I was reading in "Mormon Doctrine" and came across this bit of information about the Reorganized Church:

"Following the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, June 27, 1844 (D. & C. 135), a number of small cults and sects came into being composed of a few dissident, unfaithful, and apostate members of the Church -- members who did not have the faith, testimony, and devotion to follow Brigham Young and the Twelve and to stand firm against the bitter mobocracy of the day. In 1860 a number of these factions and splinter groups united under the leadership of 'young Joseph,' a son of the martyred seer, to form what has become known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which now has its headquarters in Independence, Missouri.

Zenas H. Gurley, Jason W. Briggs, and William Marks who were contentious men of that time, became the organizers of this Reorganized Church. This so-called Reorganized Church, now the largest apostate faction claiming origin in the revelations given Joseph Smith, actually gained so few of the members from the original Church organized by the Prophet that it is almost a misnomer to describe the new organization as a faction of the original.

To some degree the spirit of animosity and bitterness manifest by members of the Reorganized Church against the true Church is dying down. 'One of a city, and two of a family,' (Jer. 3:14) as it were, their more spiritually alert and intelligent members are being converted to the truth and are joining the Church. As the rising generation comes to power and influence it is to be expected that the number of conversions to the truth will increase." (See Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine)

I hope that this gives you a better insight as to the official Latter-day Saints.

(Updated note June 2001: On April 6, 2001, The Reorganized church has now changed it's name to 'Community of Christ'.)

Sincerely,

Donny Osmond


See related multimedia presentations