Sandy LDS stake could have excommunicated the 64-year-old author, but chose instead a . A history full of benignly angelic church leaders apparently advocated by Elders Benson and Packer would, he said, border on idolatry.. I know how to avoid people I didnt want to be in contact with, he says. The truth is not uplifting. Thats according to Quinnmy request to speak with Packer, whose health has badly deteriorated in recent years, was declined. Anderson was excommunicated for an article she wrote in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought that described episodes of what she called ecclesiastical abuse of Latter-day Saint intellectuals. Mystery! One of the central questions in the aftermath of Septembers events was just how involved Packer himself had been in them. By Peggy Fletcher Stack June 23, 2015 Many Mormon feminists experienced Kate Kelly's excommunication as a harsh slap felt around the world. http://www.sunstonemagazine.com/symposium. He stinks.. Maybe, I suggested, he was trying to bring his full self out into the open. Would love to hear your stories about her. He decided that only 16 of the changes were significant. On Sunday with similar church disciplinary actions threatening Mormon feminist Kate Kelly and blogger John Dehlin, Anderson discussed her spiritual journey: What triggered the LDS Church's disciplinary action against you? [4], She won the 2004 Cornell Award for 'Excellence in Religion ReportingMid-sized Newspapers' from the Religion Newswriters Association in 2004, an award she also received in 2012, 2017, and 2018. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. But he had a caring bishop that first year and decided on his own to serve a mission. As Quinn writes, the Manifesto inherited ambiguity, was created in ambiguity, and produced ambiguity.. Most memorably, Harris says that the spirit who appeared to Smith and directed him to the golden platesfrom which Smith claimed to have translated Mormonisms founding scriptureappeared as a white salamander and struck Smith three times. One of Ordain Womens founders, Kate Kelly, was excommunicated in June 2014. >Two years after an excommunicated Kate Kelly sought a giant leap, Mormon feminists keep making small steps toward equity . England said he knew about this espionage systemit was called the Strengthening Church Members Committee, and it compiled documents and highlighted statements considered critical of the church. Photo by George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images. It did not happen overnight, but many LDS leaders seemed to regret the furor and the hurt that surrounded those excommunications. And he based at least one of his forgeries on the work of Michael Quinn. Knowing her personally (not closely, but we're acquainted) I get the feeling that she is much more culturally LDS than actually LDS. Many religions have strictures that establish who is in and who is out, but the Mormon church draws a brighter line than most. After reading Peggy Fletcher Stack's article (linked in April's post), I realized that many of us share Lavina's ongoing concerns, including the exclusion of women from institutional authority and the side-stepping of the Heavenly Mother doctrine. As she entered the building at 47 East South Temple, she happened to pass Boyd K. Packer on his way out. [5], The Stacks traveled in Africa for a year,[5] then settled in New York City for five years,[1] where she worked as the editor of the Hastings Center Report while her husband attended film school. Daryl Peveto/Luceo Images for Slate. After Quinn finished his lunch at BYU, he decided not to go home. Taking the sacrament because it's an exclusion I feel every single week. In 1975, partly at Packers urging, Leonard Arringtons role at the church historians office was greatly diminished. In her paper, she mentioned an internal espionage system that creates and maintains secret files on members of the church. A BYU literature professor named Eugene England rose to speak as soon as Anderson finished. Dubbed the September Six, the group were mostly left-leaning writers and scholars who had published articles or given talks about the role of women in Mormonism and the way the churchs leaders handle dissent. Religion Two decades after she was "exed," Utah writer still attends her LDS ward. [5][7][8] From 1978 to 1986, she was the third editor of Sunstone. When they left, they said, "Have a nice day," to which I replied, "You have just assured that I will not.". Quinn was an ordinance worker, meaning he went to the temple regularly and helped others perform those rites. My strong hunch is that she is a cultural Mormon who no longer believes, pays tithing or observes the WoW, and that she's loosey-goosey with her attendance. I am confident that my desire to be worthy of the temple is acceptable of the Lord. I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land, it says. I accuse that committee, England declared, of undermining our Church.. McMurrin Differed in Gentler Times. June 19, 2014 ; 1 of 9; Salt Lake City Laurie Lee Hall was excommunicated from the