Several news reports contain claims that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is disciplining one of its members in Florida because of that member’s expression of a political opinion.
The Church, however, has released a statement that says, “It is patently false for someone to suggest they face Church discipline for having questions or for expressing a political view. The Church is an advocate of individual choice. It is a core tenet of our faith.”
Fortunately, reporters from the New York Times and Salt Lake Tribune dig deeper and get it right.*
The Times’ Laurie Goodstein correctly writes that this member is being disciplined “because he is an apostate who is trying to lead church members astray,” and she includes several quotes that correctly claim that Church members do not face discipline for their political opinions.
The Tribune’s Peggy Fletcher Stack also notes that this member’s leaders “never brought up [politics] … in their exchange with him.”
Read the full blog post and Church statement in the Headquarters edition of Mormon Newsroom.
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