Westminster Magistrates' Court is a magistrates' court at 181 Marylebone Road, London. [1] The Chief Magistrate of England and Wales, who is the Senior District Judge of England and Wales, sits at the court, and all extradition and terrorism-related cases pass through it. [2] The court opened on 22 September 2011 as a replacement for the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.
In February 2014 the court heard a case in which a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) launched a rare private prosecution bid with the court, which issued a summons to Thomas S. Monson (the then leader of the LDS Church) to answer claims under the 2006 Fraud Act. [3] A church spokesperson characterised the allegations as bizarre, later stating that Monson has no intention of appearing in person at the 14 March hearing. Experts consulted by the press found it highly unlikely that Monson would be extradited from the United States. A former crown prosecutor stated: "I think the British courts will recoil in horror. This is just using the law to make a show, an anti-Mormon point. And I'm frankly shocked that a magistrate has issued it." [4] The person lodging the complaint is the managing editor of "a website highly critical of the church." [5]
John Dehlin stated he believed publicity to be the plaintiff's goal, and that it worked, based on the 800,000 page views to the plaintiff's website on 4 February, a record for that site. [6] Monson did not appear at the 14 March hearing, but instead was represented by legal counsel, who contested the summons. [7] On 20 March 2014, Judge Howard Riddle, chief magistrate in Westminster Magistrates' Court, ruled that the case was "an abuse of the process of the court" and that "the court is being manipulated to provide a high-profile forum to attack the religious beliefs of others". [8] [9]
Thomas Spencer Monson was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As president, he was considered by adherents of the religion to be a prophet, seer, and revelator. Monson's early career was as a manager at the Deseret News, a Utah newspaper owned by the LDS Church. He spent most of his life engaged in various church leadership positions and public service.
The September Six were six members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were excommunicated or disfellowshipped by the church in September 1993, allegedly for publishing scholarly work against or criticizing church doctrine or leadership. The term "September Six" was coined by The Salt Lake Tribune and was used in the media and subsequent discussion. The church's action was referred to by some as evidence of an anti-intellectual posture on the part of church leadership.
Joseph Bitner Wirthlin was an American businessman, religious leader and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was sustained to the Twelve on October 4, 1986, and ordained an apostle on October 9, 1986, by Thomas S. Monson. He became an apostle following the death of church president Spencer W. Kimball. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Wirthlin was accepted by the church membership as a prophet, seer, and revelator.
The Ogden Utah Temple is the sixteenth constructed and fourteenth operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in Ogden, Utah, it was originally built with a modern, single-spire design very similar to the Provo Utah Temple. During a renovation completed in 2014, the exterior and interior were extensively changed.
The Genesis Group is an auxiliary organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for African-American members and their families.
Edward Lawrence Kimball was an American scholar, lawyer, and historian who was a law professor at Brigham Young University (BYU).
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Utah. Utah has more church members than any other U.S. state or country. The LDS Church is also the largest denomination in Utah.
Peggy Fletcher Stack is an American journalist, editor, and author. Stack has been the lead religion writer for The Salt Lake Tribune since 1991. She and five other journalists at the Salt Lake Tribune won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. She won the Cornell Award for Excellence in Religion Reporting—Mid-sized Newspapers from the Religious News Association in 2004, 2012, 2017, 2018, and 2022.
The Paris France Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Le Chesnay, a suburb of Paris, France, and is located near Versailles. The Paris France Temple is the first temple built in Metropolitan France, and the second in France, after the Papeete Tahiti Temple.
The Durban South Africa Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Durban, South Africa. The intent to construct the temple was announced by church president Thomas S. Monson on 1 October 2011. The temple was announced concurrently with the Barranquilla Colombia, Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo, Star Valley Wyoming, and Provo City Center temples. When announced, this increased the total number of temples worldwide to 166 and the number in South Africa to two.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in England. England has five missions, and both temples in the United Kingdom. With 145,385 members in 2011, England had more LDS Church members than any other country in Europe.
Denver Carlos Snuffer Jr. is a Utah lawyer, an author of Restorationist devotional books, a lecturer, a speculative theologian, and claims to be a “revelator to fellowships of the remnants movement,” a spiritual movement in schism with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The movement has a few thousand adherents, many of them members or former members of the LDS Church. He was excommunicated by the LDS Church in 2013 for refusing to cease publication of his 2011 book, Passing the Heavenly Gift which challenges many points of LDS orthodoxy. He subsequently has been identified as a prophet by many, and several of his teachings have been canonized as scripture.
Ordain Women is a Mormon feminist organization that supports the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was founded on March 17, 2013, by Kate Kelly, a human rights attorney from Washington, D.C., with the website launch containing 19 profiles of individuals calling for the ordination of Mormon women. As of May 17, 2014, the website featured more than 400 profiles.
Kathleen Marie Kelly, known as Kate Kelly, is an American activist, human rights lawyer, and Mormon feminist who founded Ordain Women, an organization advocating for the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kelly was excommunicated from the church in 2014. She is also a nationally known advocate for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and abortion access.
Mormon feminism is a feminist religious social movement concerned with the role of women within Mormonism. Mormon feminists commonly advocate for a more significant recognition of Heavenly Mother, the ordination of women, gender equality, and social justice grounded in Mormon theology and history. Mormon feminism advocates for more representation and presence of women as well as more leadership roles for women within the hierarchical structure of the church. It also promotes fostering healthy cultural attitudes concerning women and girls.
Jennifer Finlayson-Fife is an American psychologist, sexuality educator, and clinical professional counselor.
This is a bibliography of literature treating the topic of criticism of Mormonism, sorted by alphabetical order of titles.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 2010s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Kirton McConkie is an American Law firm based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. It is notable as the law firm that represents the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is the largest law firm in Utah.