Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
39°05′33″N 94°25′27″W / 39.092384°N 94.42424°W
| Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints | |
|---|---|
 Headquarters of the Remnant Church. Located next to the Independence Temple grounds. (Formerly the William Chrisman High School) | |
| Classification | Latter Day Saint movement |
| Orientation | Latter Day Saints |
| Polity | Church conference |
| President | Frederick Niels Larsen |
| Region | United States |
| Origin | April 6, 2000[1] Independence, Missouri |
| Separated from | Restoration Branches[1] |
The Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The president of the church is Frederick Niels Larsen, a direct descendant of Joseph Smith.
History
In the 1970s and 1980s,[1] the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now called the Community of Christ) was criticized from within its membership for various changes in policy and leadership. This included including female priesthood, the ending of doctrine of Lineal succession, and the construction of the Independence Temple.[2][3]
This led to several branches of the RLDS Church to form a group of independent Restoration Branches.[1] In May 1999, several members of this group met as the Conference of Restoration Elders, including Frederick Niels Larsen. They published the "Proclamation and Invitation to the Faithful", which lead to the creation of the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on April 6, 2000.[1]
In April 2002, as a descendant of Joseph Smith, Larsen was chosen to become the President of the High Priesthood of the Remnant Church. Members of the Remnant Church also believe that Larsen is the "One Mighty and Strong",[4] a person of unknown identity who was the subject of an 1832 prophecy by Joseph Smith.[5][6]
In the Remnant Church published a timeline for the construction of a temple in Jackson County, Missouri.[7] Ground-breaking for the temple is listed as by April 2016, with completion by April 2018.[7] This would make the Remnant Church the eighth Latter Day Saint denomination to have built a temple.[8]
Doctrine
Despite the sect's history with the RLDS Church, the Remnant Church considers itself to be a remnant of the Church of Christ as founded by Joseph Smith in 1830, and not the RLDS Church, thus being the "one true church".[1]
The Remnant Church maintains belief in a geophysical "Zion", a central belief of the Church during the time of Joseph Smith Jr., but considered somewhat debatable by many factions of the Latter Day Saint movement today. The church has its headquarters near the Temple Lot, across from the Independence Temple and headquarters of the Community of Christ.
Members of the Remnant Church believe in the doctrine of lineal succession, where certain key church positions, such as President of the Church and the Presiding Patriarch, were held by right of lineal inheritance.
Members of this faith believe that the Inspired Version of the Bible, Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants are sacred and holy texts. However, they reject the Pearl of Great Price.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Russell, William D. (Winter 2005). "An RLDS Schismatic Group Finds a Prophet of Joseph's Seed" (PDF). Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 38 (3).
- ^ Howard, Richard P. (1992), "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church)", in Ludlow, Daniel H (ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Macmillan Publishing, pp. 1211–1216, ISBN 0-02-879602-0, OCLC 24502140
- ^ Doctrine and Covenants, Section 156 D&C Section 156
- ^ Shepard, Bill (Fall 2006). ""To Set in Order the House of God" : The Search for the Elusive "One Mighty and Strong"" (PDF). Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 39 (3): 20.
As we shall see later, it is one of the ironies of Mormon history that RLDS fundamentalists of the Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints currently believe that their president and prophet, Frederick Niels Larsen, is the one mighty and strong.
- ^ Letter from Joseph Smith to William W. Phelps, 1832-11-17, reprinted in "Let Every Man Learn His Duty", Evening and Morning Star, vol. 1, no. 8, pp. 121–22 (January 1833).
- ^ See also reprint in Joseph Smith (B.H. Roberts ed.) (1902). History of the Church 1:297–99.
- ^ a b Hamer, John (14 February 2013). "Bookmark the permalink. Remnant Church Announces Temple Plans". http://saintsherald.com/. Community of Christ. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ The other seven being the Church of Christ, the LDS Church, the Community of Christ, the Apostolic United Brethren, the Church of Christ (Wightite), the FLDS Church and the Righteous Branch.
- Roger D. Launius and Linda Thatcher, eds., Differing Visions: Dissenters in Mormon History (Illinois, 1998).
- William D. Russell, “Defenders of the Faith: Varieties of RLDS Dissent,” Sunstone 14, no. 3 (1990): 14-19.