Raleigh, USA - A Presbyterian church was happy to have Jeremy and Jodi Stokes as Cub Scout leaders, at least until officials there found out they are Mormons and told them they would have to step down because the church does not consider them real Christians.
The Stokeses enrolled their sons as Scouts at Christ Covenant Church, a Presbyterian congregation about 10 miles from Charlotte, then expressed interest in volunteering as leaders. Church officials were initially thrilled earlier this month, the Stokeses said, until they saw on the couple's application forms that they belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
After two Scout meetings, the Stokeses were told their sons, 6 and 8 years old, could remain in their packs, but the parents couldn't serve as leaders.
"I can't believe they had the audacity to say, 'You can't be leaders but we want your boys,'" Jodi Stokes said. "Are you kidding me? Do you really think I'd let my boys go there now?"
The Stokeses story was first reported in the Charlotte Observer.
Christ Covenant spokeswoman Stelle Snyder said in an e-mail Tuesday the church was taking action to "assure that our parameters for leaders are clearly defined and well-communicated to volunteers and those interested in leadership roles for church sponsored programs such as the Boy Scouts."
The e-mail included a link to a site explaining the differences between Mormon and historical Christian doctrine. Snyder declined to comment further, but said the church wishes the Stokes family well.
"We had bought the uniforms, we had gone to two meetings, they had played with the other kids," Jodi Stokes said. "And then my sons are saying, 'Mommy, why can't we go back there?'"
Members of the Salt Lake City-based LDS Church strongly identify as Christians, believing that salvation is possible because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But significant theological differences separate Mormons from most Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches.
The LDS Church treats as holy scripture writings, like the Book of Mormon, which aren't recognized by other churches, but which it believes were divinely revealed to Joseph Smith in the 1820s. Mormons also disavow belief in the core Christian doctrine of the Trinity — that the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one — instead believing the three to be individuals united in a single purpose.
Major doctrinal differences exist between many Christian churches, said Kathleen Flake, a professor of American religious history at Vanderbilt University, yet few other denominations endure the kind of scrutiny that Mormons are subjected to.