What does "the journey home" look like for a Latter-Day Saint?

[ERMD]

11 hours ago, flameburns623 said:

Someone--MFBukowski, or maybe someone with an Arabic-looking username--says the Church is rolling out a project wherein converts go to the Temple wihin weeks or months of baptism. It's a move to help converts remain active in the critical early months when many drop into inactivity.

I believe my own Priesthood quorum mentioned this is now functional in my own area.

How or if this would affect my own case is difficult to know.

They are referring to performing vicarious baptisms and confirmations, not receiving endowments.  I no longer have access to Handbook 1, but I do not recall if receiving a limited use recommend (allowing one to participate in those ordinances) is an option during the first year for someone returning.  I know anyone who has been excommunicated who held the Melchizedek priesthood cannot receive even a limited use recommend for at least a year, (because he cannot receive any priesthood), but it may not apply to someone returning from having his name removed.  Your bishop would be able to tell you.

[flameburns623]

38 minutes ago, ERMD said:

They are referring to performing vicarious baptisms and confirmations, not receiving endowments.  I no longer have access to Handbook 1, but I do not recall if receiving a limited use recommend (allowing one to participate in those ordinances) is an option during the first year for someone returning.  I know anyone who has been excommunicated who held the Melchizedek priesthood cannot receive even a limited use recommend for at least a year, (because he cannot receive any priesthood), but it may not apply to someone returning from having his name removed.  Your bishop would be able to tell you.

I have never asked much about Temple rituals and am not asking now, but I am apparently in the dark about the distinction between 'doing vicarious baptisms' and 'receiving endowments'.

Thanks nonetheless for the response.

[ERMD]

Sorry, didn't mean to jump to light speed.  This isn't any of the super-secret stuff.

There are many ordinances performed in the temple.  Each of us must receive what are referred to as the "saving ordinances", i.e., those that are required to receive eternal life (this is separate from the merits of the Atonement).  For men, there are 5 of them--baptism, confirmation, ordination to the Melchizedek priesthood, endowment, and celestial marriage.  Women do not require priesthood ordination.  When one goes to the temple as an adult to receive his endowment, he has already been baptized, confirmed, and been ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood.  After receiving his endowment, he can then be married or sealed to his spouse (the same holds for women, minus the priesthood requirement).

Those who have died prior to accepting the gospel of Christ can have the saving ordinances performed for them vicariously by people in the temple.  Since they were not baptized or confirmed members of the Church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost in this life, those two ordinances are performed for them first.  In order for a living person to participate in these ordinances vicariously for the dead, he or she must be a member of the Church in good standing, 12 years of age or older, and males must hold at least the Aaronic priesthood.  The other ordinances (priesthood ordination for men, endowment, and sealing) must be performed by members who have already received their endowment, so youth or new members do not participate in those vicarious ordinances.

There are lots of good resources on lds.org that provide explanations/introductions to the endowment.

Edited April 1, 2016 by ERMD

[Jeanne]

Good luck with all of this and hope you find your happiness and what is best for you.

Jeanne

[flameburns623]

The trick to all this is time, reflection, and prayer.

Time, because I am cognizant that this impulse to consider returning may be driven by something other than a sincere desire for Truth. Nostalgia is not a good basis upon which to build a testimony. Grief is not. A sense of fellowship is not.

During a stormy phase of dating a particular person, a young lady and I sought counsel with a pastor. His advice was that, though we were contemplating marriage, given the tempests of our relationship, we ought seriously to make no permanent commitments to one another for a "full four seasons".

He suggested that in doing so, we would observe each other's moods and temperaments over a sufficient span to develop skills to anticipate and to cope with such natural changes.

Or, to decide that the energies required to do so were a greater investment than one or either or each of us were ready to make.

His advice was prudent. We had considered getting married via a JP, on the fly; but we held off. Within weeks, we parted as friends and each of us moved on to other loves.

Of course, I have already spent a considerable time "in the company" of the LDS Church. Disregarding the long periods of inactivity, at least five years.

