Prominent Mormon Critic Says He Faces Excommunication From LDS

A prominent Mormon critic of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints says he is likely to be excommunicated for questioning the church’s teachings and for his support of same-sex marriage and ordaining women.

John Dehlin, the founder of the Mormon Stories Podcast, said in a post to his website that he is scheduled for a disciplinary hearing on January 25 and has been told that the likely outcome is an official censure or excommunication.

“While my family and I would prefer to be left alone by LDS church leadership at this time, I would much rather face excommunication than disavow my moral convictions,” he said in the post.

Eric Hawkins, a spokesperson for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, declined to confirm the reasons for Dehlin’s hearing.

“We respect the privacy of individuals, and don’t publicly discuss the reasons why a member faces Church discipline. Those reasons are provided to a member by their local Church leaders,” he said in the statement. “It’s my understanding that in this case the reasons have been clearly spelled out in letters to John Dehlin. In the interest of honesty and transparency, he may choose to make those letters public.”