LDS Church for being a woman. I love Jesus. He loves cities, and when he lived in New Orleans in the early 90s, he made friends in bars and in an informal group of gay professionals who gathered once a month. I don't think I could have done that graciously. By Peggy Fletcher Stack and David Noyce Sep. 7, 2022 What this sociologist (Darron Smith) and Peggy Fletcher Stack fail to recognize is that Mormon racism isn't in the past, it's in the present. Though he maintained a solemn belief in the Mormon gospel and in the sacrament partaken of by the faithful at Sunday services, he stopped attending church altogether. . Many people do reside in the borderlands between Mormon and not. Following his excommunication, he finished The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power and turned his attention to another scholarly book with deep personal meaning. LDS officials disciplined Anderson and five other Mormon intellectuals in and around the fall of 1993. If the blessing really happened, then Brigham Young, who led the early Mormons to Utah, might have been wrong to seize control of the church after Smiths murder. A box of old photos belonging to Michael Quinn at his home. [Excommunicated Mormons are not supposed to take communion.] Why didn't you go to the hearing to defend yourself? The same month that his essay about post-Manifesto polygamy was published, in April 1985, Quinn and his wife separated. In the spring, he had published LDS Authority and New Plural Marriages, 18901904, the culmination of his interest in post-1890 polygamy, first prompted a quarter-century before by Family Kingdom. In the early 90s, when he was living in New Orleans, Quinn, nearing his 50th birthday, tried his hand at fiction, going back to the literature he once studied as an undergraduate. The entry for perversion said See homosexuality, and he read all the available books in that categorynot a lot in a small public library in 1956, though fairly heady stuff for a 12-year-old: Kinseys Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, some Freud, some Havelock Ellis. As the historian Ross Peterson said at the time, Comparing Sunstone and Dialogue folks to people who were shooting Mormons in 1839 Missouri is unfair. Peterson, after speaking about Mormon temple rites in the press, had been shown his own file during a conversation with local church leaders. The book won an award from the American Historical Association, but it brought Quinn more grief in Utah. Sunstone The spiritual journey of Maxine Hanks, one of the "September Six,'" comes full circle. When something like [my excommunication] blows up, the first casualty is trust and that never comes back. Most people don't know I've been excommunicated. The charge stems from Palmer's 2002 book, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins, which challenges the traditional explanations of the faith's founding . There have always been dissidents in the Mormon ranksthe religion itself is one particularly dramatic dissent from the rest of Christian traditionbut a new community of Mormon intellectuals had coalesced in the 1960s and 70s. ", Kelly goes on KUER's Radio West "A lot of people are asking me why I came forward [with the news of my disciplinary hearing]. In May, my stake president called me in about it. The stake president, a man named Paul Hanks, tried to step into the apartment as he said hello, Quinn recalls. Going to the temple, but I feel that it's more important to have the temple in me than for me to be in the temple. This made some church leaders uneasy. "All they asked me about was my relationship to Jesus Christ.". Maxine Hanks was held in the same stake center one week before, though she did not attend it. Whitesides says that Connie Chungs people asked her to take a hidden camera into her court. Now I see that he just didn't appreciate the dishonesty associated with his grandpa. In 2001, a long-standing effort called the Joseph Smith Papers Project received additional funding and became a major draw to those who wished to study the early days of the church. She's been covering religion for the paper since 1991 taking on a variety of topics, but mostly the LDS Church. At its worst, such talk is sometimes called speaking evil of the Lords anointed.. [5][6], Fletcher initially attended Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, for a year,[1] then transferred to the University of Utah, where she earned a BA in English literature. Especially considering that in a lot of cases she's the one doing the exposing My guess is she's a let's-reform-this-baby-from-within progressive. I had never been treated as a liar before. Denver Snuffer . She was told to pass along this message: Im tired of hearing him criticize the church. No way. 1897 - First Presidency member George Q. Cannon used the media attention on the 1895 conviction and two-year imprisonment of famed Irish poet Oscar Wilde as an opportunity to pu At the pinnacle of the Mormon hierarchy is the First Presidencythe churchs prophet and his two counselorsand the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.