Originally Posted by MikeWaters (Post 99814)

My dad said when he was on the high council there were two main categories that led to excommunication: 1) sexual sin and 2) crime.

For example a member was convicted of murder, and was excommunicated.

He said no one was ever excommunicated for apostasy. Didn't even come up, I think.

Originally Posted by MikeWaters (Post 99814)

My dad said when he was on the high council there were two main categories that led to excommunication: 1) sexual sin and 2) crime.

For example a member was convicted of murder, and was excommunicated.

He said no one was ever excommunicated for apostasy. Didn't even come up, I think.

Originally Posted by Adam (Post 99843)

The church is a seriously sick organization.

Originally Posted by SoonerCoug (Post 99850)

I don't agree with that statement.

The Church is about idealism in an un-ideal world. I don't think there is anything wrong with that, even if bad people end up with authority on occasion.

Great book: Paradise Reclaimed by Halldor Laxness (who won the nobel prize in lit for a different book). It's about some icelandic guy who does insane things including abandoning of his home and family in iceland in order to move to Utah and settle in Spanish Fork. The book compares and contrasts the great society that Mormons built in Utah with the miserable life in 19th century Iceland.

I think the major point of the book is that while idealism is often viewed as pure insanity to outsiders, the greatest things can be achieved by idealistic, unrealistic, inspired people.

Originally Posted by Adam (Post 99843)

Packer is too aloof from the members to know how often he should be calling stake presidents and telling them to ex members. It is a good thing.

I think it happened when GAs stopped staying with the members when they travel. Now they fly in rent a car, go to a hotel, go to a meeting, give a talk, fly out and on to the next gig. Very little interaction with the members.

Unless they are calling a new Stake President. Then they interview the High Council and Bishops and a few old dudes and ask each one how often they look at porn. Then they get on a plane and fly to the next gig.

No one is honest with these guys. The church is a seriously sick organization.

And it is still the repository of the Priesthood keys, therefore the only place to receive saving ordinances by the proper authority.

Originally Posted by MikeWaters (Post 99854)

looks like an interesting book, but your post makes it sound like it is non-fiction. It is fiction.

http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Recla...4103994&sr=8-6

Originally Posted by MikeWaters (Post 99814)

My dad said when he was on the high council there were two main categories that led to excommunication: 1) sexual sin and 2) crime.

For example a member was convicted of murder, and was excommunicated.

He said no one was ever excommunicated for apostasy. Didn't even come up, I think.