I guess it’s about time to get my butt in gear and finish my project. I’ve mentioned before my Latter Day Saints United in Jesus Christ project I’m going through my files and getting everything ready to start it. So I would like your input. The following is what I wrote up for the “About” page. Tell me what you think.
About
EARLY CHRISTIANITY
During His ministry Christ established His church. Christ’s original Church was loosely organized. It consisted of individual, independent congregations loosely bound together. It allowed for a great deal of freedom in regards to personal belief. After He was resurrected He left His church in the hands of chosen men, the apostles. As time progressed after the death of the apostles the Church began to become more institutionalized. This was the beginning of the Catholic Church.
Apostasy is when a person possesses God’s word and then later rejects it. Apostasy is an individual process. However when it happens with a large number of individuals it is usually viewed as a whole. Through the institutionalization of the church policies and practices were put forth that contradicted the teachings of Christ.
In 325 AD Roman Emperor Constantine further pushed the church into apostasy by combining Christianity with the prevalent Pagan religions. The church Jesus Christ originally established still existed however it was no longer following the teachings of Christ. There were many teachings of men that were being followed as well.
REFORMATION
Throughout the middle ages various inspired men were raised up by God to reform the Church back to its original roots. The major result of this were several churches breaking away from the Catholic Church. At this point in time the church Christ originally established was still on the earth, it was just broken into pieces and in darkness.
REFORMATION AND RESTORATION
In the 1800’s God raised another man to reform Christ’s church and restore many lost principles and teachings. This man, Joseph Smith, Jr., after the pattern of ancient seers, translated an ancient record called the Book of Mormon. This book contains an account of Christ’s visit to a people somewhere on the American continent. Unlike the Old Testament which was lost for a time, and the New Testament which was assembled during a state of Apostasy, the Book of Mormon was pure. It teaches the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Thus the fulness of the Gospel was restored again to the earth. The Book of Mormon was supposed to bring about a great reformation within the existing Christian Church. Joseph Smith was to have gathered scattered Christianity as one. There were a variety of names used for this church, the Church of Christ, the Church of the Latter Day Saints. The name for the regathered, restored church in these days was eventually revealed as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
However the gathering of the church organized by Joseph Smith did not apply the Book of Mormon as intended. The church was unable to live those thing that God has revealed through Joseph Smith. As a result they came under condemnation.
SUCCESSION CRISIS
In 1831 Christ revealed the following to Joseph Smith concerning the church, “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one, ye are not mine.” This commandment was to keep the church unified.
After the death of Joseph Smith in 1844 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints became divided. This was because Joseph Smith left many different instructions for who would be his successor. So instead of working together, the Church divided. Many men stepped forward to lead the church, each with a reason why they should be leader. The Church split. Groups of people followed after the different leaders. Some branches of the Church did not immediately unite behind a leader but were later brought together. All of these divisions selected or refused specific principles established in the restoration. Many churches added their own interpretations or doctrines. By allowing these teachings to divide them they violated Christs command by adding to the Gospel.
In the Book of Mormon Christ taught that His Gospel is Faith in Him, Repentance, Baptism of water, and Baptism of Fire and the Spirit. He also taught that if anyone teaches more less than this and puts it on the same level as the Gospel, it comes from evil.
If the church would have followed the Book of Mormon standard for the Gospel it would have allow the sects to remain united. Instead they put their various belief on par with the gospel and rejected anyone who didn’t agree with them. In doing so the church broke the commandment to be unified.
UNIFICATION
Today, members of Christ’s church, have seen these problems and wish to help continue the unification of the church once again. It is our goal to begin the work to re-unite the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that was divided with the death of Joseph Smith. While unification may not be possible at the institutional level we can begin to build the bridges that will bring unity to members who comprise the Church. Included in this unification is the work to gather all Christian Churches upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As a result, the Latter Day Saints United in Jesus Christ was formed. The purpose of this organization is not to usurp power or authority from Religious Institutions. Rather it is our goal to provide a way for the body of Christ to become whole again. We believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the uniting factor. Other principles such as, baptisms for the dead, endowments, sacrifice, etc., are valuable for those individuals who espouse them, but belief in them is not required for membership in the church.
