Church History, Joseph Smith, Mormon Stories, Podcast
Mormon Stories #426-429: A Visual History of the Community of Christ (RLDS)
by John Dehlin • • 50 Comments
In this 4 part series, John Hamer discusses the history of the Community of Christ (RLDS church).
Part 1 — Restoration Origins to the 1844 Succession Crisis: In Part 1, John Hamer briefly discusses the diversity within Latter Day Saint or Restoration heritage churches. He then walks us through the early history of the Restoration to explain how the seeds that have ultimately flowered with the Community of Christ and the LDS Church were planted even before Joseph Smith’s martyrdom. John talks about the rapid evolution in Mormonism from its origins to 1844, its inherent tensions, and the direct causes of the schism that emerged after Brigham Young’s showdown with Sidney Ridgon for church leadership in Nauvoo.
Part 2 — Aftermath of the Succession Crisis, 1844-1860: In Part 2, John Hamer talks about the pivotal period from 1844-1860, when different Latter Day Saints came up with different solutions for how to remain faithful to their religion in the wake of the founder’s death. John conceptually divides successor churches into three categories: (1) Those who sought to “purify” the church and go back to an earlier form of Mormonism, (2) those who sought to “preserve” the church as it existed in 1844, and (3) those who wanted to continue to “innovate” by having a new prophet ever revealing new doctrine and practices on the model of the founder. John describes how polygamy continued to be the main point of contention and how the organizations of most of Brigham Young’s rivals had faltered by 1860.
Part 3 — Regathering the Old Saints, the Reorganization 1860-1910: In Part 3, John Hamer talks about how Latter Day Saints living in the Midwest who continued to oppose polygamy were able to regroup and come together as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. These members included Joseph Smith Jr.’s immediate family. Joseph and Emma’s eldest surviving son, Joseph Smith III, led the RLDS Church as prophet for 54 years. Described by his biographer as a “pragmatic prophet,” Joseph III was able to successfully weld diverse old Saints who had been Strangites, Cutlerites, Wightites, Whitermites, Rigdonites, Thompsonites, Brighamites, Morrisites, and more, into a Restoration tradition church that took the Kirtland era as its model. The fact that Joseph III grew up in the ruins of Nauvoo and had learned to live with his neighbors influenced the Reorganization’s strong peace tradition.
Part 4 — The Transformation from Reorganization to Community of Christ: In Part 4, John Hamer tells the remarkable story of the RLDS Church’s transformation from a inward-looking sect with a negative, exclusive identity to a progressive denomination with a positive, inclusive identity. Although both the RLDS Church and the LDS Church were faced with the same basic challenges in the societal transformation in North America after World War 2, the churches had completely opposite responses. In the wake of the challenges posed by professional scholarship of the “New Mormon History,” RLDS leaders chose to “embrace truth and do what is right, let the consequence follow,” rather than to retrench, deny, and retreat into territory that is intellectually indefensible. The path has not been an easy one, but it has led Community of Christ to become a church whose values include “unity in diversity,” “the worth of all persons,” and the principle that “all are called.” Today, women serve at every level of church leadership, up to the First Presidency. Community of Christ has had apostles from Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific Islands, in addition to North America. LGBT members have full priesthood participation in North America and Australia, and in states and countries where it is legal, priesthood members may perform same-sex marriages as a sacrament in Community of Christ.
50 comments for “Mormon Stories #426-429: A Visual History of the Community of Christ (RLDS)”
Although I am still listening intently, the early discussion how the differently and evolution from Palmyra to Nauvoo….I am very comfortable with the “process” through revelation…although I am traditional or conservative member, I still am ok with processes of change and revelation that may come our way. I believe there is a more open mind to change, than the more progressive forces now in the church gives individuals such as me, credit. It really comes down to which side does the change or revelation comes and how it effects your direction and thinking.
