Community of Christ

[Esdra]

Hi,

what do you think of the Community of Christ, former known as Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints (RLDS)?

I want to invite all member here, including the LDS, to write their opinion.

Is it a Mormon sect? Are they Mormons, or another denomination like Baptists or SDAs?

Did anyone have contact with a minister/missionar of the CoC so far? Write about your experiences etc…

I am quite in love with the CofC. They are Christians in my eyes and have only little to do with the LDS Church.
Especially Section 164 of their D&C. Please read this article.

I am looking forword to an interesting discussion.

In Christ,
Esdra

 

[JohnDamian]

I have never met one; or for that matter even heard of them until just now… So either their public profile is very low; or I am living in a cave.

 

[LongJourney]

Their public profile is very low. Really not significant in the general scheme of things at present. I wouldn’t be surprised if many Utah LDS end up joining them, with the current problems going on there.

 

[Esdra]

Hi all!

Their public profile is very low. Really not significant in the general scheme of things at present.

Well it was clear that they are not really well known in Europe, where I live. - But I have thought that they are more known in the US, as it is the second biggest “Mormon- Church”?

I wouldn’t be surprised if many Utah LDS end up joining them, with the current problems going on there.

Actually I think the contrary will occur that many Community of Christ members could walk over to the LDS Church, as Section 164, the newest part of the CofC in the Doctrine and Covenants, indicates that homosexuality is allowed and this would also mean homosexual priests and gay-marriages. (compare section 164:5-7d) Or they go to the Restorationists (many small groups that are neither LDS nor CoC, but accept Joseph Smith III as a prophet.)
I think there are quite a few conservative memebers in the CoC. I have read after women ordination was allowed 20% wandered off (OK, it didn’t say to which denomination/Church, maybe to the Catholics, who knows! ) off. (compare Section 159:9b-11b)

In Christ,
Esdra

 

[LongJourney]

Even though they are the biggest splinter of Mormonism, they still trail the CoJCoLDS by something I suspect would be a ten to one ratio. They are TINY, and themselves splintering, as you know.

 

[Publisher]

Hi,

what do you think of the Community of Christ, former known as Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints (RLDS)?

I want to invite all member here, including the LDS, to write their opinion.

Is it a Mormon sect? Are they Mormons, or another denomination like Baptists or SDAs?

Did anyone have contact with a minister/missionar of the CoC so far? Write about your experiences etc…

I am quite in love with the CofC. They are Christians in my eyes and have only little to do with the LDS Church.
Especially Section 164 of their D&C. Please read this article.

I am looking forword to an interesting discussion.

In Christ,
Esdra

I have some friends who are Community of Christ(RLDS). We discussed quite a lot about the name change back in 2000. How the new name better reflected “who they were” than the historical name which linked them to the Mormons in many eyes.

To their point…the church established on April 6, 1830 was called “Church of Christ” as referenced in the “Book of Commandments”…the predacesor to the “Doctrine and Covenants”…then in the Kirtland period it was called “Church of the Latter Day Saints”…as reflected in the new “Doctrine and Covenants” (formerly the Book of Commandments)…finally it was called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

When the scattered church re-organized in 1860 under Joseph Smith Jr.s son…Joseph III, it retained the name “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints”…I believe at the turn of the century they added “Reorganized” to the name to distinguish it from the Utah church.

RLDS are much more “orhtodox” in their beliefs. Never embraced polygamy officially…and until recently refused to credit Joseph Smith with it’s origin…but now they are more historically aware and honest concerning the practice and now admit it was Joseph’s doing.

They have moved away from claiming the Book of Mormon is an authentic history…for the most part the First Presidency and Apostles and Quorums view the BoM as a 19th century work…it is still considered “scripture” along with the D&C…but belief in the BoM is not required…many congregations don’t even use the BoM any longer…but in the mid-west there are more “conservative” RLDS that do…these have withdrawn from the main church and established “Restoration branches”…still claiming to be the “faithful RLDS” while the Community of Christ has fallen into apostacy.

I have attended with my friends…and it is very much like a Methodist or Prebyterian service…almost…“liturgical” in many respects…they follow their lectionary on scripture readings…which do include the BoM…but each branch is given the option to read an alternate Bible passage if the congregational leaders do not with to use the BoM.

They are usually not distinguished from other Christian churches at first glance…most Protestants would be very comfortable in their services…most likely never hearing a reference to the BoM.

Overtures between the Community of Christ and the Church of Christ Temple Lot for joining together have been made…but these have broken down during talks…the CoC is much more liberal than the Temple Lot groups.

The “Bikertonites”…Church of Jesus Christ…is the next largest group and have similar “orthodox” view as other Christians…but more conservative. The Remnant church claims for itself a decendent of Joseph Smith as prophet…and embraces the conservative RLDS belifs as well.

 

[Arch_Stanton]

I grew up in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS). I was somewhat out of the loop when the RLDS changed to the Community of Christ (CofC) - around 1999-2000(?), as I had then turned my attention to the Catholic faith and a few years later was baptized a Roman Catholic.

From my family’s perspective, I recall there being resistant to the name change, they certainly rejected the change in the church’s position on homosexuals and the ordination of women. Even after the name change, several branches retained the RLDS name and there was a brief legal squabble over that. I’ve never heard of the “Bikertonites” but my family was among those branches that became the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Remnant) and they consider it to be the true ‘descendant’ if you will of what Joseph Smith, Jr. had begun. I also remember some controversy over the descendant of Smith - Frederick Larsen - who would become the President & Prophet of the Remnant Church.

The original author of this thread is correct in that the CofC and Remnant have little similarity to the LDS or Utah Mormons if you will. From my personal experience growing up RLDS I would view both the CofC and LDS as pretty liberal denominations with flexible teachings; however the CofC and RLDS/Remnant are more similar as to their founding (i.e., the reasons they are not LDS).