Skip to content
Main Street Plaza

A Community for Anyone Interested in Mormonism.

Main Street Plaza

A Community for Anyone Interested in Mormonism.

Courts of Love

profxm, November 21, 2008October 20, 2010

Police negotiated with an armed student outside the Provo Temple yesterday as he threatened to kill himself. Turns out he had just been through a Mormon “court of love.” Oh to be subjected to such love…

excommunication

Post navigation

Previous post
Next post

Related Posts

The Logic of Power and Salvation

April 28, 2008April 28, 2008

In disfellowshipping or excommunicating scholars (like Michael Quinn, Grant Palmer, and others) Church leaders create a theological paradox. Assuming that such actions are eternally binding implies that, regardless of researchers’ choices, it becomes impossible for them to obtain the benefits of the Savior’s atonement.

Read More

Sunday in Outer Blogness: Reflection Edition

July 13, 2014

Chanson asked me to fill in for SiOB this week – I think it’s been a quiet week. (Sort of like Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon – it’s always a quiet week). But this week is quiet for many reasons – perhaps we’re all still reacting (or not reacting) to the…

Read More

making a difference

September 12, 2008

Looks like the LDS Church is gearing up to excommunicate the founder of Sign for Something. Great lesson in making a difference: get enough people to leave and the LDS Church will start trying to shut you down. Spread the word – the LDS Church is, once again, trying to…

Read More

Comments (7)

  1. Matt says:
    November 21, 2008 at 6:56 pm

    These words come to mind …

    In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule
    I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black
    And I held my tongue as she told me
    “Son fear is the heart of love”
    So I never went back.

    — “I’ll Follow You Into the Dark”, Death Cab for Cutie

  2. chanson says:
    November 22, 2008 at 1:47 am

    Matt — that’s a good point, and one that’s backed up by the Bible: what you should feel towards God is a love built on fear…

  3. Seth R. says:
    November 22, 2008 at 10:52 am

    Crazy guy with a gun threatens people and public suicide, and it’s just automatically the Mormons fault is it?

    Cute.

  4. chanson says:
    November 22, 2008 at 11:14 am

    Seth — good to see you back to help us temper our natural instinct to blame everything on the Mormons. 😉

    Are you still having speed/performance problems loading this site?

  5. profxm says:
    November 22, 2008 at 12:40 pm

    Seth, I’m sure there are other factors involved – not everyone who gets ex’d pulls a gun on him/herself. But do you really think this is just a coincidence and that the court of love had nothing to do with it?

    That’s like saying Stuart Matis shot himself at a Mormon chapel because he was depressed and just happened to be near a Mormon chapel. Did it have nothing to do with the fact that he was depressed because he was Mormon and gay and the religion considers his sexual identity an abomination? Is the Mormon Church absolved of blame on this because he was depressed and suicidal?

    Why was he depressed and suicidal? Mormonism caused his depression. His depression caused his suicidal thoughts. His suicidal thoughts lead to his suicide. Ergo, Mormonism caused Stuart Matis’s suicide. Directly or indirectly, it played a role.

    I don’t know the details on this other case, but I’m guessing the “court of love” played role, whether direct or indirect.

  6. Seth R. says:
    November 22, 2008 at 9:02 pm

    Sure. Getting served with a warrant for arrest often provokes suicidal tendencies too.

    I see no need whatsoever to draw any connections.

    And I think I am still having speed problems on various computers. But beats me what it is.

  7. Matt says:
    November 22, 2008 at 9:10 pm

    Thanks, Chanson! BTW — wanted to tell you this before but — congrats on hitting the BIG time. Bad Astronomy forever.

    Seth, dude. Of course you don’t see any need to draw connections. I remember very well what it was like to believe that anything that might appear to be bad about the church was in fact just human failing. It’s a harsh belief but I appreciate that many believe it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Mormon Alumni Association Books

Latest Comments:

  1. Steve Pogue on Collecting Nominations for the 2025 Brodie Awards!!December 16, 2025

    Best new series - Radio Free Mormon’s series addressing the Light and Truth Letter

  2. Steve Pogue on Collecting Nominations for the 2025 Brodie Awards!!December 16, 2025

    For Best LDS-Interest Podcast Episode 2025 “Could Joseph Smith Write a Well-Worded Letter? - LDS Discussions” https://youtu.be/B1vjDGK2qas?si=C4mXeX6vWv1xLhEl

  3. Steve Eliason on Collecting Nominations for the 2025 Brodie Awards!!December 16, 2025

    I nominate Porchtime https://www.youtube.com/live/M4eigiy-Qew?si=nCWzOjbep21szT4L For the LDS Interest Discussion Group/Forum 2025 This is my favorite podcast, which I find most…

  4. Kate on Collecting Nominations for the 2025 Brodie Awards!!December 15, 2025

    Best LDS interest video channel - Generally Unquoteable

  5. Kathryn Class on Collecting Nominations for William Law X-Mormon of the Year 2025!!!December 15, 2025

    Samantha from MormwiththosewhoMormed is someone I always feel says and represents what’s on my mind so my nomination is for…

8: The Mormon Proposition Acceptance of Gays Add new tag Affirmation angry exmormon awards Book Reviews BYU comments Conformity Dallin H. Oaks DAMU disaffected mormon underground Dustin Lance Black Ex-Mormon Exclusion policy Excommunicated exmormon faith Family feminism Gay Gay Love Gay Marriage Gay Relationships General Conference Happiness Homosexual Homosexuality LDS LGBT LGBTQ Link Bomb missionaries Modesty Mormon Mormon Alumni Association Mormonism motherhood peace politics Polygamy priesthood ban Sunstone temple

Awards

William Law X-Mormon of the Year:

  • 2024: Nemo the Mormon
  • 2023: Adam Steed
  • 2022: David Archuleta
  • 2021: Jeff T. Green
  • 2020: Jacinda Ardern
  • 2019: David Nielsen
  • 2018: Sam Young
  • 2017: Savannah
  • 2016: Jeremy Runnells
  • 2015: John Dehlin
  • 2014: Kate Kelly
  • 2013: J. Seth Anderson and Michael Ferguson
  • 2012: David Tweede
  • 2011: Joanna Brooks
  • 2010: Monica Bielanko
  • 2009: Walter Kirn

Other Cool Sites!

WasMormon.org
©2025 Main Street Plaza | WordPress Theme by SuperbThemes