The Mormon church, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, is only one of more than a hundred different church organizations which sprang from the work of Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in 1830. The largest of these other churches is the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) headquartered in Independence, Missouri.
Why a Reorganization? When Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, was killed in 1844, an immediate leadership power struggle followed. Brigham Young, leader of the Council of Twelve Apostles, eventually gathered enough support to become the new Prophet/President. Under his leadership, a significant portion of the church migrated from Illinois to Utah in 1846–47.
But not everyone chose to follow Brigham Young to Utah. Some members chose to follow other leaders, or simply stay behind, scattered throughout the mid-west. Most of these members rejected Brigham Young’s claim to leadership, as well as a variety of strange doctrines which Joseph Smith introduced during his later years. Some also believed that Joseph Smith had designated his son, Joseph Smith, III, to be his lawful successor as President of the church. Sixteen years later, Joseph Smith III accepted the invitation of a group of congregations which claimed to be a "reorganization" of his father's original church, and became their president in 1860. His mother joined this Reorganization with him. This is how the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) was formed. The RLDS church rejected polygamy as unacceptable along with a number of other doctrines and practices such as baptism for the dead, eternal progression to godhood and secret temple ceremonies.
Here are some factors which set the RLDS church apart from Utah Mormonism.
· They continuously had a direct descendant of Joseph Smith as their president until 1996. (Mormons select their presidents from the Council of Twelve Apostles.)
· Joseph Smith's widow, Emma Bidamon, joined with them. (Most of his later polygamous wives went west to Utah with Brigham Young.)
· They own and publish Joseph Smith's revision of the Bible, which they call the Inspired Version. (Mormons use the King James Version of the Bible.)
· They were awarded the "Kirtland Temple" (Joseph Smith’s first temple built in Kirtland, Ohio in 1836) when a court declared them the legal continuation of Joseph Smith's original church. Recently they completed building their second temple in Independence, Missouri. Both RLDS temples are open to the public. (Mormons have built numerous temples around the world, all closed to the public.)
· They are headquartered in Joseph Smith's city of "Zion"— Independence, Missouri. (Mormons are headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.)
During recent decades, however, RLDS leadership have moved away from some of Joseph Smith’s Latter Day Saint doctrine and identity, while at the same time endeavored to gain acceptance by mainstream Christianity. Beginning in 1984, many fundamentalists broke away from the RLDS church over this doctrinal "liberalism" and have since incorporated a variety of independent churches. Many of these groups use either the word "Restored" or "Restoration" in their name and consider themselves to be the "true" RLDS church, i.e., Joseph Smith’s original church.
Unshackled by this fundamentalist movement, the surviving RLDS church has become increasingly "liberal." Whereas Joseph Smith claimed for his church the ultimate truth, and exclusive authority from God, today's RLDS leadership promotes religious pluralism—and "dialogue" with the world's religions. As their current Prophet/President confesses, "We have much to give. We have much to learn." (W. Grant McMurray, "A Prophetic People," Saints Herald, June 1996, p. 9.)
Pluralism teaches that God authored and works through all of the world's religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, and that salvation can be found in them all. This view nullifies the fact that God has made Jesus Christ the exclusive means of reconciling mankind with Himself. It also nullifies Christ’s "Great Commission" to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19–20). Pluralism also encourages a high level of tolerance, mutual respect and acceptance of all of the world’s religions. It is in this sense that today's RLDS church continues to identify with the religious heritage left them by Joseph Smith. They claim it as their own unique contribution to the religious fabric of the world, of which they so desperately want to be accepted.
In keeping with this liberal direction, the RLDS church is changing its public name to "Community of Christ" effective April 6, 2001. Regardless of this new liberal direction of the RLDS church, it continues to use Joseph Smith’s elaborate—and un-Christian—priesthood structure, and most of its members still believe that the "scriptures" he created are equal or superior to the Bible.
Christian ministry to RLDS church members, and to their fundamentalist "Restoration" brothers, is a principal focus of Refiner’s Fire Ministries.
Adapted from Part Way to Utah: the Forgotten Mormons, by Paul Trask.