But I have joined and left, rejoined and left again. My reasons for leaving were different in each case, but the record suggests that taking a bit of time is a good idea.

Reflection, because it is by introspection and study that I can really know if this is what I want, and to know, better, why I want to do it.

I don't, btw, feel a need at this juncture to engage the apologetics materials to any high degree.

I will stay clear of all of the social issue debates, thankee very much.

Nor do I want to delve deeply into all of the historical hullabaloo that may be troubling others in their testimonies.

These issues just really are not mine at this moment: they don't possess nor obsess me. They're doubtlessly important but they do not presently loom large on my radar.

Prayer, not to "brainwash" myself into a testimony but so as to really commune with God, to feel I know His Heart in this matter, to have His guidance and not just my own human reasoning and impulses to direct me. 

My two cents on how I presently see my direction for the time being.

Edited April 2, 2016 by flameburns623

[Nevo]

5 hours ago, flameburns623 said:

But I have joined and left, rejoined and left again. My reasons for leaving were different in each case, but the record suggests that taking a bit of time is a good idea.

Agreed. The analogy to courtship and marriage is apt, I think. I am reminded of something I read a while back that has stayed with me. Maybe you will find it helpful too:

Quote

Faith as a kind of marriage of our souls to the community of the saints has the same character as marriage itself. When I am feeling vexed by a particular doctrine or cultural understanding, the practice of my faith is to acknowledge that tension or conflict or discomfort in my mind and then place it into the balance of my entire relationship with the church. If the stress is particularly severe, I will need to actively supplement those negative experiences with many positive ones. I acknowledge that there are difficult elements in my relationship with the church and the saints— the place where my religious faith is expressed most concretely— but those negative experiences do not dominate my experience of faith. I have the capacity to balance the negative with positive experiences. So, when it’s important, I spend some time with the parts that I always love and that fill me with pleasure— I sing hymns, read books, go for walks, call deeply Mormon friends whom I have loved for decades. A marriage that consists mostly of disputes over finances will not last long. A marriage needs love and tenderness, play and satisfaction, to offset the stresses that inevitably come. The same is true of faith: faith is an active relationship that requires attention, effort, and, as Alma notes, nourishment (Alma 32: 37).

Faith is action; faith can also be understood as a kind of trust. In the ancient languages of the Bible, one important concept underlying the words we translate as faith is a sense of trust or reliability. That trust can be a measure of the strength of a commitment between two individuals. We retain this sense of the term when we describe a marriage partner as “faithful” or “unfaithful.” This meaning of faith stands at the core of what I understand as a transforming faith— relationships that are strong enough to trust into transformation.

The marital relationship particularly has resonance as a metaphor for faith because of its combination of passion and commitment— of love that we feel and love that we choose. Marriage in our culture begins with the first thrills of infatuation and romantic love. This is a love that we feel, often so powerfully that it threatens to overwhelm our reason. Over time a healthy marriage relationship settles into mutual commitment and loyalty. This is a love that we choose, repeatedly, over the course of a relationship. Love deepens, supported by commitment and sacrifice. The memories of the early passion can help somewhat in the later stages, but the success of marriage does not depend on the persistence of the rapturous infatuation.

Too often, people believe that a marriage is over when the romance matures, when in fact marriage has only then begun. It is much the same with faith. There will be time in our practice of faith when we disagree with or find our fellow saints disagreeable. Those down times will come as inevitably as they do in any relationship. In faith, we can balance those negative experiences with more positive experiences. At times we may feel ourselves frustrated by political disagreements with other saints, or we may struggle with stressful relationships within our ward, or we may have difficulty making sense of events in church history or particular LDS teachings. Those are the times to reach for the things we have loved about God, the church, and the community of the saints.

In times of stress, I love to see the gospel refracted through the minds of my young children, or to spend time in the mountains feeling loved by God. I like to visit with other saints informally and hear of their struggles and satisfactions. And I like to read works of theology or cultural history. I take extra time during stressful periods to supplement my reserve of positive faith experiences. I do this because I know enough about the ways human minds work to recognize that contextualization of belief and behavior will happen no matter what. Choice is always required. Whether we accept or reject, we are still choosing. So we may as well choose faith. In exercising my will to participate mindfully in the life of the saints, I am partaking of faith in a relational way.

