After a wave of poetry, prayers and personal petitions, good news greeted Gina Colvin about her membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She gets to keep it.
The verdict from her local Latter-day Saint leaders in Christchurch, New Zealand, was not to discipline the outspoken Colvin at all.
“It was ‘no action,’” the popular podcaster of “A Thoughtful Faith” wrote to thousands of Facebook friends Thursday.
Colvin, a theologian and writer, was summoned to a disciplinary “bishop’s council” — which meant her fate would be determined by her local lay bishop and his two counselors — to answer charges of apostasy and “conduct unbecoming” a member.
“When we are confronted with evidence that challenges our deeply held beliefs we are more likely to reframe the evidence than we are to alter our beliefs. We simply invent new reasons, new justifications, new explanations. Sometimes we ignore the evidence altogether.” (Mathew Syed 'Black Box Thinking')
reflexzero wrote:Does this set a precedent for members to be able to join multiple churches I wonder?
No. But I think it means more poetry, prayers, and petitions for those who no longer believe the church's truth claims but who, for whatever reason, want to remain in the church.
The Church won this battle. The more the Church ignores podcasters, bloggers, gadflies, the less these personalities can impact the Church. Allowing Gina to remain a member basically shut down the pageantry. The story is done for now.
I think Gina's absolution on the alleged apostasy charge is wonderful.
This could make for a stirring Christmas movie on KSL or KBYU. It could be called "The New Zealand Miracle".
Allowing Gina to remain a member basically shut down the pageantry. The story is done for now.
I think the real story is that Gina was allowed to think for herself and the New Zealand tribunal agreed to let her do so unmolested. Even Galileo was kept under house arrest.
Stories go ever on and on, down from URL where they began.
Interestingly, none of the responders to this announcement at the MD&D board have moved into battle formation, although Smac and Scott Lloyd have yet to enter the fray.
moksha wrote:Interestingly, none of the responders to this announcement at the MD&D board have moved into battle formation, although Smac and Scott Lloyd have yet to enter the fray.
Smac is one of the most dishonest posters I’ve encountered in the Mormon online world, but I kind of respect his ability to be all in no matter what.
moksha wrote:I think Gina's absolution on the alleged apostasy charge is wonderful.
This could make for a stirring Christmas movie on KSL or KBYU. It could be called "The New Zealand Miracle".
I think the real story is that Gina was allowed to think for herself and the New Zealand tribunal agreed to let her do so unmolested. Even Galileo was kept under house arrest.
Stories go ever on and on, down from URL where they began.
Yep, 100 percent, the real story is that local leaders potentially set precedent that allows more freedom for their local congregation than what one may find in Utah.
I, for one, am thankful to witness the New Zealand Miracle, but who would play Gina if this became a KSL production? I would think maybe they could make her character a male that way we don’t encourage female members to think for themselves. Plus, if her character becomes male, we can show her character using the magic priesthood with local New Zealand cold pressed olive oil.
consiglieri wrote:I am wondering if Gina may find herself with a new and more malleable bishop before long.
BxQ
She goes to the Anglican Church now. Why does she care what Cojcolds does?
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen