The Mormons of Independence, Missouri

Most people are aware of the existence of two kinds of Mormons: the "hey would you like a free Book of Mormon" Mormons, and the "hey I think making my 12-year old cousin my 8th wife would be a great idea" kind. As with any good denomination, however, there are many more branches to discover. And to find this buzzing hive of Mormon history, look no farther than Independence, Missouri.

If you were in school at that magical time when playing 'Oregon Trail' was considered reasonably educational (because how else are kids going to learn about young'uns dropping dead from the typhus?), you may remember Independence, MO as the jumping-off point for the westward-bound pioneers. Those few who continued to pay attention to history may remember that Harry Truman was from Independence. Few would guess (and fewer would care) that the city has an important place in American religious history, and that there are two flavors of Mormons headquartered there.

Like most places where Joseph Smith spent any amount of time, he declared that Independence had a special role: in the future religious landscape of America, it would be the earthly location of Zion. Yes, Jesus was coming back, and when he did, he was headed for western Missouri. A few hours' drive to the north is farmland that he claimed was the original location of the Garden of Eden. The guy was definitely in it to win it.

Here's how the story breaks down: after Joseph Smith was killed in Illinois, most of his followers packed up and followed Brigham Young to Utah. You know what happened after that. However, there were a substantial few who either didn't want to leave the midwest, or didn't think Brigham had the authority to lead the church. Joseph Smith's wife and children all stayed with this group, which eventually became known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A few years ago they renamed themselves the Community of Christ. Thank Christ, because that's a lot less typing I have to do. I'll refer to the historical entity as the RLDS/CoC.

Direct descendents of Joseph Smith have been prophet-presidents of the RLDS/CoC until the most recent president was tapped in 2005. The regular LDS (not to be confused with the RLDS) church had a Smith as president at one point, but he was a great-nephew of Joseph. Since the Smiths who were leading the RLDS/CoC had to answer to their mother / Joseph's wife, who was not a fan of polygamy, they disavowed it with a quickness.

The split between the LDS and the RLDS/CoC reminds me in some ways of the Sunni - Shia split after Mohammad's death. You'll think the next is a complete non sequitur, but actually it sequiturs quite nicely.

Back in high school, I once found myself at IHOP with an Egyptian girl (who grew up in a strict Shia household) and a Bangladeshi boy (who knew he was Muslim but didn't think much about it past that point). He asked the girl what the difference between the Sunnis and Shiites was, and she started on this jag about literal interpretations of the Koran vs. an experiential, logic-based tradition, when I decided to interject. "I thought the split had to do with the succession of the Caliphate. One group wanted to elect a new leader, and the other one wanted Mohammad's son-in-law because he was the closest male heir." They just stared at me.

This small-town Texas boy has rarely been prouder of himself. Although recently I got a grown woman to agree that God destroyed New Orleans via Hurricane Katrina. That was pretty awesome too.

The LDS / RLDS/CoC split seems a lot like that to me. (The Sunni - Shia split, not Hurricane Katrina.) One group wanted to follow the leader of their choosing (Young), the other one said the leadership post should stay in the (Smith) family.

So, I recently found myself in the Kansas City area, and decided to pay a visit to this unlikely religious hot spot.

First, the picture show. For best results, hit the "full screen" button.



When you visit this Bermuda Triangle of Mormonism, you notice three things. First, a huge shell-shaped building. This is the temple of the RLDS/CoC. Second, a kind of misplaced, '50s or '60s-era building. This is the local LDS visitor center. Third, a small white wooden church. This group is the Eric Cartman to the RLDS/CoC's Kyle, Stan, and Kenny. They took their ball and went home. They don't have much interest in outsiders, and they're not shy about letting you know it.

The architectural highlight of this area is clearly the RLDS/CoC's temple. And, in the world of Mormendom, the temples of the RLDS/CoC differ in one important respect from those of the LDS: they will let your Gentile ass in. Yes, whereas the typical Mormon temple requires that you provide paperwork and a special outfit before you go inside, this one (while carrying the name "temple") is actually more of a combination church, meeting space, school, and museum.

I had read on their web site that they offered tours of the building during business hours, so I made my way to the main lobby and volunteered that I'd like a tour. They said sure, no problem, did I want to sign their visitor book? The book had spaces for name, hometown, and church affiliation. Mine was the only entry I could see that wasn't LDS. I then sat through a brief film introducing me to the RLDS/CoC and their building, then I got the tour.

I have to say, the building was damn impressive. It was finished in 1994, and still has that new temple smell. You know those commercials that sometimes play on the radio or TV, that encourage you to use an architect when building because they can add the little touches that really make a building work? These guys definitely used an architect, because I didn't see any part of the building that didn't seem to work.

The central room is the sanctuary. It has a big-ass organ, and the ceiling follows the nautilus-shell design all the way to the top. It's rather dizzying when standing at the base and looking up. But very cool.

My tour guide was a nice older fellow. He took pains to point out ways in which the RLDS/CoC differs from their mainline brethren, including: they ordain women, and don't have any secretive ceremonies (Baptism of the Dead, Endowments, etc.).

There's a museum inside the temple that has a lot of Mormon-related relics. Joseph Smith's Nauvoo Legion sword, the original watercolor paintings of Joseph and Emma that are pretty much the gold standard for representing these two personages, and other items of interest detailing the church's history in the midwest.

I didn't manage to visit the regular LDS visitor center, and sadly, I didn't have the time to visit the other Mormon-related historical sites in the area (Liberty jail, Far West, the Missouri Garden of Eden). Next time, definitely.

Thanks for visiting Mormania!