Emma Smith/Community of Christ Question

[TruthSeeker]

Hello Everyone,

I have a question. I was reading in the news about some pretty foul actions of some Community of Christ members back in Missouri today.(Not saying CofC members are bad) However, I was wondering what the Community of Christ believed in relative to our church. On their website, they claim that Emma Smith, after the death of Joseph, became a member. Is this true? I was just curious as to any insight this board mght have to offer. It is just different to read about those who use the Book of Mormon in their worship, but the differences in their beliefs to ours is pretty drastic(women holding the priesthood, etc..)

[Elphaba]

Hello Everyone,

I have a question. I was reading in the news about some pretty foul actions of some Community of Christ members back in Missouri today.(Not saying CofC members are bad) However, I was wondering what the Community of Christ believed in relative to our church. On their website, they claim that Emma Smith, after the death of Joseph, became a member. Is this true? I was just curious as to any insight this board mght have to offer. It is just different to read about those who use the Book of Mormon in their worship, but the differences in their beliefs to ours is pretty drastic(women holding the priesthood, etc..)

Regarding Emma: Due to serious disagreements between Emma and Brigham about a number of issues, including whether or not God had commanded polygamy, and Brigham's insistence that all property in Joseph's name belonged to the Church, Emma did not follow the Saints to Utah. She fought to keep these possessions so she would have a livelihood to take care of her children.

Additionally, a number of Mormons, who also did not believe Brigham had been called by God to be the prophet, stayed in Illinois; however, they did believe the Church, The Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine & Covenants were inspired by God.

They also believed Joseph's son, Joseph Smith III, had been designated by Joseph to be the next prophet. However, he was still a child when Joseph was murdered, so they waited until he was grown to urge him to take on the office of what they called The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. (That's a very simple explanation to the very complicated ascension of Joseph Smith III to the head of the Reorganized Church.)

When her son became the prophet, Emma did join the Reorganized Church. She wasn't particularly active in this church, and was certainly not committed to it like she had been to Joseph's church. She had remarried a non-Mormon, and lived a relatively quiet life, although it was still marred by heartache at times.

I would caution against judging her for this. Emma's integral, and exhaustive, role in the establishment, and success, of the Church, should never be dismissed. Without her, Joseph would not have been able to accomplish what he did.

Elphaba

[Palerider]

Regarding Emma: Due to serious disagreements between Emma and Brigham about a number of issues, including whether or not God had commanded polygamy, and Brigham's insistence that all property in Joseph's name belonged to the Church, Emma did not follow the Saints to Utah. She fought to keep these possessions so she would have a livelihood to take care of her children.

Additionally, a number of Mormons, who also did not believe Brigham had been called by God to be the prophet, stayed in Illinois; however, they did believe the Church, The Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine & Covenants were inspired by God.

They also believed Joseph's son, Joseph Smith III, had been designated by Joseph to be the next prophet. However, he was still a child when Joseph was murdered, so they waited until he was grown to urge him to take on the office of what they called The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. (That's a very simple explanation to the very complicated ascension of Joseph Smith III to the head of the Reorganized Church.)

When her son became the prophet, Emma did join the Reorganized Church. She wasn't particularly active in this church, and was certainly not committed to it like she had been to Joseph's church. She had remarried a non-Mormon, and lived a relatively quiet life, although it was still marred by heartache at times.

I would caution against judging her for this. Emma's integral, and exhaustive, role in the establishment, and success, of the Church, should never be dismissed. Without her, Joseph would not have been able to accomplish what he did.

Elphaba

For a Liberal, you know some stuff....LOL!!!!!!!!....had to say it couldn't resist...:)

[Wingnut]

I would caution against judging her for this. Emma's integral, and exhaustive, role in the establishment, and success, of the Church, should never be dismissed. Without her, Joseph would not have been able to accomplish what he did.

Thank you, thank you, for saying this. I live in the Kirtland, OH Stake, and there is a woman in my ward who has been here for over 40 years (recently released as Stake Relief Society President) who is very fond of Emma. She acknowledges some of the "wrongs" that Emma may have done, but always ends on this note. There is no way that any of us can understand what Emma went through, and I personally think she will be judged mercifully at the last day. Regardless of her actions after Joseph's death, there can be no doubt that she was truly a great lady.

