The Undue Influance of Pop Culture

One of the most fascinating and relevant events to study in Church history is the creation of The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that was formed after Joseph Smith was martyred.  It is fascinating to study because at that moment in time, their newly reformed church had every resource of truth that we had.  They had the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, the Articles of Faith, experienced leaders of the Church and even the culture of the Church.  The RLDS church had everything...except authority.

Without authority there was no possibility of receiving revelation for the direction of their church.  Thus their doctrine moved whichever direction the winds of popular culture blew.  If you look up the RLDS church today (now call the Community of Christ), you will find precious little similarity between our church and theirs and almost no difference between their doctrine and that of other modern Christian churches (including the ordination of women to the priesthood); yet they claim to be the rightful and direct line from Joseph Smith.  Which begs the rhetorical question, why would Heavenly Father and Jesus make a personal appearance to start a church that would ultimately be no different than thousands of other churches already in existence?

The study of the RLDS church is relevant today because it profoundly illustrates how revelation is an anchor that prevents pop culture from "tossing [the church] to and fro...with every wind of doctrine." (Eph 4:14)  Joseph Smith was instructed in the First Vision not to join any of the other churches.  If we allow pop culture to erase the differences between the restored church and pop culture churches; wouldn't that also violate the Lord's instruction not to "join" other churches by becoming just like them?


The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, sel. G. Homer Durham [1946], 212–13:
I say to Israel, the Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as president of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the program. It is not in the mind of God.