Christianity: Details about 'Community Of Christ'
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Home
|
OverviewThe history of the two largest Latter Day Saint denominations began to diverge with the murder of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith Jr. on June 27, 1844 in Carthage, Illinois. Historians sometimes refer to the Midwestern branch of the movement as the Prairie Saints and the Western (or Utah) branch as the Rocky Mountain Saints. Community of Christ today has approximately 250,000 members in 50 countries. The church owns two temples, the original Latter Day Saint temple in Kirtland, Ohio (operated in part as a historic site as part of its educational ministry), and the relatively new temple which serves as the church's headquarters in Independence. The church operates Graceland University with campuses in Lamoni, Iowa and Independence. The church also owns and operates Latter Day Saint historic sites in Far West Mo., Lamoni, Plano, and Nauvoo, Illinois. Community of Christ is led by a First Presidency, consisting of a Prophet-President and two counselors. The church's ministry is overseen by a Council of Twelve Apostles and the temporal needs of the church are overseen by the Presiding Bishopric. Meeting together, these quorums are known as the Joint Council. Every two years, delegates from around the world meet together to vote on church business in World Conference. Within the past several decades, the church has seemed by many to be moving in the direction of greater tolerance, emphasizing its role as a "Peace and Justice Church." Some changes have occurred including the ordination of women to the priesthood, and the changing of the church's name. Some of these changes are perceived as a departure from the teachings of the scriptures, causing some members to question whether these changes are in accordance with God's will. This has resulted in the formation of offshoot organizations or independent branches similar in many ways to the early history of Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (See RLDS Restoration Branches ). History of the churchEarly historyThe early history of Community of Christ is shared with other denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement, which originated in upstate New York under the leadership of Joseph Smith, Jr. With the assistance of Oliver Cowdery and Sidney Rigdon, Smith dictated and published works of scripture believed by followers to be inspired, and formed a new Church of Christ. This church grew rapidly. Their strong beliefs, including a revealing God and their close community often seemed peculiar or even threatening to outsiders. Regularly meeting opposition from their neighbors, the early Latter Day Saints established and were driven from several gathering places including Kirtland, Ohio, Independence, Missouri, Far West, Missouri and finally Nauvoo, Illinois. See History of the Latter Day Saint movement. Period of disorganizationAfter Smith was killed in a jail at Carthage, Illinois, the movement fell into confusion and disorganization over the question of succession. Several leaders emerged with claims to the church's presidency and this led to the formation of several Latter Day Saint factions. The largest group of Mormons followed Brigham Young, who led them to the Great Basin area (in what is now Utah) as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (See History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) Other factional leaders included: Sidney Rigdon, James J. Strang, Lyman Wight, Alpheus Cutler, William Smith, and David Whitmer. Reorganization of the churchMany Latter Day Saints believed that Smith had designated his eldest son, Joseph Smith III, as successor and some of these waited for young Joseph to take up his father's mantle. However, young Joseph was only 11 years old at the time of his father's death — his mother Emma Hale Smith and their family remained in Nauvoo, rather than moving to join any of the factional leaders.In the 1850s, groups of Midwestern Latter Day Saints who were unaffiliated with any of the factions (or who had left such affiliations) began to come together. Leaders including Jason W. Briggs and Zenos H. Gurley, Sr. began to call for the creation of a New Organization of the Latter Day Saint movement. They invited young Joseph III to lead their New Organization and he accepted only after he believed he received a personal spiritual confirmation that this was the appropriate course of action. At a conference on April 6, 1860 at Amboy, Illinois, Joseph III formally accepted the leadership of what became known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. William Marks, former Stake President of Nauvoo served as Joseph III's counselor in the reorganized First Presidency. Presidency of Joseph Smith IIIInitially, Joseph III continued to live in Nauvoo, but over time he determined its relative isolation hampered his administrative duties. He moved to Plano, Illinois, where the church's print house was established and this served as the headquarters of the church. Joseph III and his brothers, Frederick G. W., Alexander Hale, and David Hyrum served many missions for the church, gathering old Latter Day Saints into the Reorganization. As the church grew, many members were eager to gather together and live some of the teachings of the early church. Although Joseph III avoided calling for a new gathering place, he supported the efforts of members who founded a town called Lamoni in western Iowa. Smith III eventually relocated to Lamoni, which became the headquarters of the church. During the late 19th century, Smith III and the church were involved in the Kirtland Temple Suit, which attempted to gain clear title for the church over Mormonism's original temple. In 1880, an Ohio court ruled that the Reorganized church was the legal successor to the original Mormon church, but title of the temple was gained by means of adverse possession. Smith III and the church also were involved in the Temple Lot Suit, which eventually resulted in clearing the title to a portion of the original Independence temple lot for another Latter Day Saint denomination, the Church of Christ (Temple Lot). Late in life, Smith III moved to Independence, Missouri, which his father had designated as the "centerplace" for the City of Zion. He died on December 10, 1914, having led the Reorganized church for 54 years. Presidencies of Frederick M. Smith and Israel A. SmithJoseph Smith III's son, Frederick Madison Smith, was accepted in 1915 as his successor as president. During Frederick M.'s presidency, the faith moved its headquarters to Independence, Missouri. Frederick M's bold vision for the growing church included the construction of a massive World Headquarters building, known as the Auditorium. Frederick