On 6/30/2019 Mormon Bishop Jared Lusk attended a Mormon church disciplinary council in the Farmington, New Mexico stake on the charges of apostasy. His “sins” included:

  • Losing his Mormon faith after reading the Mormon church’s own Gospel Topics essays, which discussed topics such as : a) discrepancies in the multiple accounts of Joseph Smith’s first vision, b) Joseph Smith’s polygamy and polyandry, c) concerns about the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham, etc.
  • Writing publicly about his loss of faith on Facebook, and
  • Supporting Mormon Bishop Sam Young’s efforts to protect Mormon children from sexual abuse.

During the disciplinary council Jared’s Mormon Stake President read the charges of apostasy, including several of Jared’s Facebook statements. Then, Jared’s wife, Gwen, along with two of their daughters (Taylor and Madison) testified on Jared’s behalf. Then Jared provided his own response to the charges.

At the close of the disciplinary council, Jared’s stake president twice asked Jared explicitly if he would agree to stop commenting on social media about his disbelief in fundamental Mormon truth claims. Both times Jared told his stake president that he would NOT stop expressing his disbelief on social media – explicitly defying the counsel of Jared’s priesthood leadership (which in and of itself is ground for apostasy).

In a somewhat unexpected and heretofore unheard of act in the modern area, Jared was informed by his Stake President that he has been Disfellowshipped for Apostasy.

In this Mormon Stories Podcast episode, we will hear from Jared and his family about their experiences with the disciplinary council, and discuss their theories as to why Jared was disfellowshipped (and not excommunicated), in spite of the fact that Jared openly defied the authority of his stake president. We will also discuss why the Lusks are disappointed in the verdict.

Our earlier interview with the Lusks where we hear their Mormon Story may be found here:

1131-1136: Jared, Gwen, & Madison Lusk: A Former Mormon Bishop and His Family from New Mexico Face Excommunication for Apostasy

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8 Comments

  1. Maggie Rayner July 8, 2019 at 10:14 pm - Reply

    Thank you for sharing this heartbreaking experience. I am so sorry your entire family has been hurt by the organization you lovingly dedicated your lives, service, family, and $ to. I believe the facebook question Jared received: “Are you saying the church is extorting $ from its members re the requirement to pay tithing in order to get to heaven?” and his response: “Yes, a case can be made for the church extorting $ from its members.,” hit a nerve with the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Disfellowshipment, rather than excommunication, may be a tactic to try and neutralize this very real danger to the finances of the Corporation.

    • Neal July 8, 2019 at 11:41 pm - Reply

      Love it! Can’t participate in any way, as an ex-bishop mind you, but continue giving us your cash/dues.
      My biggest regret as a missionary was the pressure I placed on folk to pay their tithing as we worked with families living below the bread line.
      Most of these families were taking food out of their children’s mouths to live the “Higher Law”

      Like any other flourishing American business, all about the Benjamins!

      • Darlene Schmidt November 5, 2019 at 6:09 pm - Reply

        I have done this but I stopped beating myself up for having done it. I proved to myself that I have more faith or endurance than I knew that I had. I am looking for people who want to protect themselves from the Mormon priesthood murderous government, (lost) [hidden] constitution and I say so revelation law that has governed our nation since 1871 when by deceit LDS volunteers must have gotten congress to create a “corporate” seat of government instead of a republic seat (Act of 1871), 4th war declared upon the USA federal government. This congress that despised LDS and would not let them be seated for 7 years, created a corporate seat of gov for Young in UT, territory!

        In 1838 Smith lost his war with MO and was convicted of treason, supposed to be executed but escaped with extortion on the army. He left for Illinois and secretly declared war of Ill…by vote, numbers, and his military legion. He was again charged with treason in Ill. Fate and providence decided to execute Smith in Carthage jail.