[Palerider]

Thank you, thank you, for saying this. I live in the Kirtland, OH Stake, and there is a woman in my ward who has been here for over 40 years (recently released as Stake Relief Society President) who is very fond of Emma. She acknowledges some of the "wrongs" that Emma may have done, but always ends on this note. There is no way that any of us can understand what Emma went through, and I personally think she will be judged mercifully at the last day. Regardless of her actions after Joseph's death, there can be no doubt that she was truly a great lady.

I don't think any of us know what she went thru....to think she watched her husband heal others and then ask and wonder why he can't heal his own children and prevent them from dying....she is and was a remarkable woman.

[TruthSeeker]

Thanks for the answers! Very insightful. I have so much respect for Emma Smith. I can't imagine what she had to endure. Also, in my opinion, it would be a pretty big leap to go from being LDS now to the community of Christ church, but back then, amongst the confusion, I would imagine that initially the 2 groups didn't seem all that different. I could be wrong though.

[rayhale]

Even though the Church doesn’t believe in Sainthood, like the Catholics, the Church tries extremely hard to give ‘Sainthood’ to Emma, read Doctrine and Covenants 25, and pretty much anything else written about Emma, you would almost believe that the Church sees her like Catholics sees that the Virgin Mary is incapable of sin. The Church ignores the fact that Emma did NOT leave with the Saints. I do feel Emma Smith was a great woman, but please don’t forget that she, like everyone else, has problems, and sins.

[pam]

I don't believe that we, as a Church, look upon her as a Saint. Just a very strong woman who had much to endure during her life. Even "great" women have problems and do sin.

[HillCumorahCC]

Emma didn't really "join" the RLDS church, she entered into fellowship there on her original baptism which is what most of the early RLDS did. They felt there was no need for those who were baptised prior to 1844 to be rebaptized or "join" their church, as they felt they were already the church.

[Elphaba]

Emma didn't really "join" the RLDS church, she entered into fellowship there on her original baptism which is what most of the early RLDS did. They felt there was no need for those who were baptised prior to 1844 to be rebaptized or "join" their church, as they felt they were already the church.

Good to know. Thanks.

Elphaba

Edited November 14, 2009 by Elphaba

[Maureen]

Emma didn't really "join" the RLDS church, she entered into fellowship there on her original baptism which is what most of the early RLDS did. They felt there was no need for those who were baptised prior to 1844 to be rebaptized or "join" their church, as they felt they were already the church.

Joseph Smith III was uncomfortable with the temple ritualism. Over time as he took on his role as prophet-president, he felt empowered to reinterpret baptism as a condition of membership. The precedent for accepting old members (be-fore 1844) into the new Reorganization was set with Joseph III and his mother, Emma Hale Smith. They were accepted by vote on their earlier baptisms. In the third issue of the True Latter Day Saints’ Herald, Joseph III established policy:

Members of the church who were in good standing until the death of Joseph the Martyr, are received into the Reorganized Church with or without re-baptism, as they may choose. The ordination of those who held the priesthood and were members in good standing until that time, are acknowledged to be valid.

Conditions of Membership

M.

[ehkape]

They also believed Joseph's son, Joseph Smith III, had been designated by Joseph to be the next prophet. However, he was still a child when Joseph was murdered, so they waited until he was grown to urge him to take on the office...

Elphaba

Did you know that Brigham Young and his apostles believed the same thing? As far as I understand it, that's why there was such a long time between Josephs death and Brigham being accepted as the next prophet. They initially felt that Joseph III should be raised up to be the next in line.

I am still looking for a link, but I read it a few months ago in a BYU study called the succession crisis (or something like that)

To me, that's quite a big one. Why do we blame Emma for staying behind and mixing with the wrong crowd? Maybe she wasn't so wrong after all. Maybe, it's just because we belong to the ones that followed Brigham...

found the link to byustudies

http://byustudies.byu.edu/PDFLibrary/16.2Quinn.pdf

Edited November 16, 2009 by ehkape

[Misshalfway]

Sometimes it seems to me that maybe Brigham wasn't exactly the easiest person to work with. Not that he wasn't the perfect person for the job.....

[Moksha]

Did you know that Brigham Young and his apostles believed the same thing? As far as I understand it, that's why there was such a long time between Josephs death and Brigham being accepted as the next prophet. They initially felt that Joseph III should be raised up to be the next in line.

I remember reading about the call for Joseph III to come out to Utah, but was said to be fearful for his safety due to past reports of the Utah Reformation. Is there any truth to this?