M. also attempted to impose a greater degree of centralization on the church's administration by issuing the controversial doctrine of Supreme Directional Control, which led some members to leave the church and join the Church of Christ (Temple Lot).Frederick M. Smith devoted much energy to the "Cause of Zion", calling for a "bureau of research and service" to effect the gathering of RLDS Church members to the Kansas City area, as well to conceptualize and implement an "order of economic development." Frederick M. and several presiding bishops that served during his administration advocated the development of cooperative employee-owned enterprises as a key part of the RLDS Church's economic development strategy for the Centerplace. Advocacy of Frederick M.'s positions on "zionic development" continued after his passing in 1946. The late Raymond Zinser, the late James Christenson and Wilford Winholtz of Harvest Hills, an RLDS cooperative community, are of note among RLDS advocates of zionic development of a cooperative social economy for the Kansas City region. After Frederick Smith's death in 1946 he was succeeded by his brother Israel A. Smith, who presided over an optimistic era of post-War growth. Presidencies of W. Wallace Smith and Wallace B. SmithAfter Israel A. Smith's unexpected death in 1958, he was succeeded by his brother W. Wallace Smith, the third son of Joseph III to become church president. Soon after coming into office, W. Wallace appointed Graceland University professor Roy Cheville to be Presiding Patriarch of the church. This move was controversial because the office had previously been held within the Smith family according to the doctrine of Lineal Succession. In 1976, W. Wallace Smith designated his son Wallace B. Smith as his successor. Wallace B. assumed the presidency in 1978 after a two-year "internship." W. Wallace then retired and became the church's first "president emeritus" until his death in 1989. In 1984, the church extended priesthood ordination to women for the first time. Wallace B. also announced that the church would build a temple, dedicated to peace, in Independence. When the temple was completed and dedicated on 17 April 1994, the headquarters of the church was transferred there from the Auditorium. Presidency of W. Grant McMurrayWhile the pattern had previously been for the presidency to be carried along the Smith patriarchal line, Wallace B. Smith designated W. Grant McMurray as his successor. (See Lineal Succession.) McMurray had served in the Church's historical department since he was 26 years old, until his call as Church secretary in 1982. McMurray became the church's prophet/president in 1996 and Wallace B. became "president emeritus." At a World Conference in 2000, the church approved its leader's proposal to change its name from the "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" to the "Community of Christ", which more clearly defines the purpose of the church. This change occurred on April 6, 2001. They retained ownership of the name "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" for legal reasons. On November 29, 2004, W. Grant McMurray resigned as Prophet/President, admitting he had made "inappropriate choices" and stating that in the circumstances it would not be appropriate for him to designate a successor. The details of the reasons for his decision were said to be personal and the governing bodies of the church determined to keep them confidential. A spokesperson for the church said that the resignation was not for misappropriation of church funds or other church-related issues, but of a personal matter. The two remaining members of the First Presidency, President Kenneth N. Robinson and President Peter A. Judd, continued to function in their council's leadership role. Presidency of Steven M. VeazeyPresidents Robinson and Judd announced that the Council of Twelve Apostles, in conjunction with the church's other leadership quorums, would prayerfully consider who should succeed McMurray. On March 7 2005, the Twelve announced their conviction that Stephen M. Veazey is called by God to be the next prophet-president of Community of Christ. A special World Conference that was convened in June 2005 sustained this call of Steven M. Veazey to be president of the High Priesthood, prophet, and president of the church. On June 3 2005 he was ordained to this office and submitted a letter of council to the church regarding the leading quorums, orders, and councils of the church.On 4 June 2005 after the approval of the calls of Ken Robinson and David Schaal to the First Presidency and counselors to the President, the First Presidency was reorganized by their ordinations to this office. Steven M. Veazey's first conference sermon as President called the church to be active disciples and to share the fullness of the peace of Christ. He also offered his apologies and apologies on behalf of the church as a whole to all those who have been hurt by the actions of the church or members of it. He called on the membership to stop being divisive and calling each other names. He encouraged members to embrace their differences and call each other, no matter how different in theological and moral views and understandings, sisters and brothers in Christ. Major doctrinesLatter Day Saints of the Community of Christ have been called "moderate Mormons" and Joseph Smith III's biographer referred to the first president of the Reorganization as a "pragmatic prophet." In this way, the Latter Day Saintism of the Prairie Saints has sometimes been seen as a bridge between the beliefs of their Rocky Mountain Saint cousins and those of mainstream Christianity.Latter Day Saints of the Reorganization accept the doctrine of the Trinity, in contrast to the Mormons in the LDS tradition whose cosmology includes a Godhead of three "distinct personages" who are one only in the sense that all three have the same purpose and are progressing according to a "Plan of Salvation". Temple practices between the two largest Latter Day Saint denominations also differ. The Independence and Kirtland Temples are places of education and worship for all people. In keeping with the Community of Christ's role as a "peace and justice church," the Independence Temple was explicitly dedicated to the concept of "peace." Each day of the year at 12:30 pm Central Standard Time/Central Daylight Savings Time a prayer for peace is held in the sanctuary of the Independence Temple. SacramentsCommunity of Christ practices eight sacraments.:
ScriptureThe Community of Christ considers the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants to be scripture.
References
See also
Comunidad de Cristo コミュニティ・オブ・クライスト Den Reorganiserte Jesu Kristi Kirke av Siste Dagers Hellige Społeczność Chrystusa |
||||||||||||||||||||||