LDS vs. RLDS?

[stillsmallvoice]

Hi all!

Could someone please tell me what the differences are between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (i.e. "the Mormons") whose HQ is in Salt Lake City & the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (whose HQ is in Independence, Missouri)?

Thank you!

Be well!

ssv :hi:

[Leroy]

Today @ 08:24 AM post located here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=345832#post345832)
stillsmallvoice:

Hi all!

Could someone please tell me what the differences are between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (i.e. "the Mormons") whose HQ is in Salt Lake City & the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (whose HQ is in Independence, Missouri)?

Thank you!

Be well!

ssv :hi:


Hi stillsmallvoice,

From what I understand they had a split, the RLDS through their choice of prophets followed the lineage of Joseph Smith, where the LDS chose Brigham Young.

Brigham Young made quite a few prophecies and statements concerning and clearifying Mormon doctrine, many other of the prophets after him also made many statements pertaining to doctrine, concerning these differences, I don't know.



Leroy

[HerodionRomulus]

First, the RLDS is now called the Community of Christ (http://www.cofchrist.org/)

As I understand the differences, (I belong the neither group) when Smith died, his will specified that his son be his heir and take over the church. However, Brigham Young did so.

Smith's wife, parents, pretty much all his family, stayed in the East and did not move to Utah.
In 1860, the church was established as the RLDS and Smith's son became head. Direct descendants were the head of the group until recently.

They do not accept polygamy, do not accept multiple deities and gradually became more mainstream Christian though they have retained their unique polity and still accept the BOM.

Also the CofC retained control of the Kirtland Temple, which was the first Mormon Temple. IMHO this gives them more legitimacy as the true heirs of Mormonism and not the Utah group. The LDS has usually lost control of historical LDS places to other Mormon groups such as the CofC and Temple Lot group.

Hope this helps and anyone with a clearer explanation please join in.

[Captain Ochre]

Yesterday @ 04:42 PM post located here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=359107#post359107)
HerodionRomulus:

First, the RLDS is now called the Community of Christ (http://www.cofchrist.org/)

As I understand the differences, (I belong the neither group) when Smith died, his will specified that his son be his heir and take over the church. However, Brigham Young did so.


Good work, afaics, except that the heirship of Smith's son was word of mouth until a forged will made it appear otherwise.

"After Smith's murder several people claimed leadership of the church. These included Sidney Rigdon, Brigham Young, James Strang, and Smith's young son, Joseph Smith III. Most regarded Young as the only legitimate successor."
http://www.internet-encyclopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Joseph_Smith

"A handwritten document thought to be a father's blessing given by Joseph Smith Jr., first president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to his son Joseph Smith III, has been acquired by the Church Historical Department.

[...]

Church officials obtained the document from Mark William Hofmann, a collector of historical documents and antiques. He said he received it from a descendant of Thomas Bullock. Church officials declined to say how much was paid for the document...."
http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/trackingch6a.htm#THE%20BLESSING%20DOCUMENT

Hofmann was a forger among other unsavory activities. His story was chronicled in The Mormon Murders (Naifeh and Smith, 1989), and here (not to ignore the existence of other sources):
http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/trackingcontents.htm

[Undomiel]

Today @ 06:00 AM post located here (http://www.theologyweb.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=359772#post359772)
Captain Ochre:



Good work, afaics, except that the heirship of Smith's son was word of mouth until a forged will made it appear otherwise.

"After Smith's murder several people claimed leadership of the church. These included Sidney Rigdon, Brigham Young, James Strang, and Smith's young son, Joseph Smith III. Most regarded Young as the only legitimate successor."
http://www.internet-encyclopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Joseph_Smith

"A handwritten document thought to be a father's blessing given by Joseph Smith Jr., first president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to his son Joseph Smith III, has been acquired by the Church Historical Department.

[...]

Church officials obtained the document from Mark William Hofmann, a collector of historical documents and antiques. He said he received it from a descendant of Thomas Bullock. Church officials declined to say how much was paid for the document...."
http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/trackingch6a.htm#THE%20BLESSING%20DOCUMENT

Hofmann was a forger among other unsavory activities. His story was chronicled in The Mormon Murders (Naifeh and Smith, 1989), and here (not to ignore the existence of other sources):
http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/trackingcontents.htm


Hoffman is a trip. I first read his story on Sandy ... uh, Sandy...err, some christian lady's website who has a ministry in SLC. It was totally rivetting. I couldn't stop reading. I read every page of that story, along with all the links. lol

[Sparko]

bump

[RCNicholas]

As I understand it, the RLDS also tend to be more orthodox and mainstream when it comes to certain areas of theology...belief in the Trinity rather than the standard Mormon Three-God scenario, for example.

[Krusader]

The Reorganized Church, or Communit of Christ, used to be headed up by a descendent of Joseph Smith. However, when the last prophet did not have a male heir, a non Smith-family member was chosen to head it up.

The Community of Christ is the liberal branch of Mormonism, does not accept such books as the Book of Abraham, and has their own version of Doctrines and Covenants.

They are fairly Trinitarian, although their view of the Holy Spirit as a Person is ambiguous as far as I'm concerned. They are moving clearly in the direction of orthodoxy.