Announcements
Recent Changes
Welcome to the Mormon Alliance Web site!
The purposes of the Mormon Alliance are to identify and document
ecclesiastical/spiritual abuse in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church), to promote healing and closure for
its survivors, to build more sensitive leadership, to empower LDS
members to participate with more authenticity in Mormonism, and to
foster a healthier religious community.
The primary purpose of this site is to make the Case Reports of
the Mormon Alliance available online. Three volumes of the Case
Reports have been published on paper; two additional volumes have
been written and are awaiting publication. Although the Case Reports
document cases within the LDS Church, this organization has no monopoly
on ecclesiastical and spiritual abuse. Thus, anyone who has been
affected by religious abuse or has an interest in this topic should find
these reports of interest.
We regret that the complete Case Reports are not yet ready to
be placed online. Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3
are now available online. Please return to this site occasionally and check on the progress.
Thank you!
Excommunication of Thomas Murphy
The following statement regarding the impending
excommunication of Thomas Murphy from the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was issued by
Janice Merrill Allred, a Trustee of the Mormon
Alliance:
The Mormon Alliance is disturbed and
saddened to learn of the impending
excommunication of Thomas Murphy from the
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints for his scholarly writings
on the Book of Mormon. This
appears to be part of an ongoing policy to
discipline scholars who publish
material which challenges the doctrines or
history of the LDS church.
While it is understandable that it is
disturbing for church leaders (and
members) to be confronted by scholarly
studies that challenge basic church
teachings, it is not right to respond to
this challenge by threats, punishment,
or excommunication. A church that professes
to be the Church of Jesus Christ
ought to follow the principles of the gospel
of Jesus Christ and respond with
love and respect for truth and all the paths
that lead to it.
An institution that punishes those who
challenge its doctrines or history
discourages its members in their pursuit of
truth and reveals a lack of
faith in its own doctrine. Instead of
punishing scholars, the church
should encourage more and better scholarship
and support its members in
coming to their own understanding of truth.
STORY WITH AN UNEXPECTED
(HAPPY) ENDING
(From By Common Consent, the newsletter of the
Mormon Alliance, March 2003)
Friends of anthropologist Thomas W. Murphy, chair of Edmonds
Community College Anthropology Department, cheered when a suspenseful story of
ecclesiastical threat and postponement ended with permanent cancellation of the
scheduled disciplinary council. Tom had been called in by Matthew Latimer,
president of Lynnwood Washington Stake, about Thanksgiving for having published
an essay reporting that DNA studies currently could provide no evidence that any
group of Indians in North or South America had a lineage that was not traceable
to eastern Siberia. Tom therefore concluded that the Book of Mormon’s claim to
be the history of a group of Middle Eastern Israelite families had little or no
scientific basis. He went further in stating that the Church’s use of the Book
of Mormon to designate Native American peoples as the corrupt descendants of
this lineage group, marked by a dark skin, was a racist position that inflicts
harm on native people who must accept that a dark skin is the result of
unrighteousness.
When Tom refused to either recant or resign (not an option in
lieu of a disciplinary council, according to the Church Handbook of
Instructions, but one offered by Latimer), the stake president scheduled a
disciplinary council for Sunday, 8 December. In the face of widespread media
attention and vigils of protest, the court was "postponed" with less
than twenty-hours’ notice. He said he wanted to get to know the Murphy family
better and was motivated by feelings of compassion since Tom had said that being
excommunicated would cause him and his family distress.
In early February, after several weeks of no contact,
President Latimer again requested a meeting with Tom and Kerrie, his wife. Tom
posted a letter to friends, family, and supporters on February 23, 2003, in
which he described the meeting with President Latimer as "very
pleasant."
Tom reported: "I am pleased to report that President
Latimer has placed a permanent hold on disciplinary action against me. He
invited Kerrie and me to participate in continued private dialogue with the hope
that he can encourage us to return to full activity and belief in the LDS Church
without any threat of disciplinary action. In response to my inquiry, he assured
us that he was not receiving pressure from his priesthood leaders to take action
against me. He acknowledged consulting them to discuss my case but found them to
be very supportive of his responsibility to make the proper decisions for his
stake. He declined my invitation to co-sponsor open academic forums on genetics
and racism in the Book of Mormon and recommended that I discuss that option with
the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies at Brigham Young
University. We all agreed that these issues are best addressed in an academic
rather than an ecclesiastical setting."
Tom, who had presented a paper called "Skin, Sin, and
Seed: Mistakes of Men in the Book of Mormon" at Sunstone had been invited
to present this same paper at a public meeting sponsored by his college’s
Teaching and Learning Diversity Committee on February 25. He had invited Latimer
to attend the lecture and to "join with me in sponsoring future
events" in an academic environment.
Tom concluded by expressing appreciation for "the
support that so many of you have shown us throughout this ordeal. We hope that
other stake presidents will follow this most recent example of President Latimer
and likewise refrain from using the threat of the threat of excommunication as a
tool for disciplining scholars."
5/19/04 Added Volume 3 Chapter 24. Volume 3 is now online.
3/9/06 Added newsletters through January 2006
