After losing protracted legal battle with the Federal government regarding the legality of Plural Marriage (see
Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act and
Reynolds v. United States) the LDS Church issued the
1890 Manifesto prohibiting further polygymous marriages. The church began excommunicating members who practiced polygamy after the 1904
Second Manifesto, and Mormon fundamentalists began breaking away from the LDS Church. At first, there was one main Mormon fundamentalist group, the
Council of Friends, also known as the "Woolley group" and the "Priesthood Council". The Council of Friends was centered in
Salt Lake City and the
Short Creek Community, later called
Colorado City, Arizona, and
Hildale, Utah. The Council of Friends would ultimately split into four Mormon fundamentalist sects: the
Latter Day Church of Christ (1935) located in
Salt Lake City, Utah; the
Apostolic United Brethren (1954), located in
Bluffdale, Utah; the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located in
Chihuahua, Mexico claimed authority from Benjamin F. Johnson through Alma Dayer LeBaron.
Factional breakdown: Mormon fundamentalist sects Council of Friends and groups evolving from it Pre-split Council of Friends leaders The following are the leaders of the Council of Friends prior to its split: •
John W. Woolley (1918–28) •
Lorin C. Woolley (1928–34) •
J. Leslie Broadbent (1934–35) •
John Y. Barlow (1935–49) •
Joseph W. Musser (1949–54) •
Charles Zitting (1954)
Kingstons Due to a succession conflict after
J. Leslie Broadbent's death,
Charles W. Kingston and
Elden Kingston created a splinter group called the
Latter Day Church of Christ, or the
Kingston clan. The line of succession of the AUB is as follows:
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints After the Short Creek community split it continued to thrive, and became known as the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints under
Leroy S. Johnson. Its leaders include:[
discuss] •
Wendell L. Nielsen (legal president) (2010 – January 28, 2011) •
Helaman Jeffs (
defacto leader) (~2020 – present)
Church of Jesus Christ (Original Doctrine) Inc. The
Church of Jesus Christ (Original Doctrine) Inc., was formed in September 2002 when FLDS Church president
Warren Jeffs excommunicated Winston Blackmore; for two decades, Blackmore was bishop of the
Bountiful, British Columbia group of the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS Church). The community split nearly evenly—about 700 people continue to follow Blackmore, while about 500 follow Jeffs. •
Winston Blackmore (2002–present)
Centennial Park ("Second Ward") Under Leroy Johnson's leadership,
Marion Hammon and
Alma Timpson were dismissed from the Short Creek community in 1983; they went on to create the
Centennial Park group (or "Second Ward") in
Centennial Park, Arizona. "Second Ward" distinguishes it from the FLDS Church, which is known as the "First Ward". •
J. Marion Hammon (1983–1988) •
Alma A. Timpson (1988–1997) •
John W. Timpson (1997–present)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God This group (also known as the
Nielsen/Naylor group) primarily resides in the
Salt Lake Valley. It broke with the Centennial Park group after
Marion Hammon died in 1988. Frank Naylor (apostle) and Ivan Neilsen (high priest and bishop) disagreed with
Alma Timpson's leadership of Centennial Park, prompting them to create a new group known as the "Third Ward" with Naylor presiding; It was founded in 1977 by
Alex Joseph and initially grew rapidly. However, after the death of Joseph the status of this sect is unknown. •
Alex Joseph (1977–98) • Current leadership unknown (1998–)
School of the Prophets The School of the Prophets has its headquarters in the
Salem, Utah area. In 1968 Robert C. Crossfield published the
Book of Onias, which contained revelations he claimed to have received since 1961. These revelations chastised LDS Church leaders for their abandonment of the celestial laws. Crossfield was excommunicated in 1972. The continuing revelations were later published as the
Second Book of Commandments. In 1982 Crossfield formally established the
School of the Prophets, overseen by a president and six counselors Ron and Dan claimed to have received revelation ordering the death of certain individuals, which led to their expulsion from the Crossfield group when they declined to repudiate this revelation. Four months later, Ron and Dan murdered their brother Allen's wife and infant daughter. • Robert C. Crossfield, founder and president (1968–2018)
True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days The
True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days (TLC) has its headquarters in
Manti, Utah. Membership is estimated at 300 to 500. Organized in 1994, the TLC was a new "restoration" for the "very last days" before the
Second Coming of
Jesus. While the church initially grew rapidly it has since stagnated, declining in numbers and converts since it ceased missionary efforts in 2000. •
James D. Harmston (1994–2013) • Current leadership unknown (2013–)
The Church of the Firstborn and the General Assembly of Heaven The
Church of the Firstborn and the General Assembly of Heaven was originally organized in
Magna, Utah by former members of the LDS Church. It practices
polygamy and the
law of consecration. Its leader, Terrill R. Dalton, purports to be the Holy Ghost and the father of Jesus. However, the group may have declined in numbers after its relocation from Idaho to Montana and Dalton's and assistant Geody Harman's arrest for (and conviction of) two counts of rape. • Terrill R. Dalton (c. 2001–present) ==See also==