        Young took over and lost the 1847 UT war with the US army. Young then began bragging he knew how to get everything he wanted. He must have sold his soul to Satan like a musician, PICTURES told about a few years ago, if Satan would teach him how to play the guitar. Young has lost 3 wars in his goal to rule the world…Smith’s corporate gov, constitution and democracy presently rule the world. But there is something changing. Young conquered the states in 1913 with Amend 17. Nowhere in 17 does it say the states gave up their senate suffrage when they ratified 17. Nowhere in 17 does it state the elected by the people have power to case their state’s senate vote. Nowhere in 17 does it state the elected by the people have authority to caste the state’s senate vote in violation of Art. 5. No law since 1913 is constitutional. LDS control the federal gov and the states who could overthrow the federal government by informing the elected by the people senators they do not have their state power of attorney.

        In 1972, suicidal Blackmun writes Roe v Wade, abortion, to dismantle the US constitution and force citizens into corporate slavery. Nowhere in Roe does it say abortionists have a presidential pardon to murder and go unpunished. This is Smith’s constitutional law.

        In 1836-37 Smith settled his band into town after town, called the people together to hear his revelation from his GOD that they were to deed over to him their lands, cattle, buildings, supplies, machinery, homes, wives and daughters to him to do with as he saw fit. They were smarter than I–I never caught on to Smith’s law lies.

        God must have been disappointed with my stupidity. No one believed Smith knew God, and drive him out of town after town after town. In 1973 -4, I read Roe and it was full of extortion on Texas to obey and implement Roe–just like in church. At the end it talked about the harsh treatment given Mormons who were driven from town to town. Had I been clear headed, I would have driven them out of my life long ago. Roe on line has been cleaned up. The extortion and LDS references are gone. I cannot find an early Roe copy with the extortion and LDS references.

        Why were the LDS part of Roe? I wondered how the kind, honest, truthful, caring, humble, wrongfully persecuted Smith got convicted of treason in MO. I looked upMO testimonies on line. My blood ran cold. Smith received a revelation god had given the nonmember’s fruits to the Mormon’s. He wrote a law: exterminate the gentles, nonmembers, to get their possessions and wealth–this explains the medicaid scams and RF meters and cell phone towers and on and on occurring today. Had I been taught this as a child, I would have seen through Smith lies, propaganda, fraud and would not have hated my ancestors for obeying blindly. Smith was a schizo. He murdered members, terrorized them and kept them in fear for their lives and the well being of their children.

        Science says we all carry 14 generations of ancestors in our genes screaming, clawing, and extorting to do what they want. My LDS ancestors carry these terrors from Smith and Young. I had to imagine what it was like being an early member who were allowed to leave Mormonism only when dead; like members of the mob.

        Illegals terrorize me and upset my LDS ancestors’ fears. They are afraid, yet ten ancestors scream to stop Smith/Young’s terror. I do not know where the ten came from. My courage to fight LDS leaders comes from the ten ancestors.

        Roe contains Smith’s guilty as accused law. The unborn is innocent. He/she was forced into existence without their permission. They were handed a womb lease contract that is terminated just like Smith did with MO’s contracts. He was given his own county but he had to keep his people in that country. Smith did for a week. Then he sent them to colonize other counties.

        I was a 2nd grader in a 2nd and 4th split class. When the teacher taught about the constitution, I was spell bound. I could not breathe for fear of missing a word! I could not do my work and had to stay in at recess. I fell in love with our constitution when I was 6 or 7 years old! I forgot about it until fate/providence showed me Smith’s terrifying, satanic, brutal laws. I had to fight. I can do nothing else.

        We know that congress wears Smith’s satanic mantle when they write laws while sitting in Smith’s corporate seat of government. We know that the federal departments wear Smith’s satanic mantle when they write policies. Smith’s law: LDS fight until all gentiles are dead or all LDS are dead is locked in today’s LDS gene pool. Everything these bastards do is to kill and go unpunished. There is no FEDERAL title of nobility in Roe to murder and go unpunished. There is no STATE title of nobility in Roe to murder and go unpunished. LDS have put 60 million women on death row who have no idea they must die like they murdered.

        I set out to prove our constitution was NOT divine and proved it IS divine. It has mosaic law written into it. It is a 1,000 years ahead of her time and rendered perfect justice. Roe switched Smith’s constitution and law with our republic ratified constitution and law. Smith finished writing his government and constitution in 1844. A few months later he was dead. Most of us have not caught on nor listened to truth. It is hard to hear this truth and the terror that comes with it. People steal from me, damage my home, waste my little money and I can do nothing to stop them.

