How are excommunicated members generally treated? - Page 2 - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

Archaea · 12-02-2005, 09:07 PM

less than five percent of those excommunicated ever return.

I agree with your sentiments.

Repentance cannot be encouraged if further alienation is created. Sure struggling through repentance is necessary but worrying about a five year return to membership may keep some from repenting.

UtahDan · 12-02-2005, 09:10 PM

Archaea,

I have heard that statistic or something similar cited before but have never had any reason to know whether it was accurate or not. I assume that the church must have compiled that data if it exists. How did it find its way into the public domain if you know?

fusnik11 · 12-02-2005, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archaea

less than five percent of those excommunicated ever return.

I agree with your sentiments.

Repentance cannot be encouraged if further alienation is created. Sure struggling through repentance is necessary but worrying about a five year return to membership may keep some from repenting.

thats why they dont excommunicate people as much as they do. i cant give you numbers, only what stake presidents, general authorities, and mission presidents have told me. that the church is distancing itself from excommunicating those who go to the church after sin is committed....

leave excommunications to those that are pedophiles, murderers, polygamists and those that dont want to repent...

ute4ever · 12-03-2005, 12:50 AM

As a missionary in Jacksonville, AR (near Little Rock) I met a guy who was 20 and had been ex'd twice. His first ex came when he was 14. I don't know what his offense was at 14.

Then he got married at 19 and rebaptized. They separated a year later, and he began living with a girl before the divorce was finalized, and they ex'd him a second time.

My comp and I visited with him and he was friendly to us and to everyone. All in all he wasn't a bad person beating up women, drinking, doing drugs or any of that. He wanted companionship and didn't care about the technicalities of still being married on paper. Regardless, the North Little Rock stake presidency felt a need to cleanse their membership rolls of the adulterer.

realtall · 12-03-2005, 11:27 AM

If I had to guess(which is what I'm doing now) I would say that an aspect of excommunication is making sure that the punishement demonstrates that there is no tacet approval by the church of the sin. If someone gets a 'slap on the wrist' for a serious sin then that may be interpreted as a message to all that the sin wasn't that serious and neither will the punishment.

FMCoug · 12-03-2005, 01:24 PM

Correct realtall. And one of the things that seems to be being missed here is that ex-communication is not being "cut off" per se. If the sin warrants it, ex-communication is one of the steps on a long path to repentance. As I said above, I have personally known of 3 people who were in this situation (and all 3 were rebaptized btw).

12-02-2005, 09:07 PM	#11
Archaea Assistant to the Regional Manager Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Orgasmatron Posts: 24,338	A vital statistic, less than five percent of those excommunicated ever return. I agree with your sentiments. Repentance cannot be encouraged if further alienation is created. Sure struggling through repentance is necessary but worrying about a five year return to membership may keep some from repenting. __________________ Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα

12-02-2005, 09:10 PM	#12
UtahDan Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Bluth Home Posts: 3,877	Archaea, I have heard that statistic or something similar cited before but have never had any reason to know whether it was accurate or not. I assume that the church must have compiled that data if it exists. How did it find its way into the public domain if you know? __________________ The Bible tells us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go. -Galileo

12-03-2005, 12:50 AM	#14
ute4ever I must not tell lies Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 5,103	As a missionary in Jacksonville, AR (near Little Rock) I met a guy who was 20 and had been ex'd twice. His first ex came when he was 14. I don't know what his offense was at 14. Then he got married at 19 and rebaptized. They separated a year later, and he began living with a girl before the divorce was finalized, and they ex'd him a second time. My comp and I visited with him and he was friendly to us and to everyone. All in all he wasn't a bad person beating up women, drinking, doing drugs or any of that. He wanted companionship and didn't care about the technicalities of still being married on paper. Regardless, the North Little Rock stake presidency felt a need to cleanse their membership rolls of the adulterer.

12-03-2005, 11:27 AM	#15
realtall Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Krum, TX Posts: 891	If I had to guess(which is what I'm doing now) I would say that an aspect of excommunication is making sure that the punishement demonstrates that there is no tacet approval by the church of the sin. If someone gets a 'slap on the wrist' for a serious sin then that may be interpreted as a message to all that the sin wasn't that serious and neither will the punishment.

12-03-2005, 01:24 PM	#16
FMCoug Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kaysville, UT Posts: 3,151	Correct realtall. And one of the things that seems to be being missed here is that ex-communication is not being "cut off" per se. If the sin warrants it, ex-communication is one of the steps on a long path to repentance. As I said above, I have personally known of 3 people who were in this situation (and all 3 were rebaptized btw).