April 15, 2005
Bishop Jonathan Thomas
Dear Jonathan,
I am by this letter officially requesting that my name be removed from the records of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As you may know, I have been an active member of the Roman Catholic Church for the past ten years and find myself drawn each year closer to Jesus Christ through what I have found to be the fullness of Christianity. I am currently serving as a Lector, a Minister of Communion, and an Acolyte. On Palm Sunday I was privileged to speak at two Masses on the topic of how Holy Week has changed my life. I have taught the tenets of Catholicism to over 50 adults over the last seven years in preparing them to be baptized and confirmed into the Roman Catholic Church, which is the Body of Christ.
I insist that my record, and the letter notifying me that my name has been removed from the records of the church, show that the only reason that my name has been removed from the church records is that I requested it to be removed. I also insist that the word excommunication not be used in the letter notifying me of this action.
I want to be clear that my decision is the result of much study, prayer and actively exercising my faith, and is final. I understand that my request will result in canceling the effects of LDS baptism, withdrawing from me the priesthood the LDS church believes it alone possesses and suspending supposed temple sealings and blessings.
I can’t adequately express how devastated I am to know, beyond any shadow of doubt, that Joseph Smith was not a prophet of God and to find out so late in my life that the church he started and that was further promoted by Brigham Young is not what I had been raised to believe by two of the very best parents and most dedicated members of the church.
Sincerely,
Owen D. West, III