        We need to protect ourselves from Smith/Young’s revelation beast government. Where can I find people who will help do this? I will not fight the battle of which church or scripture is true. Jesus fought that battle and won. I will not mock him by fighting it today. God will not mock him by helping anyone fight it today. No one will receive revelation on how to fight it today or which scripture is true. Isaiah 2:3 talks about 2 halves of the plan of salvation: word kingdom and law kingdom. Joseph goes over the wall to America. He got the kingdom come taken from the Jews, Matt 21:43. Act 1:6 the arrogant, haughty Jewish apostles cornered the resurrected Christ asking when they would get the kingdom returned to them. They already had the word kingdom and wanted it all. Jesus told them it was none of their business.

        Smith/Young knew all this stuff and now I know it and so do you. The LDS have conquered branch 1, house, branch 2, senate, but not branch 3, president. Mitts father tried to conquer it but lost being elected. Mitt lost being elected. Pres Monson suggested Obama let him run the government during shutdown–God would not let Obama help LDS conquer the presidency. Then came Trump. Obama wanted a 3rd term but the constitution would not given it to him so he gave it to himself.

        The Jews wanted the political kingdom but god would not give it to them. They knew God would not give it to them. They decided to give it to themselves. Churchill, Jew, is claimed to be prince Churchill of Africa. Some laugh and say this is a WWII myth but I do not agree. Hitler went after Africa. Churchill started WWII to stop Hitler. Some evidence has surfaced showing he started WWI. Churchill went to the UN and got them to give the Jews political power, state of Israel. Leaders wanted it named Zion but God would not allow it. We would confuse it with the law kingdom going forth from Jerusalem, instead of America. Everyone and their dog wants to conquer America. They get treaties that enslave and plunder us. The expect us to feed them, police them, protect them… Americans are a different breed. We are slow to anger. We are patient. We help when we should not be helping. We hear the Holy Ghost. Look at Trump. He loves America like I love the constitution. I’ll bet he cannot tell you why he has worked so hard to provide jobs and try to make America great.

        I have tried to cause Gov. Herbert to obey UT law and submit to the US constitution. He will not! He has scam after scam after scam to steal gentle wealth and is not bothered when he steals some LDS wreath. He is a businessman. He knows of the economic bubble about to send us is such a deep socialist recession. We will not dig out for hundreds of years.

        Former Leavitt helped set up Homeland Security–we lost our privacy in the Patriot Act. Herbert/huntsman promote RF meters microwave radiation poison frequency that cases tumors, cancer, heart disease and death by torture using 2G and 3G! We now have 4G and 5G! They want gentiles dead and LDS alive to so they can stop fighting and force us to submit to Smith’s revelation beast slaver.

        Washington’s Valley Forge vision saw 3 wars on American soil…Revolutionary, civil and Smith/Young’s extermination of gentles and controlling all of America. I think someone showed Trump my findings. He says the Deep State controls the courts.

        LDS control the court system.Herbert won after he admitted I complied with the law. I won, yet I lost. How is that possible.

        God says in Isaiah 1:6 he will restore the judges as at first. How? I am be looking at how and cannot recognize it. I lost in courts until I put God back into my life. Then I win some.

        I won SLC Corp’s parking ticket given in free parking. I learned about corporation applied to government illegally, unlawfully and unconstitutionally.

        I think Herbert and several elite leaders are plundering America and UT. They want to get out fast when the bubble pops. They want to live like kings on some island with stole taxes. I want to stop them.

        A corp is invisible, intangible, contemplation of law, artificial nonexistent person. SL Co is a nonexistent government run by delusional con artists hallucinating law. I got my property tax notice and looked up the law authorizing collection of taxes–did not exist. I expected con artists running nonexistent government to operate under nonexistent law. I tried to stop the collection of this illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional tax not all Utahans pay. Judge Chon refused to grant me in forma pauperus standing to not pay the legals fees. She and Herbert knew their courts have kept me so poor I live far below the poverty line. I was told to sell my home to pay the court fees. The federal courts granted me in forma pauperus, so did the Ut Ct of appeals and Ut sup court , but not Chon. Judge Trease did too. Herbert’s law replaces we the people’s law. He brought thousands of immigrants where who believe we must feed them before we feed our children, pets and selves. He allows illegals here with the same belief. He puts citizens in power positions over our lives who cannot understand our culture or American rule of law. I believe Herbert is Dan. 7’s horn that changes law, (cannabis) time (daylight savings) and speaks great words against our constitutional freedoms, laws, protections and so forth given us by god.

