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.:MORMON SPLINTER GROUPS

- Sects that broke away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Proponents of the Salt Lake City based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as LDS or Mormons) boast of the alleged “unity” of their 12 million membership. Pointing to multiple denominations of Christian churches, Mormons attribute their "unity" (i.e., uniform church structure and belief) to latter-day revelation and to additional books they regard as Scripture.

They challenge the potential convert to read and pray about the Book of Mormon in order to gain a “testimony” of the truthfulness of the book. This “testimony” (consisting of a “burning in the bosom” sensation) is alleged to be the main test for determining whether the potential convert should become a member of the LDS Church. Given the fact that over 100 splinter groups have developed on the foundation of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, we question the validity of the Mormon “testimony” in solidifying the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the sole possessor of the "restored gospel." Since all of these movements base their authority on the Book of Mormon and the Prophet Joseph Smith, how can a "testimony" gained through praying about the Book of Mormon be sufficient to prove which church of all of these movements one should join? The following list of dissident groups is taken from the book Divergent Paths of Restoration:

FOUNDED BETWEEN 1830 AND 1844

  • Pure Church of Christ, Wycam Clark, 1831
  • The Independent Church, Hoton, 1832
  • Church of Christ, Ezra Booth, 1836
  • Church of Christ, Warren Parrish, 1837
  • The Church of Jesus Christ, the Bride, The Lamb's Wife, George M. Hinkle, 1840
  • Church of Christ, Hyrum Page, 1842
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, F. Gladden Bishop
  • True Church of Jessu Christ of Latter Day Saints, Law, Foster, Higbee, 1844
  • Church of Christ, William Chubby

NON-EXTANT MOVEMENTS FOUNDED 1844-1860

  • Church of Christ / Church of Jesus Christ of the Children of Zion, Sidney Rigdon, 1844
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, James Emmett, 1844
  • Church of Christ, S. B. Stoddard, Leonard Rich, James Bump, 1845
  • Indian Mormon, 1846
  • Church of Christ, William McLellin, David Whitmer, 1847
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, William Smith, 1847
  • Congregation of Jehovah's Presbytery of Zion, Charles B. Thompson, 1848
  • Church of Christ, James C. Brewster, 1848
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Lyman Wight, 1849
  • The Bride, The Lamb's Wife or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Jacob Syfritt, 1850
  • Church of Christ, Hazen Aldrich, 1851

EXTANT MOVEMENTS

Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, James J. Strang, 1844

  • Church of Christ, Aaron Smith, 1846
  • Church of the Messiah, George J. Adams, 1861
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
  • Holy Church of Jesus Christ, Alexandre R. Caffiaux
  • House of Ephraim and House of Manasseh of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Jerry Sheppard
  • The True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, David L. Roberts
  • Marriage Counseling Group
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, John J. Hajicek
  • Strangite Believers in Pennsylvania

Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young, 1847

  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or Church of the First Born, Joseph Morris, 1861
  • The Prophet Cainan or Church of Jesus Christ of the Saints of the Most High God, George Williams, 1862
  • Morrisite Group, John Livingston, 1864
  • Church of Zion, William S. Godbe, 1868
  • Church of the First Born, George S. Dove, 1874
  • Priesthood Groups (Fundamentalists), 1890
  • United Order of Equality, Ephraim Peterson, 1909
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Israel, J. H. Sherwood
  • Order of Aaron, Maurice L. Glendenning
  • Church of Freedom of Latter Day Saints, 1950s
  • Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi, Marl V. Kilgore, 1951
  • The Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, Joel F. LeBaron
  • The Church of the Firstborn, Ross W. LeBaron, 1955
  • Perfected Church of Jesus Christ of Immaculate Latter Day Saints, William C. Conway, 1958
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, John Forsgren, 1960
  • Church of Jesus Christ, William Goldman, 1960
  • LDS Scripture Researchers/Believe God Society, Sherman Russell Lloyd, 1965
  • The Church of the Body and of the Spirit of Jessu Christ, Max Powers, 1965
  • United Order of the Saints of Guadeloupe, Michel Gamiette, 1966
  • United Order of the Family of Christ, David E. Desmond, 1966
  • Split from Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi, Eldon Taylor, 1969
  • Homosexual Church of Jesus Christ, Denver, Colorado, 1972
  • Latter Day Saints Church, N.S. Park, 1972
  • The Church of the Lamb of God, Ervil M. LeBaron, 1972
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Mikhail Krupenia, 1972
  • The New Jerusalem Group, Kathryn Carter, 1972
  • The Watchmen on the Towers of Latter Day Israel, Miltenberg, Braun, 1973
  • Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly, Alexnader Joseph, 1974
  • Evangelical Church of Christ, Church of the New Covenant in Christ, John W. Bryant, 1974
  • Split form Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi, Barton Kilgore, 1975
  • Affirmation, 1975
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Robert Simons, 1975
  • Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, Bruce Wakeham, 1975
  • Aaronic Order Break-off, 1977
  • Christ's Church, Inc., Gerald Peterson, 1978
  • Church of Jesus Christ, Art Bulla, 1978
  • The Restorers or School of the Prophets, Robert C. Crossfield, 1979
  • Zion's First International Church, LeeAnn Walker, 1980
  • The Free Will Mormon Church, Franklin Lee Coleman, 1980
  • Church of Jesus Christ, Jorge Mora, 1981
  • Sons Ahman Israel, Davied Israel, 1981
  • Samoan LDS Church, New Zealand, 1981
  • The Millennial Church of Jesus Christ, Leo P. Evoniuk, 1981
  • Peyote Way Church of God, Immanuel P. Trujillo, 1981
  • The Chruch of Jesus Christ of the Saints in Zion, Ken Asay, 1984
  • Break from the Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly, 1984
  • Church of Jesus Christ of All Latter-day Saints or Restoration Church of Jesus Christ, Antonio A. Feliz, 1985
  • Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints, Robert P. Madison, 1985
  • Church of Christ the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, Siegfried J. Widmar, 1985
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Fundamentalists, Wight Family, 1985
  • Mormon Fundamentalists, England, Alan and Marian Munn, 1986
  • Churchof Jesus Christ Omnipotent, 1987
  • Community of Zion, Central Utah Division
  • Church of the First Born, General Assembly

Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ, Alpheus Cutler, 1853

  • Church of Jesus Christ, Clyde Fletcher, 1953
  • The Restored Church of Jesus Christ, Eugene O. Walton, 1979

Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1851-1860

  • Church of the Christian Brotherhood, Richard C. Evans, 1917
  • The Church of Christ, the Order of Zion, John Zahnd, 1918
  • The Church of Jesus Christ, Thomas W. Williams, 1925
  • Church of Jesus Christ Restored, Stanley M. King, 1970
  • New Jerusalem Church of Jesus Christ, Barney Fuller, 1975
  • Church of Christ Restored, Paul Fishel, 1976
  • True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Forrest Toney, 1980
  • Church of the Restoration or Churches of Christ in Zion, Robert Chambers, 1981
  • Lamanite Ministries for Christ or New Covenant Ministries for Christ, 1984
  • Restoration Branches Movement, 1984
  • Church of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, A. Lee Abramson, 1985
  • Church of Jesus Christ, Zion's Branch, John Cato, 1986
  • Church of Christ, David Clark, 1986
  • Independent Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Christopher C. Warren, 1986
  • Native Indian Church

Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of The Church of Jesus Christ, William Bickerton, 1862

  • Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ, Allen Wright, 1907
  • Primitive Church of Jesus Christ, James Caldwell, 1914

Splinter Groups and Sub-movements of Church of Christ (Temple Lot), Granville Hedrick, 1863

  • Church of Christ, Independent, Informal, Frank F. Wipper, 1927
  • The Church of Christ, Otto Fetting, 1929
  • Church of Christ, P.A. Ely, 1929
  • Church of Christ, C.W. Humphrey, 1929
  • Church of Christ, Samuel Wood, E.J. Trapp, 1930
  • Church of Christ (Restored), A.C. DeWolf, 1936
  • Church of Christ, E. E. Long, Thomas Nerren, 1936
  • Church of Christ, Paul Hilgendorf, 1942
  • The Church of Christ With the Elijah Message, W. A. D. Draves, 1943
  • Church of Christ, Pauline Hancock, 1946
  • Antarctica Development Interests or the New American's Mount Zion, John Leabo, 1955
  • Church of Christ at Zion's Retreat, Gerald Hall, 1973
  • The Church of Israel, Dan Gayman, 1973
  • Break from the Church of Christ (Hancock), Davison, Michigan, 1973
  • The Church of Christ, Restored Gospel 1929, 1985

 

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