— Samuel M. Brown, First Principles and Ordinances: The Fourth Article of Faith in Light of the Temple (Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2014), Kindle locations 456-486.

Anyway, I think you are right to make haste slowly, giving due weight to prayer and introspection. Also, I think you are wise to focus on the essentials and avoid delving too much into the angry intramural debates/cage fights that tend to characterize this message board. There'll be time for all that later

Edited April 2, 2016 by Nevo

[Tacenda]

https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pillars-of-my-faith-2012/  Flameburns, here is Don's and Maxine's stories that were recorded, I was there.  My very first Sunstone Symposium, just to listen to them.  And it was very touching and helped me keep from jumping ship.  

[flameburns623]

On 4/1/2016 at 9:07 PM, Robert F. Smith said:

I thought you meant the return to glory in the presence of God.  For one-time Mormon Zenna Henderson that was "home," as in her stories and books about The People, which was also a made-for-TV movie put out in 1972, and upon which the 1975 Disneye "Escape to Witch Mountain" was also based -- even the much later TV series "Roswell" used Henderson's sci fi shamelessly and without acknowledgement.

The Zenna Henderson stories are among some of my favorite sci-fi tales as well. And I also was unaware that she was LDS.

[sjdawg]

On 3/31/2016 at 11:33 PM, flameburns623 said:

Most of y'all know that I resigned my membership voluntarily back in 2008.

And yes, I am prayerfully contemplating returning.

Yes, I am conversing with my own Church leadership about my personal situation.

And yes, I am taking my sweet time about it.

And no, fellow non-Mormons, this is not an invitation for y'all to talk me out of it.

Nor is this a promise that I WILL return, only an acknowledgement that I am considering it.

Take this thread in whatever directiion is appropriate based on the title.

If you were/are a leader and care to talk about the technical hurdles and processes, heave to.

If you were once "out" and came back:

Whether as someone who went decidedly inactive and returned;

As someone (like me) who voluntarily formalized the process but later repented and sought reinstatement;,

Or as aomeone who went "out" under duress (disfellowshipped, excommunicated), and went through the process of coming back:

Feel free in any of these cases to discuss your experience.

Or if you have friends or loved ones who traversed the trail of 'coming home'.

Or, as a Missionary helped walk someone down that path.

Or if you just have questions of your own, for yourself or someone else: take this opprtunity to ask.

I personally can't imagine ever returning to the LDS Church however if that is the direction your path takes you I wish you peace and happiness.

[why me]

On 1.4.2016 at 4:03 AM, CountryBoy said:

I left voluntarily in 1989.  I was ex'd in 1990.  I became very anti-LDS.....there are folks on this board and the Catholic Board who can tell you how anti I was.

I was even booted from this board once

But, I had a friend who started putting my name in the Temple every week in 1999.  I told him I would NEVER EVER return.  And I thought I never would.  I loved being Catholic.  

But the Lord had other plans.  

It was 26 years after I left that I began to come back.  An incredible series of miracles and amazing things started happening that led me back.  And I began to get answers to issues.

And suddenly, I had my testimony back.

I believe the Church is true.  But guess what?  Even if it isn't.....it brings me closer to God and closer to my fellow man...I have a much more personal relationship with Heavenly Father.

Ask me anything.  I will do my best.

I know how anti you were. I just read your old posts there and the change that occured in you when you posted as lds. It is amazing. I am glad that you had your spiritual experiences. And they must have been wonderful. This is one reason why I am still in the lds church....I can never forget my spiritual experiences that happened 40 years ago. And since you know me from the other board you know about my attending Mass as a Mormon/catholic and the reaction of the RC board. I see that you were getting the same reaction when you announced your reconversion. But yes, you were extremely antimormon and we did have some run-ins

I wish you well and peace, my friend.