        You may not believe in the bible…it does not matter. I use it to understand God does not want illegals or immigrants here. It helps me know how to recognize how close the LDS are at conquering America. They have conquered other nations the same way but not all of America. It was hard for me to return to the bible. Its ok if you blame god. It is not ok to stand by and allow LDS to enslave us and our children. Daniel’s statute’s feet are made of clay and iron. We only need a power hose to bring down the LDS. I am look for people that love freedom, justice, equal protection of the law, truth and all that is lovely and of good report. Can you help me find them. There surely must be good people in Utah. I have not found any so far. I walk the wine press alone.

        Congress (wearing the Deep LDS State mantle) has catered to unpresident Obama and corporate president Nelson ‘s shadow government cramming Smith and Young’s beast laws down our throats. I don’t care if you use the word beast. Call it the deep state. I want people who love free agency to help restore our constitution. After we take possession of our kingdom, Jesus gets his neverending government.

    • Mark Blanchard July 9, 2019 at 7:58 pm - Reply

      I don’t believe that anyone so disfellowshipped would continue to pay tithing (or indeed start repaying after having not paid while entering into apostasy). Nor do I believe that the Church would be so foolish as to think anyone would pay tithing in such a case.

      It’s more likely that the Church has simply opted to disfellowship rather than excommunicate in these high profile cases to soften the impact to their public image. They know the apostate member is lost to them, but the can then say to the world “we didn’t fire them, they resigned”.

  2. Maggie Rayner July 9, 2019 at 10:20 pm - Reply

    I continue to be surprised at the number of members who’ve been disfellowshipped and excommunicated who are willing to do whatever they’re asked to do to be admitted back into the tribe and regain the promise of a place in Mormon heaven with their family, and this includes continuing to pay tithing.

    I would like to see a class action against The Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – by members who’ve been excommunicated, asking for their tithing money back. I doubt those who’ve been disfellowshipped or who resign would be eligible to participate.

  3. Terri July 10, 2019 at 1:31 pm - Reply

    Thank you so much for sharing! I really appreciated hearing the statements that were read. They are very meaningful. I couldn’t help but think that maybe someone should curate a book of statements that are read at these church courts or some type of audio exhibit. It would be very powerful.

  4. Exmo July 13, 2019 at 10:51 am - Reply

    That letter has no place for Jeeaus Christ. Evil from the beginning to the end. This is the other side of the cult.

  5. Paul A Chapman July 15, 2019 at 11:29 am - Reply

    What a super, strong couple. Amazing, thanks to all for sharing.

    How generous and non judgmental of Jared towards the high council “I have no hard feelings… great men”. You’ve both shown unconditional love through this whole time, a very evident virtue of not just the Lusks but others that have had to endure the same thing.

    Jared’s points are SO valid – the Culture of covenants above unconditional love. That’s the reality. Surely that stems from freemasonry, certainly Sis Lusk in a room full of men is a throwback to early days that still exist in the church.

    Those gospel topic essays and the way the church deals with truth is a timebomb. The Lusks will be one of hundreds or thousands that will go the same road.

    Movements like Mormonstories are definitely having an effect on the church. So inconsistent.

    I’m a lifelong member of the church with 6 happy children and a super wife. Grew up in Australia, stuck in Utah now. I feel like there’s no one to discuss truth with so this is a good place. I am ‘active’ which means I can sit in sacrament and be thinking about Socrates, Plato, etc, go to the temple and be wondering about freemasonry, and grudgingly pay tithing when I’d really like to find a genuine charity that supports widows and the fatherless in a developing country. But hey I’m ‘Active’ – and trying not to spiritually rot like 1/2 the members. ‘Active’ : easy to manage from lds leadership point of view.

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