I was 17 years in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and paid many thousands of pounds in tithing and served in various branch Presidency positions. I joined the "strange American church" with the reassurance of its Articles of Faith, PARTICULARLY Article 12, "“We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.”. When the Church took an overtly political stance over Proposition 8 in California, using time and money, I protested at the cruelty being imposed on gay people in the USA with more than a few resulting suicides. In that my 17th year of membership I also established a celibate Civil Partnership with my companion of 43 years. I was called to a disciplinary hearing and despite Article 12 and my partnership being lawful in the UK, I was excommunicated. Where was the respect for our laws?  I was also told that the only way back into fellowship was by separating from my partner and renouncing the Civil Partnership and then entering a process of "repentance". Another attempt to perpetrate cruelty and sadness on a faithful member. All my trust in Articles of Faith had been destroyed and all my tithing had been taken under false pretences. My appeal to the First Presidency was rejected out of hand. It hurt more than a little that the Stake President who excommunicated me had been my “friend” for 17 years. You can easily repair the damage by refunding tithes to those you reject by excommunication when their transgression is simply taking advantage of the laws of the land, laws which you promised to honour.