The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints has threatened to excommunicate a vocal critic for
supporting gay marriage and the ordination of women.
John P. Dehlin operates Mormon Stories,
a website and podcast for disaffected Mormons.
Dehlin told the AP that the church has
scheduled a disciplinary hearing for January 25.
He said that the church has threatened
to excommunicate him if he does not take down podcasts critical of
the Mormon Church and disavow his support for marriage equality and
the ordination of women.
“I still love the church, I still
love Mormonism,” Dehlin, a 45-year-old married father of four, told
the AP. “But I would certainly rather be excommunicated than
violate my conscience.”
The Mormon Church was active in the passage
of Proposition 8, California's now-defunct constitutional amendment
limiting marriage to heterosexual unions.