LETTER: Reader confused about religion

Dear Editor,

In Anson Call’s letter to the editor, in which he criticizes LDS Church leaders for excommunicating members who publicly oppose them, he appears to have some misconceptions about what constitutes a religion.

A religion is a group of people who share a common belief system. The church, while believing in democracy, has never said truth is debatable. If you don’t believe in the fundamental principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then the fact your name is on their records does not make you a “member of the Latter-day Saint faith.”

Joseph Fielding Smith explained this distinction, “We are not going to be saved in the kingdom of God just because our names are on the records of the church. It will require more than that. We will have to have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 20:12); that is, evidence we have kept the commandments. Every soul who will not keep the commandments shall have his name blotted out of that book.” (Doctrines of Salvation Vol. 2, p. 14)

Of course, I do not speak for the church, and this is merely my opinion, but I surmise the reason the Church doesn’t have to “weed out members with unspoken heterodox views,” is because their names are already “blotted out of the Book of Life.” The reason the Church takes a special interest in excommunicating heretic members who are “outspoken,” is not because they want to shut them up – it is because they want to make sure the public understands they have no standing in the church and cannot speak on their behalf.

Also the next time you quote Joseph Smith, try to include the whole sentence instead of just the last half. Joseph Smith said, “We [speaking on behalf of the church] claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men [whether they’re Baptist, Methodist, Quaker etc.] the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may (Article of Faith No. 11).”

Tai Davis