LDS Freedom Forum

EXCOMMUNICATION
See also Apostasy; Rebellion
The process of excluding a person from the Church and taking away all rights and privileges of membership. Church authorities excommunicate a person from the Church only when he has chosen to live in opposition to the Lord’s commandments and thus has disqualified himself for further membership in the Church.

Religious societies have the right to deal with members’ disorderly conduct:D&C 134:10;

10 We believe that all religious societies have a right to deal with their members for disorderly conduct, aaccording to the rules and regulations of such societies; provided that such dealings be for fellowship and good standing; but we do not believe that any religious society has bauthority to try men on the right of property or life, to take from them this world’s goods, or to put them in jeopardy of either life or limb, or to inflict any physical punishment upon them. They can only excommunicate them from their society, and withdraw from them their fellowship.

Pg21 Effects of Excommunication or Name Removal
After a husband and wife have been sealed in a temple, if one of them is excommunicated or has his or her name removed from Church membership records, his Ol' her temple blessings are revoked. However, the sealing blessings of the innocent spouse and of children born in the covenant are not affected.

Pg 22 Persons Who Were Excommunicated or Had Their Names Removed from Church Records
First Presidency approval is required to per- form temple ordinances for deceased persons who, at the time of their death, were excommu- nicated or had their names removed from Church membership records. A Letter should be written to the Office of the First Presidency. No form1 is required.

Restoration of Temple Blessings (after Excommunication or Name Removal) Endowed persons who were excommunicated (or who had their names removed from Church membership records) and were later readmitted by baptism and confirmation can receive their priesthood and temple blessings only through the ordinance of restoration of blessings. Such per- sons are not ordained to any priesthood office or endowed again, since these blessings are re- stored through the ordinance. For information about perfom1ing this ordinance for the living, see 6.15. First Presidency approval is required to per- form this ordinance for the dead.

Pg59 6.9.3 Excommunication
A person who is excommunicated is no Jon· ger a member of the Church. Excommunication is the most severe Church disciplinary action. As directed by the Spirit, it may be necessary for: 1. Members who have committed serious trans· gressions, especially violations of temple covenants (see "Violation of Covenants" in 6.10.6). 2. Members who have been disfellowshipped and have not repented and for whom ex- communication seems to offer the best hope for reformation. 3. Members whose conduct makes them a seri- ous threat to others and whose Church mem- bership facilitates their a~s to victims. 4. Church leaders or prominent members whose transgressions significantly impair the good name or moral influence of lhe Church in the community that is aware of the transgres· sion. Excommunication is mandatory for murder (as defined in 6.7.3) and is almost always required for incest. A person who is excommunicated does not enjoy any privileges of Church membership. He may not wear temple garments or pay tithes and offerings. He may attend public Church meet- ings if his conduct is orderly, but his participa- tion in such meetings is limited the same as for disfellowshipped members. Excommunication almost always lasts at least one year. If a person shows true repentance and satisfies the conditions imposed while he is ex- communicated, he may be readmitted by bap- tism and confirmation. The read mission process is explained in 6.12. For information about the effects of excom- munication on temple sealings, see "Effects of Excommunication or Name Removal" in 3.6.1.

Pg 73 Restoration of Blessings
Endowed persons who were excommuni- cated and . latex readmitted by baptism and con· firmation can receive their priesthood a.nd temple blessings only through the ordinance of restora- tion of blessings. Such persons are not ordained to priesthood offices or endowed again, since all priesU1ood and temple blessings held at the time of excommurucation are restored through the ordinance. Brethren are restored to their for· mer priesthood office, except the office of sev- enty, bishop, or patriarch. (See also 6.12.12.) Only the First Presidency can approve the performance of the ordinance of restoration of blessings. The First Presidency will not consider an application for this ordina . nce sooner than one year after the person is readmitted by baptism and confirmation. To submit a recommendation to the First Presidency, the presiding officer completes each step on the Application to the First Presidency form. This form is available electronically in units that use Church record-keeping software. In other areas it is available from the Area Presi· dency.

freedomfighter wrote:Read "The Worth of a Soul" by Steven A. Cramer. He was ex'd and describes what he went through, and his recovery. He does say, however, "when a person is excommunicated as a result of violating sacred temple covenants, he is not only expelled from the membership of Christ's church, he is also delivered over to the 'buffetings of Satan.'"
He knows, he went through it.

I myself have experienced the buffetings of Satan, and I was not an ex'd member. Just someone that went down the wrong path until I hit bottom, and asked Christ for deliverance. It took many, many months of changes, reading good books, prayer and feasting on the word. Then the day came that peace, comfort, joy and happiness came into my being. The buffetings of Satan ARE REAL, believe it.

Bee Prepared wrote:When a person is excommunicated, it is not an end to all blessings and eternal possibilities. We members are obligated to forgive
that member, not worry about whether or not the person has lost the " Holy Ghost".

Jules wrote:Daryl, you are taunting me with this post. ;)

Daryl wrote:

freedomfighter wrote:Read "The Worth of a Soul" by Steven A. Cramer. He was ex'd and describes what he went through, and his recovery. He does say, however, "when a person is excommunicated as a result of violating sacred temple covenants, he is not only expelled from the membership of Christ's church, he is also delivered over to the 'buffetings of Satan.'"
He knows, he went through it.

I myself have experienced the buffetings of Satan, and I was not an ex'd member. Just someone that went down the wrong path until I hit bottom, and asked Christ for deliverance. It took many, many months of changes, reading good books, prayer and feasting on the word. Then the day came that peace, comfort, joy and happiness came into my being. The buffetings of Satan ARE REAL, believe it.

Thanks for sharing that. I have read Cramer's book. Good call. It was when I was going through my own hard time. I agree, for most people at least initially, the sins that get them exed crush the spirit in their lives. But for people who make horrible mistakes that leave them outside the church for years, I think it very uncharitable to assume they don't have the Spirit in there lives. It's especially unkind to teach or tell them that. Kinda like telling a convert before they are baptized that they can't have the HG minister to them until they are baptized. Know what I mean?

So if this idea that people automatically lose the HG because they get exed is a false tradition, we should probably be aware of that.
everything I can find on it from the church does not include this idea. We should refer people back to the truth published by the church, if its appropriate for us to do so.