Restoration Church of Jesus Christ
Encyclopedia
The former Restoration Church of Jesus Christ (RCJC), based in the United States
in Salt Lake City, Utah
, was a church in the Latter Day Saint movement
that catered primarily to the spiritual needs
of Latter Day Saints who are lesbian
, gay
, bisexual
, and transgender
ed (LGBT).
The RCJC was sometimes informally called the "Gay Mormon Church" because of its overwhelmingly homosexual
membership, although people of any sexual orientation
were welcome to join.
, Lamar Hamilton, John Crane, Pamela J. Calkins and other members of the Los Angeles Chapter of Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons
on August 23, 1985, in Los Angeles
, California
.
Feliz is a former bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), who had been excommunicated
for homosexual acts. Feliz had also served as the Director of Church Welfare for what was then called the Andean Region (now called the South America West Area
) of the LDS Church during the 1970s.
Feliz originally named the church the "Church of Jesus Christ of All Latter Day Saints", but when the LDS Church informed him of their intent to sue, he changed the name to the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ.
The RCJC has rotating general officers. At a church conference in Sacramento
, California, in May 1987, Feliz resigned as president. He was succeeded by Robert McIntier, who has been president of the church (as of 2009) since 1987, except for a brief period from 1997 to 1999 when Douglas B. Madrid served as president.
of the church are the Bible
(officially the King James Version, but others are accepted), the Book of Mormon
(LDS Church edition), the Doctrine and Covenants
(both the LDS Church and the Community of Christ
versions, since the RCJC accepts that God can speak to different denominations), the Pearl of Great Price
, and The Hidden Treasures and Promises, a book which members say consists of revelations
given through the president of the church and other leaders.
along with the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Thus, the church believes in a quadriune Godhead. The Heavenly Parents (i.e., the Heavenly Father and the Heavenly Mother) are worshiped in prayers given in the name of Jesus Christ.
The priesthood leaders of the church are called "general officers" as in the Community of Christ, not general authorities
as in the LDS Church. Church conferences are held periodically.
Rebaptism is not required for anyone who has been previously baptized
in a Latter Day Saint church that can trace its authority back to Joseph Smith, Jr. New members who have never previously been a member of a Latter Day Saint church, and those who choose to be rebaptized upon joining the RCJC, are baptized by immersion in the name of The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
When passing the sacrament, either water
or grape juice
is used.
The Word of Wisdom
is regarded as good advice, but not as an absolute requirement. The church counsels that it is best to consume meat
in moderation; however, use of alcohol or tobacco
by the church membership is discouraged. As in the LDS Church (called the "Orthodox Mormon Church" by the RCJC), it is popular to serve Jell-O
, cake
, and milk
(or fruit punch and cookie
s), at church gatherings.
Members are encouraged to store a one-year supply of food. Home teaching
is practiced.
The church practices endowments
, the law of adoption
, and celestial marriage
. In addition to heterosexual
marriage, the church also practices same-sex marriage
. The church believes in the practice of baptism for the dead
but does not practice it at this time.
magazine, Feliz stated he believed that it was good to practice The Principle (as polygamy
is known in Mormonism) and that he would be open to performing homosexual polygamous marriages if requested by any members.
Pamela J. Calkins, of Sacramento, was the first woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the RCJC. Later, she entered into a polygamous homosexual betrothal sealing in advance of a celestial marriage with three female partners, thus becoming the first women in Mormondom to do so. Calkins and Lynn R. LaMaster were the first lesbian couple to be sealed for time and eternity (celestial marriage
). Later that same evening, Leanna R Anderson and Carole L. Dee were also sealed for time and eternity to each other and to Calkins. No other polygamous homosexual celestial marriages have been performed for any other members of the church.
In theory it is conceivable that a heterosexual member of the church (someone who joined the church primarily because of its liberal principles, not primarily because of its compatibility with LGBT people) could ask to be sealed in a regular heterosexual marriage, but this has not yet happened.
in The Castro
, a predominantly gay neighborhood in San Francisco, California, "Joseph Smith and the Concept of Multiple Lifetimes". In the lecture, he said that there was evidence that some early Mormons may have believed in reincarnation
. In the question and answer period after the lecture, he stated that although reincarnation is not an official doctrine of the RCJC, individual members of the church may believe in the doctrine if they wish.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, was a church in the Latter Day Saint movement
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
that catered primarily to the spiritual needs
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
of Latter Day Saints who are lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
, and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
ed (LGBT).
