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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ukma!david
From: david@ukma.UUCP (David Herron, NPR Lover)
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.religion
Subject: Re: MHCS results (Actually about RLDS church)
Message-ID: <726@ukma.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 10-Feb-85 20:30:17 EST
Article-I.D.: ukma.726
Posted: Sun Feb 10 20:30:17 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 11-Feb-85 06:35:49 EST
Organization: Univ. of KY Mathematical Sciences
Lines: 67
Keywords: "straight stuff", RLDS, church
Xref: watmath net.misc:7430 net.religion:5574

In article <464@ptsfa.UUCP> dre@ptsfa.UUCP (Doug East) writes:
>> >	There's also the RLDS (reformed LDS). Ask one about the other and
>> >be prepared for fun.

	[Yer durn tootin.  And I'm an RLDS member too!]
 
>> RLDS is "Reorganized", not "Reformed".  They're based in Missouri, and have
>> some interesting features, one of which is the "Inspired Version" of the
>> Bible, which they say Joseph Smith produced.  Weird changes from the King
>> James, on which it is based.  The Salt Lake City branch doesn't accept it,
>> presumably because it didn't support polygamy.  (That last is a conjecture,
>> not to be confused with my impeccable information and scholarship detailed
>> above :-)).

uuuuummmmm......The Inspired Version was inspired translation from the
King James Version.  The main difference (as I recall from Sunday School)
was some long sequences dealing with Enoch and a city he built that was
eventually translated into Heaven (er...Zion anyway).  There were some 
other things, like the Lords Prayer is different.  BTW, the Inspired 
Version doesn't comment on polygamy, other than that it was practiced 
in biblical times.  It is interesting that the Book of Mormon *strongly*
condemns polygamy.

The LDS church doesn't have the Inspired Version because of a falling
out between Brigham Young and Emma Smith (the widow of Joseph Smith).
When the LDS church left Nauvoo, Illinois for Utah in ~1846, Emma Smith
wouldn't hand it over.  Later when the splinters re-organized around
Joseph Smith III *they* had that version.

The other "strange" book we have is the Book of Mormon.  This was translated
from gold plates provided him through the Angel Moroni.  It contains stories
about a group of people who left Jerusalem around the time of the Babylonian
invasion (at ~600 BC).   These people (from what we can tell) settled in 
Central America and are probably the ascendents of the Mayan civilization.

>	One of the major reasons for the Reorganized Church separating
>	from the LDS church was (is) their belief that the leadership
>	of the Church belongs to the descendants of Joseph Smith; i.e.,
>	an ordered succession.  The LDS leadership, on the other hand,
>	is determined by a unanimous decision of a body called the
>	"Council of the Twelve Apostles," made up of twelve (obviously)
>	men.  The President of the Church (LDS) elected (unanimously)
>	by the Council is (or was) generally a member of the Council.

The leadership passes down through Joseph Smiths line because of tradition.
The original succession happened while Joseph was being held in the Jail
at Liberty, Missouri.  He ordained his son to be his successor when the
boy was 9 years old.  Brigham Young (at the time of the schism) refused
to accept that this ordination took place.  Subsequent prophets have
named close relatives as their successor.

In the LDS church, president of the quorom of twelve apostles becomes
the new prophet.  This is a tradition from the time of the schism.
Brigham Young held that office at the time of Joseph Smith's death and
used that to claim succession.

-- 
-:--:-
David Herron;
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No stupid sayings (I can't think of one).

No stupid disclaimers (Nobody else would claim my statements anyway).