•Old Covenants (J. Smith-version Old Testament) •New Covenants (J. Smith-version New Testament & J. Smith-corrected Book of Mormon) •Teachings and Commandments (original revelations to J. Smith, Lectures on Faith, several J. Smith letters, expanded J. Smith History, & modern material approved by movement's common consent)
By common consent ("And all things shall be done by common consent in the church, by much prayer and faith, for all things you shall receive by faith. Amen."—D&C 26:2)
"And again the Lord called others, and said unto them likewise; and he gave unto them power to baptize. And he said unto them: On this wise shall ye baptize; and there shall be no disputations among you."
"And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them." —3Nephi11:22&40
"I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob[...]and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build[...]the New Jerusalem."—3Nephi21:22,23
"Joseph told us to expect great events among the gentiles, Native Americans and remnant of Jewish people before Christ’s victorious return. He did not live to see this happen. Upon his death, he left a great deal for others to complete. Assuming the work Joseph began is to be finished, it will not happen by heaven laboring independent of us. We have work to do." — Denver Snuffer, 2018[5]
Remnant fellowships are a loosely organized branch of the Latter Day Saint movement formed by individuals who accept alleged divine revelations received by Denver Snuffer Jr. (an attorney excommunicated from the LDS Church in 2013). The Remnant Fellowships generally feel called to personal and social renewal preparatory to Christ's eventual second coming. According to movement beliefs, participants anticipate a coming time when remnants remain within the full restored covenant with Jesus Christ:[6][7] an allusion to a belief that "The Bible, Book of Mormon, and modern revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith, prophesy that the gospel of Jesus Christ would shift from the Gentile stewards of the gospel back to Israel in the last days."[8] The movement places a renewed focus on individual communion with God, gifts of the spirit, tangible expressions of faith, and the eventual establishment of Zion. While the movement has no official name, the term "Snufferite" has been used to denote followers. Other designations include covenant of Christ movement and Denver Snuffer movement. Participants sometimes reference each other as "covenant Brother," "covenant Sister"[9] (abbreviated "cov bruv/sis")[citation needed].
Denver Snuffer, Jr. released a series of books and online articles explaining his beliefs and interpretations of scripture. He had said his writings were intended to promote loyalty to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[10][11] and that he would not be instrumental in starting a new religion.[12] Snuffer's writings provoked a response from LDS leaders who eventually excommunicated him for what they described as directly challenging key doctrines. In 2014, Snuffer said he received a revelation informing him that "the Lord terminated the priesthood authority" of LDS church leadership involved in his excommunication,[13] such as the LDS First Presidency. Starting in 2013, grass-roots fellowships formed, inspired by Snuffer's teachings and thus in schism with mainstream Mormonism. On February 17–19, 2017, a proposed set of governing principles was presented to these fellowships by Jeff Savage.[14] As of 2017, the movement included approximately 5,000 adherents worldwide.[15][16] Since 2016, about forty fellowships are affiliated with the movement.[17][18]
Adherents gather in conferences, beginning in 2016.[19] At the 2017 conference, Snuffer-inspired teachings were canonized as holy scripture.[20] This canon consists of a reworking of scripture from the mainstream LDS Church, such as the Book of Mormon, as well as Snuffer's expanded translation of the Book of John and several of Snuffer's revelations.[20] The movement de-emphasizes hierarchy and organization, with some fellowships (for example, the movement's Minnesota fellowship) asserting they possess no leadership.[21]
The fellowships draw largely from members and former members of the LDS Church, leading LDS authorities to identify Snuffer and his teachings as a vehicle for leading people out of that church. In 2017, the website MormonLeaks published a PowerPoint presentation shown in 2015 to the LDS Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in which Snuffer was identified as one of 17 "Issues and Ideas Leading People Away" from mainstream LDS doctrine.[22]
Conferences
The general conferences organized by movement fellowships are listed below.[23]
Doctrine of Christ Conference, Boise, Idaho, September 9–11, 2016
Doctrine of Christ Conference, St. George, Utah, March 18–20, 2017
Covenant of Christ Conference, Boise, Idaho, September 2–3, 2017
This conference voted on the canonization of scripture, and discussed the building of a temple.[24][25] Some followers of the movement refer to themselves as the Remnant.[25][26][27]
Wisdom through the Ages Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, March 24–25, 2018
Preserving the Hope of Zion Conference, Layton, Utah, September 29–30, 2018
According to Snuffer's exegesis of LDS Scripture, the present Gospel dispensation, as restored through Joseph Smith (especially the LDS Church), has ended[28] and a new Gospel dispensation has opened.
