Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-26
CHURCH DISCIPLINE.

A friend asks the News" to explain
| the difference between "disfellowship''
and "excommunicate"
A Church member is disfellowshiped
when he is. by the proper authority,
| and in accordance with the rules of the
Church. suspended from the privileges
of communion with the Church. He Is
excommunicated when his member
ship is taken away from him and his
name stricken from the records, If
he Is disfellowshiped he can general-
ly regain his standing by complying
with the requirements of the author
ity that suspended him. If he is eX-
communicated he can obtain member,
ship again only through repentance
and baptism. as If he had never been
a member
The Bishops court may excommuni-
cate a member not holding the Mel
chisedek Priesthood, if transgression
is proved. but If the offender holds
that Priesthood the Bishops court
disfellowshlps him. His case Is then
reported to the High Council of the
Stake. and that body decides whether
or not he is to be communicated on
the findings of the first court con
this subject we refer the reader to
Outlines of Ecclesiastical History, by
B, H. Roberts. page 3sS; and Lesser
Priesthood. by Joseph B. Keeler. page
1879
While on this subject we may say
that the Church does not believe that
any religious organization has. or
should have. authority to conflict Sec
ular punlshments of any kind, 1t is
their duty to deal with members who
violate the laws of God, but they can
only "excommunicate them from their
society, and withdraw from them
their fellowship. (Doc. and Cow 1874:
10) This is the same duty with
which the Apostolic Church was
charged.
The fallen church broke this natural,
simple rule. and assumed powers
delegated to the state In the course
of the centuries the predominant church
VI tuG Npiio dlFlutq OllSllucIS l0UO
three classes. The first comprised
those who of their own free will con-
fessed their sins to the priest and ac-
cepted the pcnance prescribed. This
might consist of a fine, of almsgiyinr.
of the repetition a stated number of
times of psalm. or of a prayer. The
second comprised those who repcnted
after having been accommodated.
and in humility performed whatever
public pennncc had been prescribed for
them, They were then restored to follow
chip. The third were those who scorned
the authority of the ecclesiasticaI
courts and refused TO comply with their
decisions These wore communicated
and cursed And when thus placed un
der anathema, they were not only
barred from every civil office but also
from social intercourse with their fell
low-men. They could not even receive
CHRISTIAN burial. And when the
anathemn did not have the intended
effect, the church resorted to the So
called interdlct, by which the entire
district In which the unrepentant lived
was placed under ban When q dis
trict. or province WAS thus marked,
none of It's Inhabitants. except the
clergy. the bcggors. and children un-
der two years OF age. could have any
ecclesiastical blessings conferred upon
them. No public services wore held: no
marriages soiemnlzed; the dead were
not buried by the church; everywhere
was mourning. The abuses OF the &C.
| clesiastical power and authority form
| q rather dark part OF human history.