Edited April 9, 2016 by why me

[why me]

2 hours ago, sjdawg said:

I personally can't imagine ever returning to the LDS Church however if that is the direction your path takes you I wish you peace and happiness.

I  have heard this thought expressed before by others. But I am often pleasantly surprised when former mormons who became antimormons return to the lds church. Usually, it has to do with a spiritual experience, not in love with life outside the church anymore, or a rediscovery of their testimony through research and experiences.

I have found countryboy's transformation absolutely amazing but to understand why you would have needed to read his posts before his reconversion.

[why me]

On 2.4.2016 at 10:22 AM, Tacenda said:

https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pillars-of-my-faith-2012/  Flameburns, here is Don's and Maxine's stories that were recorded, I was there.  My very first Sunstone Symposium, just to listen to them.  And it was very touching and helped me keep from jumping ship.  

These stories are an example for those of us who are not fully committed. But I have learned to not trust in people. However, Don, Maxine and others can be used as an example for people who have doubts, hard feelings etc. These people just need to pray for the testimony or a spiritual experience to bring them back too. And this is where such people as above are examples: they give hope.

Edited April 9, 2016 by why me

[flameburns623]

1 hour ago, why me said:

I know how anti you were. I just read your old posts there and the change that occured in you when you posted as lds. It is amazing. I am glad that you had your spiritual experiences. And they must have been wonderful. This is one reason why I am still in the lds church....I can never forget my spiritual experiences that happened 40 years ago. And since you know me from the other board you know about my attending Mass as a Mormon/catholic and the reaction of the RC board. I see that you were getting the same reaction when you announced your reconversion. But yes, you were extremely antimormon and we did have some run-ins

I wish you well and peace, my friend.

I can find that there was a board user named "Country Boy" but cannot find any of his posts. He must have asked them to expunge his user name from posts.

On the other hand, I located "why me" fairly readily. And, yes, they gave you heck for atttending both the RCC and LDS Church.

Edited April 9, 2016 by flameburns623
Typos and random errors

[why me]

26 minutes ago, flameburns623 said:

I can find that there was a board user named "Country Boy" but cannot find any of his posts.

On the ither hand, I located "why me" fairly readily. And,yes, they gave you heck for atttnding both the RCC.

I did not feel the love. And it was rather uncharitable. And it was a real eye opener. And it was an amazing experience. But I survived. I hope that you will find your own way home,  wherever that home may be.

[RevTestament]

On 3/31/2016 at 2:33 PM, flameburns623 said:

Most of y'all know that I resigned my membership voluntarily back in 2008.

And yes, I am prayerfully contemplating returning.

Yes, I am conversing with my own Church leadership about my personal situation.

And yes, I am taking my sweet time about it.

And no, fellow non-Mormons, this is not an invitation for y'all to talk me out of it.

Nor is this a promise that I WILL return, only an acknowledgement that I am considering it.

Take this thread in whatever directiion is appropriate based on the title.

If you were/are a leader and care to talk about the technical hurdles and processes, heave to.

If you were once "out" and came back:

Whether as someone who went decidedly inactive and returned;

As someone (like me) who voluntarily formalized the process but later repented and sought reinstatement;,

Or as aomeone who went "out" under duress (disfellowshipped, excommunicated), and went through the process of coming back:

Feel free in any of these cases to discuss your experience.

Or if you have friends or loved ones who traversed the trail of 'coming home'.

Or, as a Missionary helped walk someone down that path.

Or if you just have questions of your own, for yourself or someone else: take this opprtunity to ask.

First, I would like to thank you for starting this thread, because I have really enjoyed reading the testimonies of those who have returned to the church, and felt quite touched. I always love testimonies, and I believe that is why God uses stories to teach the gospel rather than a "gospel handbook" for instance. 
I feel in some ways my own story is not typical, but in some ways, I'm sure it is quite typical.  I joined the church when I was 13 largely on the basis that it answered my questions about the Bible. I had questions about the doctrine of the trinity, and felt the Bible says too many things which contradict that doctrine. Then there was the question of some living on the earth that never even heard the gospel. The typical Christian response seemed hardly fair to me. When I was shown baptism for the dead and 2 Peter, I was convinced that the gospel in the afterlife was a true principle. 