As Scripturally foretold, remnants especially of indigenous peoples of the Americas will adopt Christ's covenant in these Last Days (these indigenous remnants are likely of mixed-blooded; in Mormon belief, such individuals are considered among components of the house of Israel). The present period is of a time of the Lord calling out those to transition between the dispensation that resulted in the establishment of the Church of Christ through Smith and this next, foretold dispensation of Israel.[29][30][31][32]
With regard to the 1844 succession crisis within Mormonism after the murder of Joseph Smith, the Snuffer movement holds beliefs similar to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), namely that Brigham Young, who ultimately took leadership of the largest portion Smith's followers, was in apostasy from Smith's teachings. The movement rejects Young's assertions to possess authority to fill the position held by Smith.[33] The movement agrees with mainstream LDS in rejection of Young's theological innovations such as Young's attempt to formulate his Adam God theory.[34] The movement goes further and rejects any doctrinal innovations by Young.
Most in the movement agree with a foundational belief among the RLDS (now called Community of Christ) that Joseph Smith did not practice plural marriage and this innovation was promulgated by Young.[35][36]
Unlike either the LDS or RLDS, movement believers hold that spiritual authority to perform certain gospel ordinances as restored through Smith passed from the earth at Smith's death. Movement adherents believe LDS Church apostles and some others have retained "keys" to baptize but do not possess the keys necessary for greater works.
"I believe that the many revelations in the D&C identifying Joseph as the spokesman for God means exactly that: Joseph was and IS the spokesman God sent. Joseph's words need to be heeded as if they came from God directly to us. No one has the right to change or ignore them. No one (and I mean NO ONE) has the right to claim they are Joseph's equal. There are no "keys" or "key holders" who can alter Joseph's teachings except at their peril. When they ignore or contradict Joseph's revelations, and teach others that they can ignore the message and warnings given by that prophet who was called by God to begin this dispensation, they damn themselves and any who listen to them."—Denver Snuffer, September 25, 2013[37]
The movement is supra-denominational Christian. It teaches belief in Christ, initial baptism or re-baptism by authorized movement brethren[38] in living water, receiving of the Holy Ghost, and acceptance of the movement's scriptural canon as prerequisites for participation.[30] Beyond these basics, participants' beliefs vary amongst themselves.[17]
Movement adherents believe in the doctrine taught by Joseph Smith in 1839 of the Second Comforter.[39]
"After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses….
"Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; …when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions-Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the First Born [TPJS, pp. 150-51].
"The Lord has counseled his Saints to "seek his face" (D&C 101:37-38). No sinful person can endure his presence, and hence will not obtain the blessing (D&C 67:10-13; JST Ex. 33:11, 20). In God's wisdom, some faithful individuals are blessed with the Second Comforter while remaining in mortality."
[See also Calling and Election; Jesus Christ: Latter-Day Appearances of Jesus Christ.]
Fellowships meet at homes or outdoors. (Its baptisms "in living waters" entails meetings along streams.) According to some in the Snuffer movement the divine command through Smith to build the templein Nauvoo, Illinois for "endowment" rites having been inadequately fulfilled. Movement believers are consecrating funds toward building a temple of Zion,[42][43] which they believe the Lord eventually will command for a Zion people to build.[29]
Denver Snuffer teaches that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is Heavenly Father's wife and the Heavenly Mother of the spirits of all human beings.