The Latter Day Saints United in Jesus Christ organization is no Christ’s church. Rather those people who are baptized and come unto Christ are Christ’s chrurch. We are an organization to help facilitate the continued operation and success of the original church. The succession crisis was a deadly blow that struck the church. It has resulted in division, corporatism, pride, and apostasy. Our organization exists to help the church overcome those things and accomplish the purposes that God has given us.
We invite all people regardless of gender, race, creed, or nationality to come unto Christ. Bring your knowledge, history, and diverse beliefs. Participation in our organization is completely voluntary and not necessary to be part of Christ’s church. We have a wide variety of organizations and activities to be involved in. It is not all or nothing. If you don’t like or believe in one aspect of our organization you don’t have to participate in it. If you don’t believe some of the restoration principles you don’t have to believe them. All we ask is that you respect the right of others to believe as God commands them to believe. If someone believes differently than you that doesn’t mean they are wrong it just means God wants them to learn something in their current beliefs. We should all be willing to personally receive additional light and truth from God and change our beliefs accordingly.
Come and gather upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us love God, and love and respect our neighbor as we would have others love and respect us.
Purposes
The purposes of the Latter Day Saints United in Jesus Christ are to:
– Reunite the divided Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
– Perfect ourselves in the teachings of Jesus Christ.
– Accurately teach the origins and principles of the Restoration.
– Learn from, and be edified by, all righteous teachings.
– Preach the Gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
– Work to gather the Tribes of Israel.
– Build the City of Zion in Jackson County Missouri with its temples.
– Fill the world with Cities of Zion.
– Re-establish the Political Kingdom of God.
zomarah.wordpress.com 
I love the painting of Lehi’s Dream on your site and need one for my office! I would like to know the artist’s name and if you know where we can get a print! Please let me know!
Thanks so much!
I very much agree that we need to be going in this direction. I expect this will be the type of work that the One Mighty and Strong will do. Bringing the churches back to unify them, rebuking them for their mistakes, calling them to repentance. The whole end of 2nd Nephi is a great blessing and comfort as it teaches exactly what is going on.
2 Nephi 28: 3
For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord —
Sound familiar? I guess it’s going to be a hard time for a lot of people when they are told they need to repent.
Michael,
There’s one key to fully understanding this verse (and the Book of Mormon in general) in a way that may catch many people off guard: Nephi isn’t simply talking about the various Christian churches, he’s talking about the various LDS churches/sects!
That was exactly my point. I’m glad you understand what Nephi is saying as well. I remember reading it one day and realized it says “thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord.”
It says “EVERY ONE” not “all but one.”
Then I realized in this context, I’d have to relearn everything I thought I knew about the end of 2nd Nephi.
I’ve tried communicating this to people in the church but whether they say it or not they believe all is well in Zion.
And it’s scary just how much church leaders have been fulfilling the “Wo unto him who saith ‘All is well in Zion.” President Hinckley said the phrase word for word in April 1995 (it was edited out of the Ensign but I’ve spoken with witnesses who heard it live) and just at the most recent conference we had President Uchtdorf testify that the church is “On course.”
This is also what I plan to speak about the next time I’m called to give a talk in church. I’ll basically come right out and say how the modern corporate LDS church is the one fulfilling these prophesies and that the membership will need to decide where it stands on the line between basing their testimony on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon vs. the “church(tm)” because, as the Book of Mormon has shown, the two are not compatible.
Mormon 8 is just as powerful as 2 Nephi 26-29 so those will definitely be my focus when the time comes.
Hopefully your topic is “Following Living Prophets”, I’m a big fan of D&C 1:14-16; I’d love to see the members’ reactions if you tell them that they have “strayed from [His] ordinances, and have broken [His] everlasting covenant.” Sadly, I can’t really make statements like that while I’m still at the “Lord’s University”, I’ve got to get out of here before I go crazy. 🙂
I don’t care if I’m given an assigned topic since I don’t plan to follow it and will just say what needs to be said. Verse 14 is powerful because the Lord is clearly talking about the apostles and prophets of old who did preach His word and truly were His servants. And given the timing of that verse in the original revelation, the Quorum of the Twelve in this dispensation hadn’t been called yet!
Verse 16 also really stood out to me in that I can see it applied in no way other than the current “prophet” worship that is rampant throughout the church. It makes even more sense when you equate the fact that Isaiah prophesied that the modern Babylon is Salt Lake City.
Thanks for reminding me of that passage.