Terryl Givens re: excommunication

[_Bryan Inks]

Prof. Givens can claim that the Church never reveals its side of the story, but the fact of the matter is that people talk. (Or 'gossip'?) The information often gets leaked, one way or the other, and so once again we find institutionalized Church secrecy causing yet another problem.

privaty
I'm reminded of the fable of the Bishopric:

A Bishopric was out fishing one Saturday morning in a motorboat. The engine died and they found themselves stranded.

It was cold and misty and the Second Counselor began chugging on a thermos. Eventually the other two noticed the liquid was a brownish color. When they inquired what it was he told them, "Everyone has their private vices. I like to drink coffee and I'm freezing."

A short time later the First Counselor pulled out a cigar and lit it. He defended himself by saying, "As he said, everyone has their private vices. I like to smoke cigars every so often and it's so cold I feel I should do it now."

The two Counselors noticed that with each revelation the Bishop smiled a little bit more. They then asked him, "C'mon Bishop, everyone has one. What's your private vice? Don't try to hide it. We know you have one."

The Bishop smiled even more and said, "You're right, I do have one. I love to gossip and I can't wait till we get back to shore."
____________________

Who committed the greatest sin?

:)

The First and Second Counselors for slitting the Bishop's throat and sinking him to the bottom of the lake, then telling everyone that he had called them to cancel his participation in the fishing trip.

Duh.

:P

[_Jason Bourne]

While watching the PBS documentary on Mormons it seemed every time I heard Terry Givens who by the way I know nothing about, invariably I'd think he was talking nonsense.

As an example in the segment on church excommunication this is what he had to say.

"I think it is important to point out that the church never makes public the transcripts of the church disciplanary proceedings. They never make press statements and so in every case which an intellectual has been excommunicated from the church the public is exposed to only 1/2 of the story and I don't think it is ever possible to come to a fair and just conclusion when we have 1/2 the story."

In other words he appears to be discrediting or convicting those who are excommunicated, inferring that one shouldn't sympathize with them and their story due to lack of information. Meanwhile he doesn't blame the church for that very lack of information.

But the church does not publish the proceedings of such councils because the consider them private and confidential and to protect the person ex'd. If the person who is ex'd wants to publish why that is their perogative. But is the SP goes off and says. Brother So and So was ex'd for cheating on his wife Brother so and so my be very upset about that.