Excommunicated and denied his degree for making a calendar!
By Wendy
@jerzgirl (9384)
United States
May 1, 2009 11:48am CST
A former Mormon has decided to continue his life and to continue making the calendars that cost him both his church membership and his BYU degree.
He is currently producing his third calendar, this one of Mormon moms (the first two were of returned missionaries) and has decided that he will live the Golden Rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/around_town/fashion/Sexy-Mormon-Calendar-Sparks-Debate.html
So, what do you think? Should he have lost his academic degree over this? He did nothing against the school itself and completed his course work. I hope another educational institution will allow him to transfer his credits to obtain his degree. BYU can be very hard-nosed about things they assume about individuals. I wasn't allowed to withdraw after breaking my toes and being unable to get to class. I was told I had a bad attitude. But, my friend was allowed to withdraw because she was engaged to be married - in a year. They are very myopic in their perspectives.
I wish him well in his business endeavors myself. How about you?
3 responses
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
1 May 09
i don't know what their rules are exactly..they might have some kind of "morality clause" in place for terms of accreditation..but if it's way after the fact,no i don't think they should be able to withdraw his degree.i'm not surprised he was excommunicated,but they should not have taken an already earned degree.
a bad attitude after you broke your toes?
yikes..they expected you to just suck it up?
that's something else.
that's something else.@jerzgirl (9384)
• United States
2 May 09
They do have morality rules and I don't have a problem with the basics of that. But, the photos were only as risque as the men would have been going to the swimming pool in a bathing suit. They tend to push for total control over a member's life and behaviors, including their line of work. I'm glad he shrugged off the excommunication as inconsequential and continued in his business. I do feel for him in not getting his degree. I don't think this took place AFTER he'd earned it - but more at the same time as he was finishing it. I don't think they kicked him out, which would have been one thing - but to deny him his degree after he completed the studies is something else entirely, in my book.
1 person likes this
@Adoniah (7512)
• United States
2 May 09
What do you expect from a mormon school? He knew what would happen when he did the calander. He cannot cry foul now. If he had already graduated and gotten his degree, and then they tried to take it back, then I would say he had a case, but he doesn't have a case if he did it before he even graduated.
These people look at things a lot differently than the average Joe.
Shalom~Adoniah
@jerzgirl (9384)
• United States
2 May 09
He's not crying or whining. He continued with his business idea despite their actions, for which I applaud him. They do tend to get their panties in a wad very easily over things that are really minor issues. I actually like when they get negative press because it brings the question of their legitimacy to the forefront in a big way. Attending BYU was the beginning of the end for me - what I saw there was NOTHING like what I'd assumed it would be, and the attitudes of the people was so rigid and unforgiving and separationist - not at all what people proclaiming to have the truth should have been, in my book. I've been out of that mess since 1983, thankfully.
@murderistic (2278)
• United States
2 May 09
Well, if he released the calendar despite the church asking him not to, I have to agree with the churches decision. If the calendar was of any other theme than Mormon it would be a different story. If I found a bunch of Mennonites and ask them to pose half-naked for a calendar of sexy Mennonites, I would expect my church to do the same thing. I think this guy is kinda creepy to be honest.
