Salt Lake City, UT—The church announced this morning that the
disciplinary action recently called for against Jeremy Runnells would “not be
confined to the privacy of a stake office” but would instead be carried out
over social media.
According to a statement from the church, “we appreciate
Brother Runnells’ efforts to speak to a large LDS audience” clarifying that,
since statements from his stake president will still protect Brother Runnells’
privacy and will be held confidential, doing the council on Facebook “will give
social media a complete look at all of one side.”
Offering a thorough view of one side seems to be Brother
Runnells forte, so clearly the church is taking a wise step in having all of
his arguments presented with no additional context or qualifying information.
When asked if members like Patrick Q Mason,
Fiona and Terryl Givens,
Randell Bowen, FairMormon,
or others might be available for the social media disciplinary council, the church said
that “well, if all of those people, their time, efforts, and expertise don’t
seem to matter to Runnells, then that makes it pretty clear that they are all
worthless.” The church added that since Runnells insists that his stake
president answer his questions, and since his stake president must be an expert
in all of those areas, and since that stake president does not have a job, family, or other personal matters, and since said stake president does not have other stake
members with any physical, spiritual, emotional, or intellectual needs, then
it is that stake president’s job to answer Runnells’ questions to Runnells’ satisfaction without, of course, that leader commenting on social media about any of his efforts.
The church also expressed gratitude for those “brave,
pioneer saints” who paved the way for people like Brother Runnells’ to have
his say in the “Facebook courts of truth.” The church specifically thanked
saints like John Dehlin for his efforts, including posting online the transcript of his confidential disciplinary council.
Besides Dehlin, the church thanked Kate Kelly for “bravely keeping everyone up
to date on every element of her side of her case” in addition to posting on
Facebook the names and work contact information for her stake presidency. The
church added that “though some of that information may have later been deleted
or modified, Kate was sure to keep people in a fairly constant state of agitation and surely helped some contact her stake leadership and their families, all of which must have been a blessing for everyone involved!”
In addition to expressing this gratitude, the church noted thankfully
that Runnells, Dehlin, Kelly, and others had so effectively used social media
to “really shake up those complacent Mormons who naively believe that making
and keeping covenants, loving and serving others, and sincerely trying to live
by Christ’s invitation to follow Him are NOT enough, and that all members
should be overwhelmingly troubled by all social injustice, inequality, and doctrinal and historical ambiguities so that those things eclipse all other considerations
and priorities.”
Finally, the church expressed appreciation for the love and
cultural sensitivity shown by the above mentioned saints who treat the church
like “God’s big family.” “What those saints have done,” concluded the
statement, is important, “since we all know that using individual power as a
bludgeon to embarrass and shame is only part of the way we show love in
families. The other part is posting pictures of it on Instagram or starting a foundation to celebrate it.”
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