Zack — I don’t think that particular tension necessarily breaks down along the liberal/conservative divide. If you go to that image in the presentation, I’m suggesting that the tension is between the idea of the Ancient Order of Things and Continuing Revelation. In your case, you’re more committed to the Continuing Revelation side. Many of the earliest members, by contrast, were committed to the idea that every revelation was a “Restoration” of the ancient order — how things once were and how they always should be. They were therefore more disillusioned when new revelations contradicted earlier revelations than you have been.
Gentlemen, this podcast was fantastic! Thanks to you both. I learned a lot about both the history of the Community of Christ and my own tradition of the LDS (Utah) church that I didn’t know. Thank you.
Found it interesting when John Dehlin learned that Frederick M. Smith had a PHD in Psychology, he almost seemed to have an “ah-ha” moment and to have jumped out of his seat. By the way, Dr. Smith got his PHD from Clark University. 😉
I had a couple of questions for John Hamer:
This might sound a bit outrageous, but in the late 1960s, I attended a fireside and listened to a presentation by Joesph Fielding Smith before he became President of the LDS Church. I remember him gloating a bit about being one of the last successors of the direct linage of Joseph Smith Jr, and the only rightful heir to the President of the RLDS Church and actually had been contacted by the leadership of the RLDS Church in that regard. As I remember he said the RLDS Church would fail, unlike the LDS Church, because it had built its model on hierarchical succession. Did the RLDS Church leadership ever contact him as possible successor?
Thanks for the information on the Temple Lot Church, as well. I visited there center in Independence, Missouri in the 90s and at that time learned that the Book of Commandments vs D&C Section 4 changes that had occurred that Joseph’s only gift was to translate the Book of Mormon. At the time their membership was very limited. I think less than a couple of hundred. What are the major doctrinal differences between their beliefs and the Community of Christ?
Can one get an electronic copy of the CofC D&C online?
It was very educational and enjoyable. Thanks again for a fantastic historical journey.
Glen,
That’s not so outrageous, that is a fairly common LDS myth that you received from the source. What’s outrageous is that the first time I’d ever heard that story, it had been transferred to Spencer W. Kimball, somehow via lineage Kimball was the true RLDS heir and the poor Reorganites (who had run out of Smiths) had been forced to offer their presidency to him — only to be rebuffed.
Joseph Fielding Smith is not a descendant of Joseph Jr. He’s a descendant of Hyrum. By strict lineal descent succession, if we were only considering male-to-male lines (Salic law), there would still be dozens of Smiths who actually are descendants of Joseph Jr. that the church could go through before having to go back to descendants of Joseph Sr. or Joseph Sr.’s brothers. Joseph Jr. and Emma do not lack descendants, and Community of Christ does not lack their active participation today. Plenty remain in current leadership roles in Community of Christ. Although Joseph Fielding Smith has died, Joseph Jr.’s actual direct male heir (by Salic law) Wallace B. Smith is alive and well and continues to serve as prophet emeritus of Community of Christ. This myth was clearly born of Joseph Fielding Smith’s desire to promote his own “Smithness” within an LDS audience that is relatively Smith-less.
lol
Regarding an online Community of Christ D&C: you’d think that would be a top priority, but somehow it doesn’t seem to have been. You can get the most recent 5 sections on the church’s website: cofchrist.org/onlineresources/resources1.asp#d
Actually the Temple Lot church’s membership is less limited than you’d think. The church on the temple lot itself is not their only congregation; according to the current tally on Wikipedia, they have 32 active congregations and around 2,400 members.
They are very interesting folks. In the models I mentioned in the lecture, they fit the “purifying” type of church — their name “Church of Christ” is a big clue to that. In their view, Joseph Smith Jr. became a fallen prophet and it happened back when he decided to massively edit his own revelations (i.e., prior to 1835). They therefore reject the D&C and most later Restoration innovations except for the creation of a Council of Twelve Apostles. So they are more of a New York/early Ohio style Restoration church, where Community of Christ’s roots are more late Kirtland with a dash of Missouri style. (The LDS Church being more mid-Nauvoo and fundamentalist Mormons being late-Nauvoo — although obviously these at best are impressionistic analogies and should not be taken strictly or literally.)