The RCJC was sometimes informally called the "Gay Mormon Church" because of its overwhelmingly homosexual
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
membership, although people of any sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
were welcome to join.
History
Founded by Antonio A. FelizAntonio A. Feliz
Antonio A. Feliz was the founder and first president of the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ, a denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement that was founded to serve the spiritual needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersexual Latter Day Saints.Prior to the founding of the...
, Lamar Hamilton, John Crane, Pamela J. Calkins and other members of the Los Angeles Chapter of Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons
Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons
Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons is an international organization for gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, and intersex people who identify as members or ex-members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
on August 23, 1985, in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Feliz is a former bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), who had been excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
for homosexual acts. Feliz had also served as the Director of Church Welfare for what was then called the Andean Region (now called the South America West Area
Area (LDS Church)
An area is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which typically is composed of multiple stakes and missions...
) of the LDS Church during the 1970s.
Feliz originally named the church the "Church of Jesus Christ of All Latter Day Saints", but when the LDS Church informed him of their intent to sue, he changed the name to the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ.
The RCJC has rotating general officers. At a church conference in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, California, in May 1987, Feliz resigned as president. He was succeeded by Robert McIntier, who has been president of the church (as of 2009) since 1987, except for a brief period from 1997 to 1999 when Douglas B. Madrid served as president.
Scripture
The scripturesReligious text
Religious texts, also known as scripture, scriptures, holy writ, or holy books, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or of central importance to their religious tradition...
of the church are the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
(officially the King James Version, but others are accepted), the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
(LDS Church edition), the Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement...
(both the LDS Church and the Community of Christ
Community of Christ
The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...
versions, since the RCJC accepts that God can speak to different denominations), the Pearl of Great Price
Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)
The Pearl of Great Price is part of the standard works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and some other Latter Day Saint denominations....
, and The Hidden Treasures and Promises, a book which members say consists of revelations
Revelation (Latter Day Saints)
Latter Day Saints teach that the Latter Day Saint movement began with a Revelation from God . They also teach that revelation is the foundation of the church established by Jesus Christ and that it remains an essential element of His true church today...
given through the president of the church and other leaders.
Beliefs and practices
Unlike in the LDS Church, RCJC women may hold the priesthood. The Heavenly Mother is regarded as an equal member of the GodheadGodhead (Mormonism)
In the Mormonism represented by most of Mormon communities , God means Elohim , whereas Godhead means a council of three distinct gods: Elohim, Jehovah , and the Holy Spirit...
along with the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Thus, the church believes in a quadriune Godhead. The Heavenly Parents (i.e., the Heavenly Father and the Heavenly Mother) are worshiped in prayers given in the name of Jesus Christ.
The priesthood leaders of the church are called "general officers" as in the Community of Christ, not general authorities
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
as in the LDS Church. Church conferences are held periodically.
Rebaptism is not required for anyone who has been previously baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
in a Latter Day Saint church that can trace its authority back to Joseph Smith, Jr. New members who have never previously been a member of a Latter Day Saint church, and those who choose to be rebaptized upon joining the RCJC, are baptized by immersion in the name of The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
When passing the sacrament, either water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
or grape juice
Grape juice
Grape juice is obtained from crushing and blending grapes into a liquid. The juice is often sold in stores or fermented and made into wine, brandy, or vinegar. In the wine industry, grape juice that contains 7-23 percent of pulp, skins, stems and seeds is often referred to as "must"...
is used.
The Word of Wisdom
Word of Wisdom
The "Word of Wisdom" is the common name of a section of the Doctrine and Covenants, a book considered by many churches within the Latter Day Saint movement to consist of revelations from God...
is regarded as good advice, but not as an absolute requirement. The church counsels that it is best to consume meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
in moderation; however, use of alcohol or tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
by the church membership is discouraged. As in the LDS Church (called the "Orthodox Mormon Church" by the RCJC), it is popular to serve Jell-O
Jell-O
Jell-O is a brand name belonging to U.S.-based Kraft Foods for a number of gelatin desserts, including fruit gels, puddings and no-bake cream pies. The brand's popularity has led to it being used as a generic term for gelatin dessert across the U.S. and Canada....
, cake
Cake
Cake is a form of bread or bread-like food. In its modern forms, it is typically a sweet and enriched baked dessert. In its oldest forms, cakes were normally fried breads or cheesecakes, and normally had a disk shape...
, and milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
(or fruit punch and cookie
Cookie
In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing fat, flour, eggs and sugar. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have...
s), at church gatherings.
Members are encouraged to store a one-year supply of food. Home teaching
Home teaching
Home teaching is a responsibility of priesthood holders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Home teaching is a church program designed to allow families to be taught in their own homes, in addition to weekly church services...
is practiced.
The church practices endowments
Endowment (Latter Day Saints)
In the theology of the Latter Day Saint movement, an endowment refers to a gift of "power from on high", typically associated with Latter Day Saint temples. The purpose and meaning of the endowment varied during the life of movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr...
, the law of adoption
Law of adoption
The law of adoption was a ritual practiced in Latter Day Saint temples between 1846 and 1894 in which men who held the priesthood were sealed in a father–son relationship to other men who were not part of nor even distantly related to their immediate nuclear family.-Practice:Some younger men who...
, and celestial marriage
Celestial marriage
Celestial marriage is a doctrine of Mormonism, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and branches of Mormon fundamentalism.Within Mormonism, celestial marriage is an ordinance associated with a covenant that always...
. In addition to heterosexual
Heterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
marriage, the church also practices same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. The church believes in the practice of baptism for the dead
Baptism for the dead
Baptism for the dead, vicarious baptism or proxy baptism is the religious practice of baptizing a living person on behalf of one who is dead, with the living person acting as the deceased person's proxy...
but does not practice it at this time.
Homosexual polygamy
In an 1986 interview with SunstoneSunstone Magazine
Sunstone is a magazine published by the Sunstone Education Foundation, Inc., a 501 nonprofit corporation, that discusses Mormonism through scholarship, art, short fiction, and poetry. The foundation began the publication in 1974 and considers it a vehicle for free and frank exchange in The Church...
magazine, Feliz stated he believed that it was good to practice The Principle (as polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
is known in Mormonism) and that he would be open to performing homosexual polygamous marriages if requested by any members.
Pamela J. Calkins, of Sacramento, was the first woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the RCJC. Later, she entered into a polygamous homosexual betrothal sealing in advance of a celestial marriage with three female partners, thus becoming the first women in Mormondom to do so. Calkins and Lynn R. LaMaster were the first lesbian couple to be sealed for time and eternity (celestial marriage
Celestial marriage
Celestial marriage is a doctrine of Mormonism, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and branches of Mormon fundamentalism.Within Mormonism, celestial marriage is an ordinance associated with a covenant that always...
). Later that same evening, Leanna R Anderson and Carole L. Dee were also sealed for time and eternity to each other and to Calkins. No other polygamous homosexual celestial marriages have been performed for any other members of the church.
In theory it is conceivable that a heterosexual member of the church (someone who joined the church primarily because of its liberal principles, not primarily because of its compatibility with LGBT people) could ask to be sealed in a regular heterosexual marriage, but this has not yet happened.
Position on reincarnation
In the summer of 1986, Feliz gave a lecture at the Metropolitan Community ChurchMetropolitan Community Church
The Metropolitan Community Church or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is an international Protestant Christian denomination...
in The Castro
The Castro, San Francisco, California
The Castro District, commonly referenced as The Castro, is a neighborhood in Eureka Valley in San Francisco, California. The Castro is one of America's first and best-known gay neighborhoods, and it is currently its largest...
, a predominantly gay neighborhood in San Francisco, California, "Joseph Smith and the Concept of Multiple Lifetimes". In the lecture, he said that there was evidence that some early Mormons may have believed in reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
. In the question and answer period after the lecture, he stated that although reincarnation is not an official doctrine of the RCJC, individual members of the church may believe in the doctrine if they wish.
Membership
During the period 2000-2010 the total membership of the church was about 500 on the rolls (of which approximately 25 were active members who attended services at the meetinghouse in Salt Lake City, Utah). The church has one congregation (known as a "family" in the RCJC) in Salt Lake City. There are still members on the rolls in many U.S. states (mostly Utah and California), as well as several foreign countries. There was also an online "Internet Sunday School" in which members discussed gospel topics, shared ideas, and offered support to one another.Dissolution
The church was dissolved by the vote of the members of the board of the Corporation in November 2010. Later, two new groups were formed: the Reformation Community of Christ, and the Church of Christ – Community of Christ.See also
- Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian MormonsAffirmation: Gay & Lesbian MormonsAffirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons is an international organization for gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, and intersex people who identify as members or ex-members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
- David and JonathanDavid and JonathanDavid and Jonathan were heroic figures of the Kingdom of Israel, whose covenant was recorded favourably in the books of Samuel. Jonathan was the son of Saul, king of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and David was the son of Jesse of Bethlehem and Jonathan's presumed rival for the crown...
- Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsHomosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsHomosexual acts are prohibited by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Law of Chastity, as well as other sexual acts outside the bonds of marriage. Violating the Law of Chastity may result in excommunication...
- John the Beloved
- LGBT-affirming churches
- Queer theology
- Secret Gospel of MarkSecret Gospel of MarkThe Secret Gospel of Mark is a putative non-canonical Christian gospel known exclusively from the Mar Saba letter, which describes Secret Mark as an expanded version of the canonical Gospel of Mark with some episodes elucidated, written for an initiated elite.In 1973 Morton Smith , professor of...
- ThealogyThealogyThealogy, a neologism coined by Isaac Bonewits in 1974, is a discourse that reflects upon the meaning of Goddess and Her relationship to life forms. It is a discourse that critically engages the beliefs, wisdom, practices, questions, and values of the Goddess community, both past and present...
- United Order Family of ChristUnited Order Family of ChristThe United Order Family of Christ was a schismatic sect of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , which was founded in 1969 in Denver, Colorado by David-Edward Desmond and existed until at least 1973-74....
Further reading
- Feliz, Antonio A.Antonio A. FelizAntonio A. Feliz was the founder and first president of the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ, a denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement that was founded to serve the spiritual needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersexual Latter Day Saints.Prior to the founding of the...
(1988). Out of the Bishop's Closet — A Call to Heal Ourselves, Each Other, and Our World; A True Story. Aurora Press (San Francisco, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
). ISBN 978-0-929582-00-9. - Quinn, Michael D. (1996). Same-Sex Dynamics among Nineteenth-Century Americans — A Mormon Example. University of Illinois PressUniversity of Illinois PressThe University of Illinois Press , is a major American university press and part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic projects...
(UrbanaUrbana, IllinoisUrbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
). ISBN 978-0-252-02205-0.
External links
- Restoration Church of Jesus Christ, official website
- Blog in Spanish of the RCJC
- Memoirs of a Utah gay activist 1986 (posted Dec. 23, 2006)—-details early proselytizing efforts of the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ:
- Unto All Peoples (Official RCJC Publication) Christmas Issue--December 1997:
- "Same Sex Temple Sealings: Did the Early LDS Church Embrace Homosexual Relationships?". Salt Lake MetroSalt Lake MetroThe Salt Lake Metro was a free gay and lesbian bi-weekly newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was published by Metro Publishing, Inc. owned by Michael Aaron and Steven Peterson...
. September 2004. - History of “Homosexuality and Mormonism 1840-1980” (1994) by Connell O’Donovan:
- "Private Pain, Public Purges: A History of Homosexuality at Brigham Young University (1940-1992)"—Address given by Connell O'Donovan on April 28, 1997 at UC Santa Cruz:
- "Prologue—An Examination of the Mormon Attitude Towards Homosexuality" by Cloy Jenkins et al—1977 Pamphlet which led to the founding of "Affirmation—Gay & Lesbian Mormons":