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Flier to Ward Members Explaining My Position
Circulated in person and taped to doors in ward
boundaries on Feb. 20 to clarify a few things because Bishop Freeman declined
to do so in a follow-up ward meeting.
 Feb.
20, 2005
Re: Response to Bishop Freeman’s Feb.
13 Announcement of My Excommunication
Dear Neighbors and Members of the
Eagle
Mountain
1st Ward,
My wife and three children and I moved into this area Feb.
4, 2005. In previous wards where I
have lived, because of my friendly demeanor and intentions toward the Church the
bishops have given me various allowances, from playing the piano, to offering
comments in meetings and even bearing my testimony.
One bishop even recommended me for rebaptism.
I was acting on those previous permissions and sentiments when I
participated in the meetings on Feb. 6. I
acknowledge that I should have first met with the bishop here to get his express
permission to do so in this ward.
I do not believe that the response that has subsequently
been evoked has presented me in a fair light.
The bishop declined my request to be able to clarify misrepresentations
at his announcement meeting last week (I requested in advance to be able to
voice my points of defense or clarification to the Elders Quorum President who
could then voice it in the meeting). Subsequent
to that meeting, I formally requested the Bishop to hold a follow-up meeting to
set the record straight on several misrepresentations that arose when he
announced my excommunication in the ward last week at church.
He declined. It is for that
reason that I am taking this opportunity to explain myself.
 | When
the bishop informed me he would be announcing my excommunication, I
requested several times that he let you know that I have been given
permissions before. I wanted you
to know that I wasn’t acting blatantly or maliciously toward the
restrictions generally prescribed in the priesthood manual.
He purposely omitted this very relevant point that could have lowered
the level of anxiety that arose in regard to me from the rumors that began
circulating. Never before has a
bishop announced my excommunication, but rather they have viewed me as one
likely to return to membership at some point, working in that direction. |
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of the most serious misrepresentations was in stating that I fit the
definition of “apostate” as defined in the Church leadership manual.
To paraphrase, he read the definition as follows: “presenting as
church doctrine that which is not church doctrine, and continuing to do so
even after being informed.” I
have never presumed to speak on behalf of the Church.
I’ve only presented my best understanding of the truth as I
perceive it. I might point out
that an irony of the meeting last week is that the Stake President, who was
speaking as an official representative of the Church presented a doctrine as
if it were binding, which was not church doctrine.
He said that you should only read the scriptures and general
conference addresses, and if you read anything else “you will be deceived;
I promise.” That is
not
Church
Doctrine.
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| Based
on a cursory perusal of a few pages, the bishop recommended that you steer
clear of my website, www.greaterthings.com
. He failed to mention that I
run numerous websites, including several professional business sites that
have no bearing on Church doctrine, such as www.pureenergysystems.com,
www.freeenergynews.com,
www.josephprep.com, and www.noveltp.com.
I also run numerous non-denominational political activist sites such
as www.patriotsaints.com and www.rsicc.org
(Remnant Saints Inter-Continental Congress).
The Church’s official policy is to take no stance in regard to
partisan beliefs and activity. These
government-related sites were spurred by admonitions by President Ezra Taft
Benson. The bishop also failed
to take into account that greaterthings.com itself is a vast website with
thousands of documents, many of which do not touch on matters of doctrine;
and that to recommend against the site represents a double standard inasmuch
as he gives no advice against using the Internet in general, yet the ratio
of good-to-questionable even from his point of view is far higher at
greaterthings.com than on the Internet in general.
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| President
Draper said he, with the Stake Presidency, was there last week to let the
ward know that they support the actions of Bishop Freeman to announce my
excommunication to the ward as a word of caution.
Yet President Draper had never read any of my writings, nor had he
met me in person.
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| In
the meeting last week, the bishop urged the sisters of the ward to extend a
warm hand of fellowship to my wife because she is a member.
He failed to mention two things that my wife and I brought clearly to
his attention before that meeting. First,
my wife believes very much the same as I do, so recommending that members
extend a warm fellowship to her, while urging them to be “careful” about
me, is a double standard and belittling to her. Second, because of this
situation that has arisen in
Eagle
Mountain
, my wife is requesting to have her name removed from membership in the
church. She cannot abide to have
her honor associated with such behavior.
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| The
bishop said that the American Study Group which I founded was problematic.
The fact is that in my first (of two) excommunication hearings, the
American Study Group was put on the stand and exonerated.
The main problems arose from misrepresentations about the group by
the media, which caused bishops and stake presidents to become concerned
about their members who were participating in the group.
The group was disbanded by us, at our instigation, to avoid the
mushrooming of this conflict.
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| I do
not have a church nor a “following.”
I urge people to gain an independent relationship with the Lord and
to not lean on a person more than they trust the Lord for themselves.
I promote the Church of the Firstborn, which is comprised of those
who have overcome by the Spirit, and who stand independent with the Lord.
It is not an institution with walls or hierarchy.
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If your relationship is strong enough with the Lord, then
you should not be threatened by anyone. Joseph Smith said that he welcomed truth
wherever he found it, and he was not afraid to seek it out and discern it
according to the dictates of his own conscience.
Moses said, “Would that all of the Lord’s people were prophets.”
That is the statement I have at the bottom of each page at
GreaterThings.com
As members of the community, we try to do our part in
helping the world be a better place, including being active participants in
local activities of interest to us. We
have a lot to offer, and we look forward to benefiting from what you have to
offer as well. In the body of
Christ, each human being has something of value to contribute, lending to a
greater experience for all.
In closing, let me say that we believe that the Lord lives,
has restored the gospel in these latter days, that the Book of Mormon and Bible
are from God and the most correct books for our guidance, though certainly not
the only inspired writings or teachings available, and that the Holy Ghost will
direct in correct paths any who heed its promptings.
We are sorry that the Church does not appreciate our dedication and
insights, but we will do as our conscience dictates.
Sincerely,
Sterling D. Allan
Cheri Moon Allan
See also
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Defamation in Eagle Mountain
- Warm welcome into new neighborhood turns suddenly chilly as my 1993
excommunication for "apostasy" is announced and discussed in an
hour-long ward meeting, complete with serious misrepresentation and no
avenue allowed present a defense. |
Page created by SDA
Feb. 20, 2005
Last updated November 04, 2007
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