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“Divergent Paths of the Restoration” by Steven L. Shields. 4th Edition, 2001. Mormon history is certainly fascinating, both inside and outside of the Utah-based LDS Church. But for those of us who are already familiar with the intriguing story that is the LDS, this book details the smaller groups that have sprung up claiming divine revelation and a call to continue the work that Joseph Smith and others have begun.
Written by a fifth-generation Latter-day Saint, “Divergent Paths” documents every Mormon-related group known to the author, ranging from the mainstream (LDS, RLDS, Temple Lot, etc.) to the purely bizarre. Growing up in the Church you hear snippets about other existing Mormon sects, without much detail and without much thought, simply because they are understood to be incorrect and uninspired offshoots of the
trueTrue Church. Shields outlines what these factions believe, how they began, and how they differ from the LDS church that many of us are familiar with. Gun fights, angelic visitations, succession crises, and holy land disputes characterize the environment of the Mormon movement. We have all heard about the contention between the Muslim’s Dome of the Rock and the Jew’s Temple Mount occupying the same land. Well, they’re disputing over the wrong lot, according to Mormon tradition. The real hot spot is Independence Missouri. The wealthy LDS Church believes it is the place where Jesus will return to the earth once a temple is completed, and with their wealth they could build in a heartbeat… If only they owned the land. Nope, this space is owned by two separate smaller groups. Learn about their attempts to build, and their claims to being the true restored church.
Some interesting highlights to peak your interests:
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite):“”Be it known unto all nations, kindred, tongues and people, to whom this Book of the Law of the Lord shall come, that James J. Strang has the plates of the ancient Book of the Law of the Lord given to Moses, from which he translated this law and has shown them to us. We examined them with our eyes, and handled them with our hands. The engravings are beautiful antique workmanship, bearing striking resemblance to the ancient oriental languages.”” (45-46). Perfected Church of Jesus Christ of Immaculate Latter Day Saints:“At a special festival held by this group at the sacred hill of Ku-Ma-Ra (in Central America) on May 3, 1958, Christ again visited them and brought with him Joseph Smith, Jr., Moroni, Mulek and the Three Nephite Disciples. These men remained among the Indians to assist in the work of building the Kingdom of God… This group lives the United Order and Plural Marriage. They have abolished menstruation, claiming it to be a crime against the law of God and the cause of sickness and death. All children are immaculately conceived” (166). Figure that one out. The Church of Jesus Christ of Israel:“J.H. Sherwood was excommunicated from the Mormon Church in 1936 for claiming to be the only man who held the legal right to the office of Presiding Bishop of the church. According to the Doctrine and Covenants, this office rightfully and automatically belongs to a literal descendant of Aaron… Sherwood claimed that on September 13, 1936, the Lord “cut-off” the sacrament and took the priesthood authoirty from all Mormon leaders. This was done, he said, because they failed to recognize his right to the office of Presiding Bishop… A letter dated February 14, 1954, was written by Sherwood to the leaders of the Mormon Church requesting permission to use the Salt Lake Temple to perform a baptism for the dead. This request was refused” (139-140). Go figure… In summary, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Mormon history!
Great review. Thanks! I will have to check out that book some day. I don’t have this book either, but it deals with the same topic. John Hamer is the co-author, and he’s a really cool guy you can find sometimes around the world of Internet Mormonism. He writes articles for the BCC blog, and he posts really great replies over at New Order Mormon from time to time, mostly in response to history issues.
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