So the church's statement on Sam's case has been reiterated as.

Disciplinary proceedings are ADMINISTERED by local leaders.

Very curious choice of words, not initiated by, led by, run independently, but ADMINISTERED.

Think it pretty much confirms what we already know about the SMC.

It's all local now. Has been for a few decades. The top leaders have been keeping their nose out of local stuff and holing up in SLC, predominately, except for those that have large areas to govern.

I worked for the LDS Church in CES. It's local. Even in the 80's we couldn't get anything out of SLC. Every letter, for instance, came back to the local bishop.

Do the top leaders contact the locals? Sure. They give the local stake president their input.
But the actual Disciplinary Council is held in the stake where the member resides - where his records are held. The letters come from the local stake president to attend a council, the decision of the council is from the local stake president.

"[The top leaders] give the local stake president their input."

I can imagine they do, except that I would use the phrase "marching orders" instead of "input".

When Sonia Johnson was excommunicated back in the 1970s, there were enough phone calls zinging back and forth between Virginia and SLC to melt the wires. (I'm being hyperbolic)

When LDS Inc tried to beat the internet by scheduling Tom Murphy's "trial" in Seattle with him getting only 5 days notice (he was notified Tuesday of a church court the following Sunday iirc) only to have the trial cancelled two days before because several national newspapers, notably the WSJ, were planning to cover the trial. It was never rescheduled. I bet that order came straight from SLC.

Usually SLC doesn't have to issue orders. The local leaders know full well that protecting the organization is the Prime Directive. When there is a high profile case and the possibility of a misstep in obeying the Prime Directive, I have no doubt that there is substantial local requesting of "advice" from the corporate HQ, and that advice is always followed to the letter.

You will recall that it was the disciplining of the September Six in 1993, where Boyd KKK Packer was calling the shots, that caused Dalin Oaks to say that "you can't stage manage a grizzly bear" or words to that effect.

Recall also the travels of the apostle and the seventy (Ballard, I believe, and was it Clayton?) to Virginia right before Kate Kelly's excommunication. I think the Odd Couple also went to Logan, UT before Dehlin's trial and excommunication.

I seriously doubt any prominent person's excommunication is decided on locally. The church would not leave something politically sensitive up to such rubes.

Act centrally, blame locally.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2018 02:54AM by Lot's Wife.

I imagine the leaders holed up like Scarface with blow and hookers. No wonder everything goes back to the bishops.

Chico, never get high on your own supply.

Everything goes back to the locals. EXCEPT for the money.

It's all about protecting the virtues of the church and its reputation. The SP takes the perceived criticism for "local" decisions that are intended designed to protect the profits.

I have a well placed family member who related to me that when Sonia Johnson was causing such an uproar, He was told that Boyd K. Packer called the Stake President in her Stake and told him to "get that woman out of the church. Now!"