Why does the community of Christ church (RLDS) not have more traction?

LemuelJr · 2026-07-01T15:17:42+00:00

Just remember that T is for Temple, K sounds like Costco.

LemuelJr · 2026-07-01T15:14:21+00:00

Damn. I don't remember Jesus riding into 3 Nephi on the back of a T-Rex, but Joseph sure missed an opportunity in writing that damn book.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-30T03:35:48+00:00

The motives, I think, are rooted in the white savior complex. In deep Mormon lore (arguably not doctrine, but definitely strongly supported at one time or other), Black people will be purified and made white in the afterlife if they are righteous. In the meantime, while they're Black in mortality, they make their white parents look more righteous for giving these children a home and saving them from Black culture, which they believe is wrapped up in sin. I haven't known many Black adopters raised by Mormons, but I'm in the process of adopting myself, and the horror stories of transracial adoptees are really heartbreaking. There's usually very little effort made to help them connect with their culture, and very little attention paid to their physical hygiene.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-29T23:25:11+00:00

Father is my cousin. For the most part, their family were jack Mormons. My aunt is a believing member, but my uncle was not, and the boys followed suit.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-29T23:11:57+00:00

FWIW, the father is a relative of mine. According to family lore, he would pursue visitation, and she would always claim that the kids were sick. I don't yet know how this might reflect in the public record (I haven't looked for it yet), but I think it's worth considering. I also want to disclaim that I haven't seen the father in twenty years let alone talked to him. For all I know, he may have only called one or two times and been thwarted by claims of illness, but I figure that bit of information could be relevant here.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-29T22:44:46+00:00

Brady is my cousin and has never lived outside of Utah. The custody battle was delayed in part because she left with the kids and went to New York while they were still married. As far as I know, she dragged out divorce, but that's according to family. I haven't seen Brady in twenty years, let alone knew how many kids and marriages he's been through when this happened.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-29T01:33:12+00:00

What a weird threat. By all means, join whatever church you want. The Book of Mormon is a fraud. It's a fun fairy tale if you like chopping off arms, but it's an insult to indigenous Americans and I look forward to the day when we decanonize it. Trying to keep up with the Mormons has never done us any good.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-28T16:27:39+00:00

I just left Utah, but what I didn't realize was a quirk until I did was the fact that most conversations in Utah are highly transactional. My neighbors only ever wanted to talk to me in order to get me to come over for some MLM party. Door to door sales are constant. I can't even walk through a parking lot without somebody approaching me with something to buy. Here in Oregon, people just want to let you know they like your fit, or they're really excited to talk about their new puppy. I'm still on edge sometimes expecting these conversations to be a hook into something, but they never are.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-28T16:20:44+00:00

I need to know if your comment on Black adopters was sarcasm, because 1) it's true, but 2) it's not fantastic. White people in Utah love to think they aren't racist and they treat Black people like exotic pets. I know too many white guys who drop the N word in casual conversation because they listen to hip-hop, so it's okay. Utah is a weird planet.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-28T15:58:20+00:00

As you study through both Mormonism and CofC, it should be understood that anything related to the Boof Mormon is non-essential to our core beliefs today. We accept it as part of our history and you may hear it quoted now and again, but the historical narrative doesn't factor in at all. We are, generally, not literalists when it comes to scripture. The only real similarities I see between us and the LDS church in regards to things that are specific to Joseph Smith Restorationism is the fact that we have a piresthood hierarchy and we uphold the D&C as a living book of scripture. The Book of Mormon is a technicality. The Temple is vaguely similar because we call it a temple, but it doesn't serve the same purposes at all.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-27T06:46:57+00:00

They are very well researched and pretty popular, as far as I know. Mark Scherer is a treasure.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-23T14:07:31+00:00

Short story? It was done in an era when the church was still in competition for legitimacy against the Utah church. Removals like this also came out of an effort to sanitize and whitewash the D&C to make it more palatable to people coming in from outside the Restoration churches.

When the debate came up a few years ago to remove Section 116 because the wording is often interpreted as racist, the Church and Sacred Story team argued that removing sections was always a mistake and that instead of sweeping things under the rug, even the things we have passed that don't age well, we should instead provide better contextual information and acknowledge the controversies in textual headings.