In 2013, a critical review by Gregory L. Smith of Snuffer's Passing the Heavenly Gift was published in Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture. Smith responds to Snuffer's belief that "the Latter-day Saint church was predicted to fail, and in all likelihood has failed to secure the fullness of the priesthood" by Smith's contention that the book contains various "false statements and conclusions, contains errors, and makes mistakes in history."[47]
In 2013, Snuffer was informed by his Sandy Utah Crescent Stake president in a letter that the thesis of Passing the Heavenly Gift, soon to be published, was "in direct conflict with LDS Church doctrine" and unless Snuffer would withdraw it from publication he could be subject to church discipline for "apostasy." After the book's publication, Snuffer was excommunicated from the LDS Church.[48][49]
In a June 2015 three-stake fireside (which some colloquially term the "Boise (Idaho) Rescue"), featured LDS devotional addresses by LDS ApostleDallin H. Oaks and Church HistorianRichard E. Turley Jr. "We sometimes hear is that the church is no longer the church that was restored to the earth by the prophet Joseph," Turley said. "Here’s another claim: the church is focused on following the brethren instead of seeking Christ," said Oaks; "When you start toward apostasy, you are on the wrong side. [...] Stand fast with the leadership of the church." Snuffer said to KUTV news that soon before the fireside event, Remnant movement re-baptisms of LDS individuals had been performed in the area.[53]
An internal 2015 PowerPoint chart prepared for LDS Apostles (and later provided to news outlets by the MormonLeaks organization) lists Snuffer, the Ordain Women advocacy movement, and new media journalist social commentator John Dehlin among entities leading some LDS Church members away from fellowship with the denomination.[25]
According to religion reporter Peggy Fletcher Stack, when LDS ApostleM. Russell Ballard spoke at the LDS October 2017 General Conference, giving warning that LDS faithful not to be deceived by non-LDS priesthood holders or "organizations, groups or individuals [...claiming] secret answers to doctrinal questions", his characterizations fit "the nascent Remnant movement".[54]
↑ Nelson Whiting, with Lacey Whiting (2017). The Apostasy of the LDS Church was Prophesied, But the End is Not Yet. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN978-1976378850.
↑ While not considered a schism of the Church of Christ (Fettingite) and its founder Otto Fetting, the Church of Christ at Halley's Bluff accepted Fetting's revelations, but it did not immediately break with the Fettingites in 1929. Nerren and Long instead formed a separate sect in 1932, which was later joined by five other former Temple Lot congregations by 1941.
*^Membership worldwide; generally church-reported; with an occasional exception †^ Once larger
↑ Organized the Church of Christ, the Latter Day Saint movement's original organization, of which multiple denominations currently believe themselves the true successor
↑ Members consider themselves as remaining adherents of the (historical) Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (As of 2011, litigation by the Community of Christ against Restoration Branch individuals and entities generally established CofC's right to both the full and abbreviated RLDS name.)
The Standard Works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the four books that currently constitute its open scriptural canon. The four books of the standard works are:
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. Originally published in 1835 as Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of the Latter Day Saints: Carefully Selected from the Revelations of God, editions of the book continue to be printed mainly by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ.
Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of the Latter Day Saint movement, although there has been a recent push from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to distance themselves from this label. A historian, Sydney E. Ahlstrom, wrote in 1982, "One cannot even be sure, whether [Mormonism] is a sect, a mystery cult, a new religion, a church, a people, a nation, or an American subculture; indeed, at different times and places it is all of these."
In Mormonism, the restoration refers to a return of the authentic priesthood power, spiritual gifts, ordinances, living prophets and revelation of the primitive Church of Christ after a long period of apostasy. While in some contexts the term may also refer to the early history of Mormonism, in other contexts the term is used in a way to include the time that has elapsed from the church's earliest beginnings until the present day. Especially in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "the restoration" is often used also as a term to encompass the corpus of religious messages from its general leaders down to the present.
In the Latter Day Saint movement, priesthood is the power and authority of God given to man, including the authority to perform ordinances and to act as a leader in the church. A group of priesthood holders is referred to as a quorum.
The Book of Commandments is the earliest published book to contain the revelations of Joseph Smith Jr. Text published in the Book of Commandments is now considered scripture by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as part of the larger Doctrine and Covenants.
The Latter Day Saint movement is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Joseph Smith in the late 1820s.
In orthodox Mormonism, the term God generally refers to the biblical God the Father, whom Latter Day Saints also refer to as Elohim or Heavenly Father, and the term Godhead refers to a council of three distinct divine persons consisting of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. However, in Latter Day Saint theology the term God may also refer to, in some contexts, the Godhead as a whole or to each member individually. Latter Day Saints believe that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are three distinct beings, and that the Father and Jesus have perfected, glorified, physical bodies, while the Holy Ghost is a spirit without a physical body. Latter Day Saints also believe that there are other gods and goddesses outside the Godhead, such as a Heavenly Mother—who is the wife of God the Father—and that faithful Latter-day Saints may attain godhood in the afterlife. The term Heavenly Parents is used to refer collectively to the divine partnership of Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother. Joseph Smith taught that God was once a man on another planet before being exalted to Godhood.
