If a member was excommunicated based on some information given by a member and the information the member given was false what should happen based on these questions:
1. Does the falsely accused still need to be rebaptized if they were formerly excommunicated?
2. What if it caused the falsely accused to loose their testimony of the Church?
3. What about the member who gave the information in the first place, should they be excommunicated?
Great questions JB, I really do not know the answer for any of those! but I will assume that the one who gave the false information must have disciplinary council! (of course if he had the intention to hurt the other brother) now what would happen if someone give a false report without knowing it? Hmmm...
[center] I'm Super Active [/center][table] [tr][td] Years a Member: [/td][td] 3 Months... [/td][/tr] [tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr] [/table]
1. Does the falsely accused still need to be rebaptized if they were formerly excommunicated?
Yes they do as well as have their blessings restored as the act of formal excommunication removes the priesthood and blessings of Heavenly Father... though it is a formality more than anything to do less would be agaist procedure.
2. What if it caused the falsely accused to loose their testimony of the Church?
Same, they would have to have all their blessing restored...
3. What about the member who gave the information in the first place, should they be excommunicated?
Depends on why the information was given. If it was given out of spite, and hatefull purpose they should be given a disciplinary council and allow it to be decided there...
If it was unwitting, then they should be confronted and chastened... Perhaps a lecture on the spreading of unfounded rumors and gossip...
If the Brother is truly repentant then we are required to forgive...
Just my Point of View on this... Who knows I could be wrong... 8)
1. Does the falsely accused still need to be rebaptized if they were formerly excommunicated? ( As wonlorn replied, anyone who has been excommunicated, or requested that their name be removed from the records, must be Baptized. ( Not re-baptized)
2. What if it caused the falsely accused to loose their testimony of the Church?
If such were the case, it is questionable if they ever had a testimony. I have known some who were excommunicated and they still had strong testimonies. I suppose the Lord is the only one who knows if they even had a testimony.
3. What about the member who gave the information in the first place, should they be excommunicated? ( Giving bad information is not worthy of excommunication. Even if it were done purposely to hurt. The most they would get is disfellowshiped, as well they should. Just my thoughts.
Let us go deeper into this for the purpose of discussion... if someone was excommunicated from the Church for something that they did not do, then the Church is considered at fault and not the person, then why would baptizm be necessary? Remember, excommunication is not an ordinance, in the Lord's eyes the person is still a member?
[quote] ( Not re-baptized) [/quote]
Thank you for pointing that out. I should have said 'readmitted'.
[quote]Giving bad information is not worthy of excommunication. Even if it were done purposely to hurt.[/quote]
Well I do not think it so simple, of course this is just open discussion, but there must be a motive and a pattern, things like that are not born overnight and with a deeper search often is found many dark secrets of a person who would intentionally seek to cause another member to be excommunicated.
[quote]Well I do not think it so simple, of course this is just open discussion, but there must be a motive and a pattern, things like that are not born overnight and with a deeper search often is found many dark secrets of a person who would intentionally seek to cause another member to be excommunicated. [/quote]
Oh yeah definetly, I agree with you JB. I don't think is a matter of white and black situation but the whole thing goes deeper than that. If anybody has those kind of feelings towards somebody to hurt them in such a way, definetly that person is doing other very wrong doings in his/her life besides the false accusation itself.
This question is very interesting.
A few years ago, AG was excommunicated for apostasy. Some people that I know, who are friends of his have explained some of what happened. Because of his research, he wrote some excellent books, including [bold]The Literary Message of Isaiah[/bold] and [bold]The Last Days.. types and shadows from the Bible and the Book of Mormon[/bold]. He was invited to give many firesides and presentations about his research. While doing this, he showed that all of Isaiah refers to the Church right now. The implication of this is that since Isaiah talks about the priests and prophets of Ephraim being corrupt and deluded, that the Church, especially the leaders, are under condemnation.
Since Bro. G explained these things, he was excommunicated for apostasy. A couple of years later, without any action by himself, he was reinstated. He maintained his activity, as much as possible during this time.
The people who know him personally, have only said that he was wounded by this action, but never lost his testimony.
The point is, there are unjust excommunications. They aren't common, but they happen.
As for how they are resolved? The most famous one was of the young man in Nazi Germany who published documents against the Nazis. His Branch President excommunicated him for these actions to distance the church from him.
Just a few years ago, he was reinstated, posthumously, into the Church.
From my own, personal experience, a person's Priesthood is not nullified by the excommunication. The Priesthood is independant of the Church. True excommunication just acknowledges the fact that the person has already separated himself from God, the Church, and his Priesthood. An unjust excommunication cannot, IMO, separate the man from the Priesthood. It can only separate him from activity within the Church.
NightHawk
[edit]Admin: Took out the full name and used 'AG' and 'G' instead.[/edit]
[quote] A few years ago, AG was excommunicated for apostasy.[/quote]
Who is this person? Would he want his name here or is this public knowledge?
[offtopic]I believe what you are trying to do with the [bold] tag would be better using just 'b' [/offtopic]