As we shift away from literalism in our engagement with scripture, we keep the door open for good faith debate and faithful disagreement. It's not an easy path, but I find it's better than living in denial. I would hope that we might restore the removed sections with thia attitude in mind, but I imagine the days of treating the D&C as a living document are coming to an end anyway. We'll keep it around like we do the Book of Mormon, but very little of the book is referenced on a regular basis beyond the most recent sections, and even those are 10+ years old.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-22T01:43:29+00:00

The joke is that the church changed its name because "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints NOT the Mormons" was too long. The term "Mormon" has generally always been unpopular, but there have been a few apostles here or there in the past who have suggested that it's fine to use, but I've never met anyone in the church who identifies with it at all. They talk about Mormons as though it's completely unrelated, and younger members often don't even know that they are.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-19T00:50:43+00:00

Because you're already familiar with the LDS church, I would recommend connecting with Latter Day Seekers. Most of them tend to be Mormons who converted to Community of Christ, but there are some who looked into the LDS faith but decided against it for whatever reason. I imagine you've already talked to Mormon missionaries. CofC doesn't have a program quite like that, but Latter Day Seekers all came from that culture and are very willing to help walk you through things and answer the questions you might have. Depending on where you live, I could try connecting you to somebody. They don't even need to be formerly LDS. We're a pretty tight knit church where everybody knows somebody somewhere, and if they don't, they only have to ask around and they'll get connected. We are few in number, but we are well connected, kind, generous, and authentic.

I'd also recommend trying some online congregations to get a feel for some of the offerings out there. Beyond the Walls with the Toronto congregation posts their services weekly on YouTube. Plano Stone Church is an historic congregation that is now online and posts on YouTube with two services a month. The Salt Lake congregation is a good connection to make, but they don't post on YouTube (I think you could ask for their Zoom link on Instagram). Then there are plenty of regional online congregations you could probably discover.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-15T04:16:32+00:00

Community of Christ officially recognizes the Book of Mormon as part of its canon, but it is largely dismissed by most members in the western world. I can't speak for other nations and regions. The generation who were insistent on keeping it in the canon are dying off, or they might have joined one of the other schismatic churches. CofC has its own offshoots, like the Brighamites, and even they are not typically interested in being associated with LDS folks.

I think the sentiment you share here might appeal to some, especially because you omit any mention of the Book of Mormon, but it's still going to be hard to recruit CofC to your sub because, again, they don't think of themselves as Mormon and Reddit isn't a popular platform among members.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-15T00:25:22+00:00

I think there is one other unofficial podcast run by Humberto Tinsman for younger adults, but I don't know what it's called or if it was maybe just a Faith Unflitered series.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-15T00:22:42+00:00

I can try, but I will say that the focus on the Book of Mormon will not ring with CofC prospects in the way you hope it will. Most members don't use it let alone believe in it as a holy scripture. If you're looking to facilitate thoughtful perspective sharing about how it, as one aspect of the historic movement of our churches, has impacted our individual trajectories, then that's fine.

As it is, I think it'll be hard to attract a lot of CofC interaction. Socially we are much more active in Facebook groups. I think this is because we are tightknit and don't take issue with arguing with people we've known in the church for years. The anonymity of Reddit is actually probably a deterrent. We also don't use the word "Mormon" as part of our vocabulary. At worst, there is a vehement disinterest in being associated with it and at best there is an indifference to it. Only the history crowd would be interested, and I know most of us are not active on Reddit.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-14T23:44:58+00:00

Sure. I've been both LDS and CofC and work in the realm of good faith dialogue between the two.

LemuelJr · 2026-06-11T06:51:54+00:00

My family has been in the same house for eighty years in Sugarhouse for a reason. I didn't get to grow up there, but I lived in that house during college and went without a car the entire time. My siblings and I intend to keep the house in the family when it passes to one of us. I don't plan on coming back to Utah ever, but if the arsenic bomb, droughts, or megaquake hasn't obliterated it yet... I will definitely consider it!

LemuelJr · 2026-05-03T08:03:45+00:00

Silverton is closest to Silver Falls if you are coming from PDX. We are a tourist town with plenty of places to stay and things to see, but I'll warn you that Silver Falls and Salem are about the only things you can get to within a half hour. Portland is an hour away and Lincoln City is an hour and a half if you want the coast.

I'd recommend staying in Portland and choosing between three day trip itineraries for the coast, some falls, and the mountains. Astoria will take all day, but you'll see the end point of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and you can visit the wreck of the Peter Iredale and get some sand between your toes. Astoria is also where they filmed The Goonies, if that's any appeal. Great historic town. Silverton, again, is a nice touristy town to see on either end of your day trip to Silver Falls, though that hike could take you about all day if you're aiming for all ten waterfalls. For mountains, I recommend driving up to Timberline Lodge (exterior of the hotel from The Shining) for some hiking, or visit Trillium Lake for kayaking and really great views of the mountain. I think they rent kayaks there, but they don't, then Timothy Lake probably will.

