Chad Hardy, 31, creator of the 'Men on a Mission' calendar featuring shirtless Mormon missionaries, is pictured at his home in Las Vegas on Thursday, July 10, 2008. Hardy has been summoned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints to appear before a council of elders.
(AP
Sun Jul 13, 11:09 PM ET
SALT LAKE CITY - The creator of a calendar that featured shirtless Mormon missionaries was excommunicated Sunday after a disciplinary meeting with local church leaders in Las Vegas. Chad Hardy said he bears no ill will toward the council of elders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"I felt like I spoke my truth," the 31-year-old entertainment entrepreneur said. "Bottom-line, they still felt the calendar is inappropriate and not the image that the church wants to have."
"Men on a Mission," which has sold nearly 10,000 copies at $14.99 each, included pictures of 12 returned missionaries wearing black slacks, but not their trademark white shirts, in modest poses. The men also were photographed in traditional missionary garb and share their religious beliefs in biographical sketches.
Some of the 12 models have also been called to disciplinary meetings, but none were punished.
"I have no ill feelings toward any of those people," Hardy said of the church council. "They did what they believed was right and I really do feel it was the best decision for both of us."
Frank E. Davie, the senior leader over a group of Mormon congregations in the Las Vegas area, confirmed the 12-member council's decision in a telephone call to The Associated Press. He declined further comment.
Hardy said the purpose of the 2008 calendar was not to tear down the church or its 13 million members.
"The project is about stepping outside the stereotypes and stepping outside of the image," Hardy said. "Not everybody fits the image and I let them know we're not trying to portray an image for the entire church."
An excommunicated person is removed from official church rolls, but are still welcome at church services. Excommunicated members are prohibited from receiving the sacrament and can't perform church callings such as teaching or preaching during meetings. They also cannot enter church temples.
8 comments:
Got to love those Mormons for getting into trouble with sex and God..just goes to show you that puritanism and its shadow are alive and well in America.
Stephen proves the churches position. No one mentioned anything about sex. Yet Stephen got that image from the calender. The missionaries No.1 aim is to be Christ like and testify of the love of Jesus. Teach of his offering of Salvation to all those that will accept Jesus as thier personal Savior and are born again. The returned missionaries should have asked themselves WWJD. The church has and always will be the light on the hill unwavering from wanting to be pleasing to God not man.
"No one mentioned anything about sex."..are you serious? Just about everyone who took offense to the calendar mentioned sex as their reason and I know my gay neighbor would cream himself over the pics. Get real and stop listening to bogus doctrines from a false prophet. Any religion that taught blacks were less than human has no spiritual authority in this world except for those who will let themselves be led by any religious wacko with an armload of missing golden tablets and guidance from Moroni, Italian for morons..
It's not about "What would Jesus do" but about what would the Father do. How long will it take before supposed "Christians" get that message?
"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship God the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him worship in spirit and truth."
-Jn 4:23,24.
Joseph got some of the spiritual truth but he too mixed spirit with material ambition and territorial control, the acts of Abrahamics guaranteed to destroy the Spirit within each territory-staking organized religion.
The Mormons insist that you "tithe" ten percent of your gross income to the Mormon church. This poor, young entrepreneur obviously wasn't making enough money at his new business. If he had been, the Mormon hierarchy would have welcomed him with open arms!
Just telling it like it is...
If those has been women missionaries in the photographs, the Mormon church would have appointed the young entrepreneur to its board of directors. Then again, women aren't allowed to be missionaries in the Mormon church, are they?
Most people don't know that tithing was the Big Business in Jerusalem where each year Jews from all over were told to come and pay their dues. Jerusalem'Temple priesthood, the Saducees were rich fat cats, one of the big reasons Jesus flipped out in the Temple and chased the temple money changers away. Mecca too, was a big business operation for Vedic Arabs before Muhammad came along and got rid of his religious competitors.
These organized religions can't exist without the collection plate and tithes. It's a good racket and I'm complaining at the next prophesy bearers Union 101 meeting why I alone have be ordered not to create a new church and rake in the bucks.
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