The Latter Day Saint movement is a religious movement within Christianity that arose during the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century and that led to the set of doctrines, practices, and cultures called Mormonism, and to the existence of numerous Latter Day Saint churches. Its history is characterized by intense controversy and persecution in reaction to some of the movement's doctrines and practices and their relationship to mainstream Christianity. The purpose of this article is to give an overview of the different groups, beliefs, and denominations that began with the influence of Joseph Smith.
The Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, usually referred to as the Remnant Church, is a denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The prophet / president of the church is Terry W. Patience.
Restoration Branches movement is a Christian/Latter Day Saint religious sect which was formed in the 1980s by members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in a reaction against the events of the RLDS 1984 world conference. The movement holds in the traditional RLDS theology of the 19th and early-to-mid 20th centuries and hold that events leading up to and surrounding the 1980s and decades since have introduced sweeping, fundamental changes into RLDS doctrine and practice which are illegitimate because they contradict the long-standing RLDS theological tradition this sect holds as true. It is also a part of the Mormon religion.
Community of Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are two denominations that share a common heritage in the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830. Since Smith's death in 1844, they have evolved separately in belief and practices. The LDS Church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and claims more than 17 million members worldwide; Community of Christ is headquartered in Independence, Missouri, and reports a worldwide membership of approximately 250,000.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind. Male members of the church who meet standards of worthy behavior and church participation are generally ordained to specific offices within the priesthood.
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve is one of the governing bodies of the church hierarchy organized by the movement's founder Joseph Smith and patterned after the Apostles of Jesus. Members are called Apostles, with a special calling to be evangelistic ambassadors to the world.
Mormon cosmology is the description of the history, evolution, and destiny of the physical and metaphysical universe according to Mormonism, which includes the doctrines taught by leaders and theologians of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mormon fundamentalism, the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ, and other Brighamite denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement. Mormon cosmology draws from Biblical cosmology, but has many unique elements provided by movement founder Joseph Smith. These views are not generally shared by adherents of other Latter Day Saint movement denominations who do not self-identify as "Mormons", such as the Community of Christ.
The standard works of Mormonism—the largest denomination of which is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints —have been the subject of various criticisms. Latter-day Saints believe the Book of Mormon is a sacred text with the same divine authority as the Bible; both are considered complementary to each other. Other Mormon sacred texts include the Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants, which are also recognized as scripture. Religious and scholarly critics outside Mormonism have disputed Mormonism's unique scriptures, questioning the traditional narrative of how these books came to light and the extent to which they describe actual events. Critics cite research in history, archeology, and other disciplines to support their contentions.
Mormonism and Nicene Christianity have a complex theological, historical, and sociological relationship. Mormons express their doctrines using biblical terminology. They have similar views about the nature of Jesus Christ's atonement, bodily resurrection, and Second Coming as mainstream Christians. Nevertheless, most Mormons do not accept the doctrine of the Trinity as codified in the Nicene Creed of 325 and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381. Although Mormons consider the Protestant Bible to be holy scripture, they do not believe in biblical inerrancy. They have also adopted additional scriptures that they believe to have been divinely revealed to Joseph Smith, including the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Mormons practice baptism and celebrate the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, but they also participate in other religious rituals. Mormons self-identify as Christians.
Denver Carlos Snuffer Jr. is a Utah lawyer, an author of Restorationist devotional books, a lecturer, a speculative theologian, and claims to be a “revelator to fellowships of the remnants movement,” a spiritual movement in schism with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The movement has a few thousand adherents, many of them members or former members of the LDS Church. He was excommunicated by the LDS Church in 2013 for refusing to cease publication of his 2011 book, Passing the Heavenly Gift which challenges many points of LDS orthodoxy. He subsequently has been identified as a prophet by many, and several of his teachings have been canonized as scripture.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the life and influence of Joseph Smith:
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