After happily living in the church for about 3-4 years, however, my questioning mind seized upon a new question. What is the atonement all about? I understood what the Church taught, but something was missing from the picture for me. Consequently, when it came time for me to become a priest, I felt I could not honestly answer that I had a testimony of the atonement. I soon went off to college, and that completed my inactivity for a few years. In graduate school I did attend, but later my attendance was sporadic, and I attended other churches too. I never did find the spirit I felt in the LDS Church of Christ. Then the Lord set His hand upon me to finish a commitment I had made many years earlier. Although I wish I could say my return was all roses and paradise, it was not. I simply realized I had been going down the wrong path and been lost, and that it was time for me to return to the one place which had felt like home. I then set about to pray for guidance, and I read all the scriptures - I had never fully read the Book of Mormon, so I did so in order that I could pray in faith about it. I received a powerful response, and later set about to read all of D&C, which I find really helps to understand the Bible. I appreciated your comments about getting caught up in debates about various aspects of the Church, so I will try not to comment, but to say I do not expect perfection from Church leaders or for all things about the Church to be consistent - although you have probably seen some of my posts elsewhere about how some of my views differ from the "official line." I know the gospel is true, and I know this church has the true priesthood, and that is what is important. I also know that having raised my family in the church, our children have grown to become wonderful, strong men in the Lord, which is very satisfying. Although my return in a sense was rather sudden, my return with full commitment was with intense study and prayer, which I encourage in order for anyone to have a strong testimony of the Church.

BTW I also attended a Catholic school, so am familiar with most things Catholic if you have any questions about that as well.... It appears that i am just a few years younger than you as well, so we appear to be from the same generation essentially. 

sincerely...

[ChristKnight]

9 hours ago, flameburns623 said:

I can find that there was a board user named "Country Boy" but cannot find any of his posts. He must have asked them to expunge his user name from posts.

On the other hand, I located "why me" fairly readily. And, yes, they gave you heck for atttending both the RCC and LDS Church.

 

If I remember correctly, the "heck" wasn't for merely attending both the Catholic Church and LDS Church for services (I don't think most would have a problem with that), but partaking of the Eucharist.

[BookofMormonLuvr]

I am open to the possibility of returning, contingent upon the validity of temple rites. If I am shown they are correct, I feel there wouldn't be much other choice than the LDS Church, besides the Righteous Branch (Peterson Group) or the Church of Jesus Christ (Alpheus Cutler). I would still likely feel  that the leadership was in error on several things, but retain authority enough through lineage, to preside in ordinances, just as ancient Jewish High Priests. The ancient covenant people were still commanded to bring offerings and sacrifices even though those to whom they brought them were in transgression. Jesus Himself, though having ALL authority, even commanded those He healed to present themselves to the Priests as commanded in Torah.

Lots to ponder and pray about.

[flameburns623]

42 minutes ago, BookofMormonLuvr said:

I am open to the possibility of returning, contingent upon the validity of temple rites. If I am shown they are correct, I feel there wouldn't be much other choice than the LDS Church, besides the Righteous Branch (Peterson Group) or the Church of Jesus Christ (Alpheus Cutler). I would still likely feel  that the leadership was in error on several things, but retain authority enough through lineage, to preside in ordinances, just as ancient Jewish High Priests. The ancient covenant people were still commanded to bring offerings and sacrifices even though those to whom they brought them were in transgression. Jesus Himself, though having ALL authority, even commanded those He healed to present themselves to the Priests as commanded in Torah.

Lots to ponder and pray about.

Because of the active thread on the Warren Jeff's group, I was lured into reading about some of the LDS sects out there, and the "Righteous Branch" is one I came across.

Even found a web page for 'em.

They seem a bit less "out there" than some of the fundie LDS sects, vaguely sparking my sociology major curiosity. (Yep, that's what I majored in: and no, a BA in 'Sosh' ain't worth a plugged wooden nickle )

But they are much too small and geographically remote from me to check them out in person if I were so inclined.

And, odds are, even if we lived closer and if I were to tell my dear wife,

"Hey, honey, I'm thinking of driving down to the next town or three away to visit some small LDS church which has a pyramid-shaped temple and practices polygamy!",

that she'd clobber me with a rough stone rolling..

Didn't know about the Cutlerites. They're closer but still six hours away. Actually, apart from the Community of Christ, there are NO RLDS or other Mormon sects 'round about St. Louis or southwestern Illinois.

[why me]

3 hours ago, ChristKnight said:

If I remember correctly, the "heck" wasn't for merely attending both the Catholic Church and LDS Church for services (I don't think most would have a problem with that), but partaking of the Eucharist.

It had to do with a host of reasons. They could not understand the complexity of life and reacted accordingly. If I were on my journey home to the catholic church, they showed me the door out and slammed it shut. I found the experience amazing. At that time they had no idea what it meant to be a catholic and have charity for various aspects of humanity. Now, with the new pope, there seems to be more forced dialogue and charity from the moderators which board members must follow and not a smack down wwe experience.

If I remember correctly you were also banned when you attempted to defend the lds church during the beatdown of the lds church.

Edited April 9, 2016 by why me

[Teancum]

On ‎3‎/‎31‎/‎2016 at 4:33 PM, flameburns623 said:

Most of y'all know that I resigned my membership voluntarily back in 2008.

And yes, I am prayerfully contemplating returning.

Yes, I am conversing with my own Church leadership about my personal situation.

And yes, I am taking my sweet time about it.

And no, fellow non-Mormons, this is not an invitation for y'all to talk me out of it.

Nor is this a promise that I WILL return, only an acknowledgement that I am considering it.

Take this thread in whatever directiion is appropriate based on the title.

If you were/are a leader and care to talk about the technical hurdles and processes, heave to.

If you were once "out" and came back:

Whether as someone who went decidedly inactive and returned;

As someone (like me) who voluntarily formalized the process but later repented and sought reinstatement;,

Or as aomeone who went "out" under duress (disfellowshipped, excommunicated), and went through the process of coming back:

Feel free in any of these cases to discuss your experience.

Or if you have friends or loved ones who traversed the trail of 'coming home'.

Or, as a Missionary helped walk someone down that path.

Or if you just have questions of your own, for yourself or someone else: take this opprtunity to ask.

I have little advice other than this.  Go slow, be cautious, be prayerful but also be skeptical.  Search you own heart and the hearts of those who matter most to you.

 

Best wishes in your journey.

[RevTestament]

9 hours ago, BookofMormonLuvr said:

I am open to the possibility of returning, contingent upon the validity of temple rites. If I am shown they are correct, I feel there wouldn't be much other choice than the LDS Church, besides the Righteous Branch (Peterson Group) or the Church of Jesus Christ (Alpheus Cutler). I would still likely feel  that the leadership was in error on several things, but retain authority enough through lineage, to preside in ordinances, just as ancient Jewish High Priests. The ancient covenant people were still commanded to bring offerings and sacrifices even though those to whom they brought them were in transgression. Jesus Himself, though having ALL authority, even commanded those He healed to present themselves to the Priests as commanded in Torah.

Lots to ponder and pray about.

hey, good to see ya

I have zilch experience with those other sects, but I will echo that the authority of the priesthood is not contingent upon always being right. So yes, Jesus did admonish followers to do what the pharisees said since they were in Moses' seat, but not to do what they do, because they did it for the wrong reasons. I am definitely not comparing the pharisees to modern GAs, but the principle is still there that they are the confirmed leaders of the church. And although there have been changes in some of the ordinances over the years, I am steadfast in my belief that they are appropriate, and even desired or intended by God. I actually like the present ordinances better than I believe I would have liked the old ones. They are biblically based, and the endowment has less feel of masonic rites. Indeed, I am not sure what concerns you have about the temple rites. In my own endowment years ago, the Lord spoke to me, so perhaps I have a "slanted" view, but it certainly left me with little doubt about the true authoritative nature of the covenants I was entering.