I’d say the difference there between Community of Christ and the Temple Lot Church on the “fallen prophet” issue is a fundamental divide on what a prophet is: They share more the common LDS idea of what a prophet is and conclude from the evidence that there’s no denying Joseph Smith fell. In my view, by contrast, that definition of prophet describes no one who has ever existed in real life; and therefore that definition of a prophet must be rejected as false, not necessarily the prophet.
Super interesting stuff. Thanks for all this work.
John D thank you for doing this interview.
John H I really enjoyed this interview and the research and the charts you have made.
THANK YOU!
I have been studying LDS church history for many many years and it was fun to compare notes with what you have presented.
I plan on putting links to this interview on my blog for my readers to enjoy.
Interestingly I find very few things of huge significance to disagree with you on regarding the historical information you have presented, although my interpretation of the historical documentation is significantly different than yours.
I did find the following things that you brought to light very interesting and informative:
1- William exd by Strang for practicing polygamy
2- John Taylors forced renunciation of his published denial of the practice of polygamy
3- Strang attempted to get the flow of LDS British converts and sent “Martin Harris” to do missionary work.
4- John Whitmer documented Strang as Joseph’s Successor in the official history and then crossed it off.
5- I found your observation that joseph was more concerned about the secrets of the council of the 50 getting out than about being exposed on the polygamy issue.
6- The Cutlerite Church of Christ wrote polygamy out of their history. LOL I remember years ago having a discussion with one of their leaders and how emphatic he was against polygamy.
7- “a church without a prophet is not a church for me” in the hymnal.
8- Joseph’s main concern during the confronation with William Law was not polygamy but the council of 50.
Although I am not convinced that polygamy was all that well known by the majority of the membership at that time, aside from rumors flying around, I do find your suggestion very intriguing and credible.
I vaguely recall that Joseph told his brethren to take off their garments and burn the council minutes.
That would certainly imply that he was concerned about the antics of the council of 50 and the ordination to be king.
I do have a number of questions or observations I would love a response to, if you have the time and inclination.
I apologize for the length of my questions and observations and I understand if you don’t have time to respond:
1- How well documented is it that Emma initially publicly or privately admitted that Joseph practiced polygamy in contrast to her denials in later years? (any refs?)
2- You are clearly saying that from your research that you believe Joseph Smith practiced polygamy and yet, this contradicts what Richard and Pamela Price claim in their research.
I had assumed that they are members of the Community of Christ or an offshoot of it. Am I mistaken about that?
If they are members of the same tradition as you, which belief is the most prevalent among members and leaders of the Community of Christ church on that issue? Yours or theirs?
Are you familiar with their arguments?
Have you met them and conversed with them about their belief on this topic?
My recollection is that in the early years of the RLDS movement leaders were in denial about Joseph’s involvement despite the testimony of some of their leaders like William Marks. Is that right?
3- I have long wondered how Strang could get so many high profile original leaders of the restoration movement to follow him. I appreciated you pointing out why you think he was so successful by using Joseph’s model and how he focused on Kirtland for a period of time.
Do you have any credible figures about how many people initially followed Brigham Young as apposed to how many followed Strang?
Some historians from other traditions have said or implied that Strang had more followers initially. Is that true from your research?
4- Why do you think the LDS church grew so much quicker than the RLDS, given the blatantly heretical belief system of the LDS Church? Didn’t the RLDS church do missionary work initially? I realize that the Modern Mormon church had a head start, but it still seems odd to me.
5- I enjoyed your point about the tension between continuing revelation vs restoration of ancient order.
The tension between these two concepts as I see it is that Modern Mormonism defines continuing revelation as the ability to change previous doctrines when in fact Joseph originally taught that a new