Is Life Church a Mormon church?

Universal Life Church Crest

In response, the Universal Life Church formally extended an invitation to Ms. Kelly and other Mormon women to become ordained ministers.

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) July 02, 2014

In June, leaders of the Universal Life Church were gravely disheartened to hear that Ms. Kate Kelly, a devout Mormon woman, was excommunicated from her family of faith as a result of her efforts to expand the office of minister within the Church of Latter Day Saints to include that church’s female members (a title of privilege and responsibility offered freely to all male Mormons).

In response, the Universal Life Church formally extended an invitation to Ms. Kelly and other Mormon women to become ordained ministers.

The Universal Life Church has dedicated itself to promoting the freedom of all individuals – be they black or white, female or male, gay or straight – to become ordained and preach their own truth to the world. Indeed, the church proclaims, are all children of the same universe.

The Universal Life Church has declared that it will readily welcome these women into its accepting and equitable family of faith. Ms. Kelly is clearly a woman of tremendous faith, and has a deep and clear commitment to her calling as a spiritual leader. She, along with her supporters in the Ordain Women organization, deserve the ritualistic and administrative authority they seek as ministers, an authority that the Universal Life Church is pleased to provide.

The current leaders of the Mormon church, for their show of stubborn chauvinism, are to be condemned for their failure to openly hear and engage with a substantial portion of their committed congregation who seek to share their faith with the world as their male counterparts are invited and encouraged to.

In excommunicating Ms. Kelly, the Mormon church believes it permanently severs her from her loved ones in the afterlife – a devastatingly excessive show of aggression against a wife and daughter whose only desire was to participate more actively in her religion.

Just as this select group of passionate women has heard and attempted to answer their call to ministry, the members of the Universal Life Church, too, have heard a call: a call to embrace those marginalized by a leadership desperately clinging to old structures of power, a call to empower those who would seek to use their hearts and minds and voices to exact positive change in the world.

Ms. Kelly and women of the Mormon faith, the hearts of those at the Universal Life Church ache for you and your painful position. Those at the Universal Life Church will continue to hope, wish, and pray that the Morman leaders will eventually realize that (as they did in the 1978 with regard to men of African descent) it is time to open their arms to a wider community.

Until that day, however, the Universal Life Church invites and encourages all those who feel so compelled to become ordained ministers; together, the church believes, humanity can build a better faith.

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February 11th, 2015

A Mormon blogger faces disciplinary action by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for supporting same-sex marriage, backing the ordination of women to the priesthood, criticizing Mormon orthodox teachings, and for becoming ordained as a Universal Life Church Minister.  The Universal Life Church supports equal rights for all whether it be marriage equality or gender equality ordination and encourages others of all faiths to stand up for those rights. Mormon excommunication is the harshest punishment the Church’s leaders can exact on its members.

John Dehlin runs a website called Mormon Stories where he publicly criticizes Mormon teachings and views towards topics such as gay marriage and women ordination. Dehlin could be excommunicated from the church if he does not stop criticizing church doctrine, supporting groups in contrast to the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints such as same-sex couples, and resign from the Universal Life Church Ministry.

Dehlin has agreed to resign from the Universal Life Church, but will not agree to stop criticizing doctrine, which he disagrees with and its teachings.  Dehlin will also continue to support same-sex marriage and women in the priesthood.  Dehlin is not the only one to make headlines recently for facing disciplinary action by a Mormon church.  Recently, Kate Kelly was excommunicated for pushing for women in the priesthood.  Before excommunication some members of the church chose to resign before being excommunicated, however, some churches continue to try to excommunicate a member after receiving a resignation.

Excommunication and Resignation Legal Cases

In Gunn v. The Church of Christ of Collinsville, a member of the church was excommunicated for fornication, however, before excommunication the member resigned.  The minister refused to accept the resignation and continued with the excommunication and announcing it from the pulpit.  The Court ruled that the member’s resignation was effective immediately, however.  The court also ruled that the First Amendment freedom of religion includes the right to resign from a church.  The decision in this case was used to settle outside of court another case in Arizona where a member of the church was excommunicated after a resignation was submitted.  The church in this case agreed to clear the member’s name of all records of excommunication.

The Universal Life Church applauds John Dehlin for standing up for equal rights whether or not he is excommunicated for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, decides to resign, or resigns as a Universal Life Church Minister or not.  Gender and sexual-orientation equality should exist across private companies, government, educational facilities, and religious affiliations.  Religion should never be used as a cover for teaching hate or discrimination.  Religions of all denominations and faiths should continue to move forward in their stances, beliefs, and teachings on matters that potentially involve excluding groups of people or support the inequality of a group of people.  The Universal Life Church supports diverse ministries of all genders and the right for our ministers to conduct weddings for both heterosexual and same-sex couples.

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