Those who follow the lamb follow Him wheresoever He goeth, hence this path may not always be exactly the same....
The LDS practice of God's law is certainly different than the Judaic law... Not even Jesus would espouse going back to it. Things change...new principles get introduced. 

Remember the adage of JS, that we welcome the truth come from whence it may. The new ordinances are just as true or truer than the old ones. Do not doubt but believe...

[Tacenda]

On Friday, April 01, 2016 at 10:28 PM, Garden Girl said:

The events of how CountryBoy and I found out about our being cousins are quite remarkable actually... I think we included it in his "I Am So Torn Thread."

GG

 

Found my own second cousin on here too GG, Sanpitch.

[BookofMormonLuvr]

12 hours ago, flameburns623 said:

Because of the active thread on the Warren Jeff's group, I was lured into reading about some of the LDS sects out there, and the "Righteous Branch" is one I came across.

Even found a web page for 'em.

They seem a bit less "out there" than some of the fundie LDS sects, vaguely sparking my sociology major curiosity. (Yep, that's what I majored in: and no, a BA in 'Sosh' ain't worth a plugged wooden nickle )

But they are much too small and geographically remote from me to check them out in person if I were so inclined.

And, odds are, even if we lived closer and if I were to tell my dear wife,

"Hey, honey, I'm thinking of driving down to the next town or three away to visit some small LDS church which has a pyramid-shaped temple and practices polygamy!",

that she'd clobber me with a rough stone rolling..

Didn't know about the Cutlerites. They're closer but still six hours away. Actually, apart from the Community of Christ, there are NO RLDS or other Mormon sects 'round about St. Louis or southwestern Illinois.

I was a member of the Righteous Branch for about 4 years. They are genuinely good people sincerely living out what they believe is right- and Gerald Jr. (their prophet) is about as far from a power hungry, cult leader as you can get. His son, likely to take over after him, is just a good regular-joe type guy. They are about as normal a group of folks as you can get.

I visited the Cutlerites once- there was a good spirit there- very few in numbers though. They are kind of a mix between Missouri Mormonism and Utah Mormonism. They are the only group that never made it West that uses the Nauvoo Endowment. You can find their old archived website on the "Way-Back Machine" website. 

There is a RLDS Restoration Branch in Nauvoo. 

[flameburns623]

28 minutes ago, BookofMormonLuvr said:

I was a member of the Righteous Branch for about 4 years. They are genuinely good people sincerely living out what they believe is right- and Gerald Jr. (their prophet) is about as far from a power hungry, cult leader as you can get. His son, likely to take over after him, is just a good regular-joe type guy. They are about as normal a group of folks as you can get.

I visited the Cutlerites once- there was a good spirit there- very few in numbers though. They are kind of a mix between Missouri Mormonism and Utah Mormonism. They are the only group that never made it West that uses the Nauvoo Endowment. You can find their old archived website on the "Way-Back Machine" website. 

There is a RLDS Restoration Branch in Nauvoo. 

Nauvoo is likely to be five hours or so north of me. Though I do wanna go up there for a day trip sometime. For the regular LDS events and historic sites.

Oddly, I have never attended even a Community of Christ Restorationist service. The only live BoM believers I have ever met were "Utah" Mormons. 

What is a "way back" machine?

[BookofMormonLuvr]

7 minutes ago, flameburns623 said:

Nauvoo is likely to be five hours or so north of me. Though I do wanna go up there for a day trip sometime. For the regular LDS events and historic sites.

Oddly, I have never attended even a Community of Christ Restorationist service. The only live BoM believers I have ever met were "Utah" Mormons. 

What is a "way back" machine?

Google maps says it's about 3 hours from St. Louie (Louie)

http://web.archive.org/web/20020123133822/http://www.cutlerite.org/