Two years ago I, like countless others before me, found myself facing a growing number of questions regarding the Restored Church of Jesus Christ and its hierarchy, its three books—particularly the Inspired Version and the Doctrine & Covenants—, its founder and priesthood, the witnesses, and its latter day decline. The "one true church" is in the process of imploding into countless splinters, sects, cults and denominations with no real focus or goal. Many would be quick to point out that Zion is their goal. I certainly thought that when I started a blog and began going after the answers to seemingly endless questions. But over the next few months, I gave the whole package some serious, prayerful thought. The result of this? Zion may be the goal of what's left of the Church at large (those who accept the whole infusion of: Joseph Smith, vision in the grove, Angel Moroni, Urim and Thummim (or seer stone and hat) Book of Mormon/burning in the bosom, redesigned priesthood, Latter Day Revelations, Center Place, gathering in.) Alas, it is no longer the goal of many. The emotional fallout on which so many in the church seem to thrive has left ex RLDS folks in a state of exhaustion equal to rock concert proportions.

Why is this? I’ve had a few insights since embarking on this odyssey. No matter how you slice it, the whole can of worms points to one person: Joseph Smith. You can disagree, protest, ridicule and bluster to your heart's content. "But the church is named for Jesus Christ," you point out. True enough. As is the Christian Science Church; as is Unity School of Christianity; as is Community of Christ. If the name Jesus or Christ is inserted in the name, does that automatically elevate it somewhere close to the real deal.

The term “one (or only) true church” reminds me of the ancient joke in which a new arrival is being shown around Heaven. After visiting rooms full of Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Catholics, Lutherans, and Baptists, they pass a certain room occupied by Methodists and the guide advises the newcomer to be very quiet. "Why?" asks the newcomer. "Because they think they're the only ones here," whispers the guide. You can insert any name you want here and get the same effect.

Why is the Restored Church considered the one true church by its members? The first time I heard the term I remember being startled, and I salted it away for future contemplation. After our move to Missouri I became aware that it was tossed about like other mystifying "truths,” such as "free agency," "prophet, seer and revelator", and the oldie but goodie, "first vision accounts". I do not believe God told Joseph Smith that all churches were an abomination. Many churches were at that time and still are today following the early Christian church talked about in the Book of Acts. How can one even imagine that innumerable Christians the world over—and this would have to include them all—at that time were indulging in a religiosity that was an abomination in God's eyes? And many men and women were true followers of Christ to the point of sacrificing everything to follow Him and spread the gospel. These people were the church. Denominations may differ slightly in ritual and practice, but God's people, who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, from God’s Word, whether they are sitting in one pew, or another, are the church.

Consider Peter Cartwright, Joseph Tarkington, Dwight Moody, Charles Finney, or the Judsons—all contemporaries of Joseph Smith. Were they associated with churches which were abominations in God's eyes? I doubt it. They were devout men and women who sought only to spread the gospel and serve God as best they could. To discount them would be to discount Peter. Or John. Or Paul.

The truth is it is arrogance of the greatest magnitude to even presume that God would capriciously brush off the people engaged in the very work He gave them to do. Joseph Smith's arrogance, of course, is legendary. By the time he had come up with this justification for the "coming forth of the Book of Mormon," some twelve to fifteen years after the "first vision," he had gained enormous influence over many of the disenfranchised, searching souls—including members of his family—who inhabited the areas of upstate New York and parts of New England in the nineteenth century. It was these people who grabbed onto the “one true church” label. It’s somehow comforting to feel you are part of the in crowd; there’s a kind of fraternal security in “belonging.” It was this false sense of security that led to the successful bleeding over from Smith’s Masonic endeavors straight into the Utah Mormon Church.

It's amazing what a few months of intense study and research can do to your priorities. I just went back and read my very first post—the reason for starting the blog— and wonder how I could have gotten so caught up in it all. I wasn’t even born into it, as most ex RLDS are. Now, except for praying they will see the error of their ways, and trying to spread to word of Truth, I can only look on the Community of Christ and the RLDS, and the *CRE and JCRB, as groups of lost souls who will answer to an angry God someday. In my search for motives, ambitions, and agendas, all I could come up with were pride, false teachings and false doctrine.

The pride, of course, generates from the illustrious founder of the church, who launched himself—single-handedly—on a power trip of monumental proportions. A hurting, searching people were out there ready to latch on to his charisma. Voila'! A new church! Never mind that it wasn't anything close to the church of the book of Acts: of Paul, of Stephen, of Peter. From the first "Hearken ye" to the last secret Masonic hand signal as he jumped out the window of the Carthage jail, the power and might of Joseph Smith dominated his followers.

Today there is a church which has gone so far to the left in its teachings that it is difficult to pick it out of the myriad of mainstream churches. There is also another, a broken and hurting church, waiting for another power hungry savior. There's no lack. Be patient. Someone on a white horse (or is it cloud?) will come swooping out of the mire and "save" everyone. Meanwhile the evidence against the truthfulness of the one true church, much of which has been suppressed by various factions for decades, continues to mount. There is a huge quantity of information about this young farm boy, who never was quite able to tell us what really happened, how it happened, or when it happened, or how many happened in that grove in upstate New York. And if he failed to come up with a simple piece of information such as that, why should we believe anything else that came forth from his mouth, or his hat? Many don’t, and have made the heartrending but necessary break from the church of Joseph Smith back to the arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s an agonizingly painful process, but after taking another long, hard look at the doctrine of the Restored Church, the Book of Mormon, the Inspired Bible and the prophet Joseph Smith, I realized I could longer participate as a member of the One True Church.

Thank God there is help out here.

In His amazing love

Jan

* JCRB (Joint Conference of Restoration Branches), CRE (Conference of Restoration Elders), name are all issues within the church at large which have come under fire lately due to myriad internal problems, from the arrogance of the hierarchy to fallout from Ephraim’s Camp to blatant dishonesty of some of the “saintly” men who run the whole show.