Scattering of the Saints: Schism Within Mormonism

I doubt they mentioned this lot 😆

http://forum.staylds.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1596

Probably because there’s five or six of them, and they live in England. 😆

But seriously (as all bad comedians say), did they mention much about the Mexican groups? I keep on hearing about them, and know little of them. There must also be splinter groups in Africa, surely… (African churches always set up local splinters, which usually go way off course)

I always wonder with these unaffiliated ones, how they do temple work etc.

MH:

I loved this book…what a great summary of all the groups that are related to the Restoration Movement started by Joseph Smith, but seeing how many directions they all went in. I honestly thought there were just a couple, but didn’t realize all the splinter groups, nor did I ever study why groups splintered off.

The foreward of the book I thought set the right tone:

So let us keep digging into our history. Let us keep learning about one another. Let us keep coming together to celebrate our common heritage and revel in our wide variety of differences. Let us come together to listen, not to position; to learn, not to teach; coming with love and respect in the spirit of seeking truth.

I think the Strangite chapter was the most interesting to me, but there were many interesting chapters. Otto Fetting was also an interesting player to see the impact revelations have on groups that hope for such things, and the challenges that come with how to deal with subsequent disbelief of prior revelations (that hit very close to home for me). This was interesting to me how many groups claimed and sought after the same kind of spiritual manifestations that seem to be presented in the D&C and early Church History with Joseph Smith (and also how similar to JS, as JS revelations were not always successful and let to failures)…these do not seem like crazy groups of people…their claims are very much in line with Joseph Smith’s, including angelic visits, John the Baptist, temple lots, and building Zion.

It also become clear to me how much polygamy was a major contributor to these schisms, and I must admit, I found myself feeling less connected to Brighamites than with the believing saints that vehemently opposed polygamy (although denied Joesph ever practiced polygamy). I kept asking myself how I would handle myself through the succession crisis…and I just don’t know what I would do. Probably since my ancestors walked in the Martin Handcart company, I would probably be there with my family, but my ancestors don’t have any records of practicing polygamy, so perhaps that would be the course I’d take.

Church Names were also interesting to me, how they developed and identified groups.

This part was something I wanted to post on our forum here…as it spoke to me. It was around the William Bickerton experience, who was a convert of Syndey Rigdon and his claims for leading the church in Pennsylvania. Bickerton has a vision (note: how can one know if his revelations are valid or not? Is it any different from Joseph Smith or LDS prophets? that’s covered in other threads). I loved reading his thoughts about how he could not follow his Methodist belief any more, yet had difficulty in the current church.

In the vision, I was on the highest mountain in the earth; and [God] told me that if I did not preach the Gospel, I would fall into a dreadful chasm below, the sight thereof was awful….there was none to assist me and , without learning, popular opinion against me, and the Salt Lake Mormons stood in the way. I could not return back into the Methodism again. No, I knew they had not the Gospel. I stood in contemplation. The chasm was before me, no other alternative but to do my duty to God and man. [p.192]

Wow. I bet Bickerton envies us that we live in a time where we have the StayLDS forum to discuss our feelings (which are very similar in many ways to his) but that he had to deal with alone, whereas we can connect together and find a community.

Hmmm…maybe the roots of StayLDS go back to the 1840’s????

Thanks for recommending this book MH. I enjoyed it. I will check out your blog for discussions.