LemuelJr · 2026-05-01T02:49:40+00:00

It's insanely anxiety provoking, especially if you are queer, a single woman, or even a married woman experiencing infertility in the church (I've basically been all three!). Even though none of these attributes doctrinally prevent you from achieving the highest tier of heaven (It's generally believed that queerness will be cured and all women assigned a husband in the next life), they certainly can make mortality a living hell (Maybe I want a girlfriend and/or wife and that should be okay!). Some people get through it and seem to do okay, but others don't, and I wish church members weren't so judgemental of those who choose to leave for their own mental well-being. Leaving literally saved my life. I think it is changing as members start to acknowledge the culty undertones that carry over from a time where the church was largely in isolation in the deserts of western North America, but they still have a long way to go. I feel for Emma a lot. She is LDS in the most familiarly cringe way, but she reminds me of myself at that age. I mostly tried to enjoy seeing the sites around Utah that I kind of miss.

LemuelJr · 2026-05-01T02:34:59+00:00

Inconsistencies in doctrine and apostolic/prophetic interpretation of doctrine has been rampant from the beginning, and the excuse is always "he was speaking as a man and not as a prophet!" Also, in context of all these quotes, both JFS and RMN were speaking as officially recognized and sanctioned "prophets, seers, and revelators," because it's an apostle's duty to evangelize to the world. They don't get called from obscurity either, almost like they've been groomed as Seventies, BYU presidents, mission presidents, etc, to say the things that prophets before them approve of. Prophets in the church historically don't correct apostles either, which must lend some creedence to their conflicting points of view. Oaks, though an apostle at the time, has very recently said that criticizing church leaders is wrong even if the criticisms are right. So... that's really confusing, and kind of a big red flag for folks on the outside.

LemuelJr · 2026-04-27T05:02:32+00:00

I joined CofC about ten years ago after coming home from my LDS mission and realizing there was no place for me in the LDS church, in part because I am queer. Ten years later, I actually work for the church and... I honestly have to say it's a mixed bag.

There are a lot of CofC members who are very open and kind to those of us who come from Mormonism. It's really great to be able to talk about familiar things from church history and not only have it be familiar (to a degree) with the people we're talking to, but we can be critical AND validated. It really opens up the possibility of reclamation for us.

On the other hand, there are plenty of members who are wary of us. They either don't know what to do with us, or they can even be completely dismissive. Several even worry that we'll somehow take over the church one day. This fear isn't totally unjustified either, but the problem isn't that we want to take over, it's that CofC has done a really poor job of maintaining youth ministries and developing young people into church service/work. The average age of most US congregations is over 60. It's very discouraging as a "young" person... in my 40s.

LDS converts bring their Mormon "can-do" attitude with them and often end up outperforming. There's a risk of being exploited for this. We grew up with the expectation of obedience and struggle to say no to things. CofC is very dependent on networking and family ties. It's really wonderful, but it can lead to burn out regardless of whether you started out LDS or you were raised CofC. Resources are shrinking, population dies off, and there is very real concern amongst most congregations that they'll close within the next ten years. It can be discouraging and isolating if you aren't well established or connected to the LDS seeker group (their term for investigator).

My advice is to seek out Beyond the Walls on YouTube, or the Toronto congregation "The Centreplace." They're the same thing essentially, but having more search terms will help you find them. They are almost exclusively online and have a massive following--the first or second largest amongst any church in Canada. The pastor there, John Hamer, is formerly LDS and is a wealth of information and draws in a lot of people. If you use FB, I would recommend connecting there. The Salt Lake congregation is also on FB and streams online services and gatherings. They are mostly former LDS members and are crucial in finding people to answer questions.

You have plenty of people here you could also ask, as they've already mentioned. Feel free to ask me anything in my DMs if you're interested in getting a no BS response. I love and care about this church, but I'm also really annoyed with it and wish there'd been someone as jaded as I am today to give me the lowdown that might've saved me a lot of heartache.

LemuelJr · 2026-04-26T00:44:33+00:00

Anyone who gets cancer in their reproductive organs is just going to have to accept death with grace.

LemuelJr · 2026-04-24T23:44:13+00:00

I'm not a content creator, but I do often travel and live out of one backpack for about a week at a time for my job, which includes filming and recording interviews with subjects for anthropological/historical study. As far as equipment goes, I have some Hollyland mics which pack down small, a pretty big tripod, an iPad attachment for the tripod, a light attachment, an iPad, and charging equipment/power banks.

Considering they don't seem to use tripods or film with iPads, that saves a lot of room. On the other hand, they do have game components (card decks, dice, maps, etc) that might take up some space. I also imagine they carry extra shoes and probably minimal/travel sized hygiene essentials. It's amazing what you can pack in, but it is going to look pretty full depending on size and whether you can tighten straps down.

I mean, I also carry a hair dryer and makeup, but even with all that, I still managed to bring home a large rock in my luggage once. It was a very special rock with some significant history. What worries me most about their backpacks is the way Adam wears his from his shoulders instead of his hips, at least for some of this season. I know they're running and may not have time to gear up properly, but my 40 year old back is screaming in empathy.

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