Category: Splinter Groups
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Effectively Sharing With Someone From the Community of Christ
By Trevor Wolfe from Haven Ministries Check out an article on the overall history and doctrine of the Community of Christ by clicking here My approach to witnessing to followers belonging to the Community of Christ (CoC) is different than when I witness to Mormons, or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day…
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Splinter Group: The Community of Christ
Summary The Community of Christ is the largest church following Joseph Smith after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). This is a religion that does not place much emphasis on theology as much as it does on social justice issues, including an emphasis on striving for world peace, feeding the hungry,…
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Splinter Group: Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)
Viewpoint on Mormonism did a three-part series on the FLDS that aired on September 2-4, 2020, including an interview with missionary Brodie Olson who lives among the FLDS people. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Introduction The face of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) has changed dramatically since Warren Jeffs,…
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Splinter Group: Apostolic United Brethren
Updated 5/21/2025 Check out a 2-part Viewpoint on Mormonism series that originally aired September 28-29, 2020 Part 1 Part 2 Church Name Apostolic United Brethren. Other names include “Allred Group,” “AUB,” “The Work,” “The Group,” and “The Priesthood” Founder Rulon C. Allred (1906-1977) in 1954 Current Leader Lynn A. Thompson (1940-2021) was the leader from…
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Splinter Group: Church of Christ (Hedrickites, Temple Lot)
For a Viewpoint on Mormonism 2-part series on this religion that aired August 31-September 1, 2020, click the following: Part 1 Part 2 Church Name Church of Christ (Temple Lot). Most local congregations include “(Temple Lot)” after “Church of Christ” to distinguish it from other “Church of Christ” denominations. Founder Granville Hedrick (1814-1881)—the church claims…
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Splinter Group: Latter Day Church of Christ (Davis County Cooperative Society, United Order)
Summary One of the most controversial splinter groups of Mormonism, the Latter Day Church of Christ, has been led by members of the Kingston family since it was founded in 1935. The church has received notoriety in two main areas: 1) A polygamous lifestyle and emphasis on arranged incestuous marriages between close relatives, and 2)…
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Splinter Group: The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonites)
Updated 5/21/2025 Check out a 3-part Viewpoint on Mormonism series that originally aired September 30-October 2, 2020 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Summary The Church of Jesus Christ is the only religious movement in existence today that can be traced directly to Sidney Rigdon, a man who had an intimate relationship with Mormonism…
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7 Splinter Groups of the LDS Church Movement
While The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is by far the largest group that claims Joseph Smith, Jr. as its founder, there have been more than 100 splinter groups over the past two centuries. While many of them no longer exist, some do. Although the purpose of Mormonism Research Ministry focuses on the…
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Prophet from Manti Predicts End: Part 2
This article was originally published in 2000. The group from Manti is, for the most part, splintered and no longer a functioning church. The prophet Jim Harmston died in June 2013. Still, it’s interesting to see how a splinter group of Mormonism came to originate and live for almost two decades. See part 1 here.…
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Prophet from Manti Predicts End: Part 1
This article was originally published in 1999. The group from Manti is, for the most part, splintered and no longer a functioning church. The prophet Jim Harmston died in June 2013. Still, it’s interesting to see how a splinter group of Mormonism came to originate and live for almost two decades. The world as we…
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Book Review: Jesus Christ, Message to All Nations
Say the name “Warren Jeffs” out loud in a public place in Utah and you will get raised eyebrows. Latter-day Saints are very sensitive about having their religion tied to polygamous groups, which many ignorant bystanders have done over the years. Today, Jeffs—who is serving a life sentence behind federal prison bars in Texas—remains the…
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Community of Christ (Defined)
Community of Christ. Previously known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, on January 1, 2001 the church officially changed its name to the Community of Christ (COC). It is the second largest splinter group of the Latter-day Saint movement. Headquartered in Independence, Missouri, this group historically has been led by…
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A Mormon Denominational Walkabout
On a recent visit to Kansas City I stopped in Independence, Missouri. It was a beautiful spring day, so I took a short stroll covering approximately a five-block area near the LDS Visitors Center. Of course, the Community of Christ’s temple dominates the landscape, but the small area is further dotted with churches that spring…
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Another Joseph Smith Offshoot: The New Organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
By Eric JohnsonIn recent times, dozens of new splinter groups claiming to be the true followers of Joseph Smith have cropped up, including a number who practice polygamy. There have also been many factions from the former RLDS Church. One such group formed in 2005 is called The New Organization of the Church of Jesus…
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Christopher Nemelka – The Reincarnated Hyrum Smith?
By Bill McKeever He is the head of the Wordwide United Foundation, an organization that claims it alone has the solution to worldwide poverty and inequality. But this claim pales in comparison to Christopher Marc Nemelka’s belief that he is the reincarnated Hyrum Smith, the brother of Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith. Nemelka insists that while working…
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A Look at Fundamentalism Mormonism
By Bill McKeever The practice of plural marriage had been the center of controversy for Joseph Smith and his fledgling church ever since rumors began circulating about an extra marital affair he had while living in Kirtland, Ohio. According to George D. Smith:
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Mormonism and the Community of Christ: Similarities and Differences
By Bill McKeever
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Disruption by Revelation
John Singer was a Mormon with seven children. He and his wife, Vickie, lived west of Salt Lake City on their 2.5 acre farm in Marion, Utah. Dissatisfied with the public school system in the 1970s, Mr. Singer confronted school officials after seeing a picture in one of his children’s textbooks. It was a photo…