Church of Christ (Mormonism)

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Depiction of the founding of the Church from the book The Rocky Mountain Saints .

Church of Christ ( English Church of Christ ) was the original name of the Mormon Church founded by Joseph Smith . It was informally incorporated in New York State in 1829 and formally on April 6, 1830. It was the first to adopt the principles of the recently published Book of Mormon by Smith , so it was formally the beginning of Mormonism . Later names for this organization were Church of Latter-day Saints , Church of Jesus Christ , Church of God, and finally Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Smith and his followers announced that the Church of Christ was a Restoration of the Church from the 1st century AD. The other churches no longer have the grace of God and his authority because of the " great apostasy ". There was a succession crisis following the murder of Joseph Smith and the majority followed Brigham Young to the Utah Territory . However, a small number of believers remained in the Midwest and founded churches there. Each of these churches consider themselves rightful followers of the Church of Christ, including the Communion of Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .

Organizing the Church

On April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith , Oliver Cowdery , and a group of about 30 believers met with the intention of making the Church of Christ a legal institution. It is uncertain whether the organizing took place in the home of Peter Whitmer Sr. in Fayette, New York or the home of Joseph Smith Sr. in Manchester, New York . Soon after the formal organization, branches were opened in Manchester, Fayette, and Colesville.

Place of organization

A reconstruction of Peter Whitmer's home in Fayette, New York.

Prior to 1834, all church publications and documents stated that the church was organized in the Smith home in Manchester. However, beginning in 1834, some church publications indicated that organizational meetings had occurred in Fayette at the home of Peter Whitmer Sr. The Whitmer's home had been a place for many meetings during this period. Officially, the Mormon churches give the birthplace of their religion as Fayette, and in the official history of Joseph Smith, Fayette is given as the place of birth. In 1887, David Whitmer testified that the founding meeting took place in Fayette. The largest successor organization to the Church of Christ, LDS Church, accepts Fayette as the official site of organizing the Church.

Events in the organization

According to later reports, the organization was a charismatic event. Some members of the ward had visions, prophesied, and spoke in tongues . The priesthood was assigned, and Smith and Cowdery were both ordained as "Apostles of Jesus Christ, Elders of the Church." This report was modified in 1835 to announce that Smith was "First Elder" and Cowdery was "Second Elder."

First members of the Church

Olivercowdery-sm.jpg
Oliver Cowdery
Joseph Smith, Jr. portrait owned by Joseph Smith III.jpg
Joseph Smith
Hyrum Smith ca 1880-1920.png
Hyrum Smith
Samuel H. Smith.jpg
Samuel H. Smith
David Witmer.JPG
David Whitmer
not shown is Peter Whitmer, Jr.

After the LDS Church, the first six members were:

The name of the church

Smith's revelations established the Church of Christ in 1830, and he revealed that God had given him that name for the church. Smith also taught that the Church would be restored in the "last days." This is the time immediately before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ . The members of the Church were called Mormons to avoid confusion with other churches of the time .

Succession

Almost every Mormon church claims to be the successor organization to that church. For example, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Fellowship of Christ, the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), and the Church of Christ with the Elias Message . All of these churches claim that they were founded by Smith on April 6, 1830. The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonites) states that it was organized after the Church of Christ, but claims to be a restoration of that church.

In 1880 the community of Christ was judged to be the legal successor to the Church of Christ. The LDS calling was denied because it had strayed too far from the original church.

In 1894 a federal court again ruled that the fellowship of Christ is the successor organization to the Church of Christ.

Further literature

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Minutes of a Conference" , Evening and Morning Star , vol. 2, no.20, p. 160 (May 1832; Eng.).
  2. ↑ a b Joseph Smith ( BH Roberts (ed.)) History of the Church vol. 3, p. 24, footnote.
  3. ↑ Manuscript History of the Church , LDS Church Archives, book A-1, p. 37; reproduced in Dean C. Jessee (comp.) (1989). The Papers of Joseph Smith: Autobiographical and Historical Writings (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book) 1 : 302-03.
  4. ↑ H. Michael Marquardt and Wesley P. Walters (1994). Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books) p. 160 (engl.).
  5. ↑ Joseph Smith ( BH Roberts ed.). History of the Church 1 : 75-77.
  6. ↑ John K. Carmack , "Fayette: The Place What the Church Organized" , Ensign , February 1989 (English.).
  7. ^ Joseph Smith History, 1839 draft.
  8. ↑ "Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ" , Painesville Telegraph , April 19, 1831 (Engl.).
  9. ↑ L&B 20: 2-3 (LDS Church ed.).
  10. ^ Chapter Six: Organization of the Church of Jesus Christ - Church History: In the Fulness of Times; Student Manual . LDS Church. Pp. 67-78. 2003. (engl.)
  11. ^ Joseph Smith ( BH Roberts (ed.)), History of the Church 1 : 76, footnote.
  12. ↑ LDS Church edition Doctrine and Covenants 21:11 (April 1830; Engl.); 42:78 (February 1831; Eng.); 107: 59 (March 1835; Eng.).
  13. ^ BH Roberts (ed.): History of the Church . Ed .: Deseret News. tape 3 . Salt Lake City, Utah 1904, ISBN 1-152-94824-5 ( limited preview in Google Book Search). (engl.)
  14. ↑ "The Saints" , Evening and Morning Star , vol. 2, no.20, pp. 158-59 (May 1834; Eng.).
  15. ^ "Early Church History" , mormonnewsroom.org, accessed October 22, 2015.
  16. ^ "A Journey People" , cofchrist.org, accessed October 22, 2015.
  17. ↑ "A Brief History of the Church of Christ ( Memento of the original from November 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note. , churchofchrist-tl.org, accessed October 22, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.churchofchrist-tl.org
  18. ↑ Brief Historical Background of The Church of Christ: "The Church With The Elijah Message" , accessed June 30, 2010.
  19. ^ "Our Mission" ( memento of October 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), thechurchofjesuschrist.com, accessed April 3, 2009.
  20. ^ A b Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints v. Williams , Record T, 1880, p. 488, Court of Common Pleas, Lake County Courthouse, Painesville, Ohio.
  21. ↑ Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints v. Church of Christ , 60 F. 937 (CCWD Mo. 1894; Eng.).