True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/TLC_redbrickstore.jpg/250px-TLC_redbrickstore.jpg)
The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days (TLC) is a breakaway sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is headquartered in Manti, Utah, United States, where as of 2004 it maintained a membership of 300 to 500 adherents.[1] The church has a meetinghouse in Manti, and in the past also owned the Red Brick Store.[citation needed]
Establishment
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/James_D._Harmston.jpg/150px-James_D._Harmston.jpg)
c. 2000
The church was organized on May 3, 1994, in response to what was felt to be a general
The TLC began as a study group and Priesthood Council in the early 1990s, where people from both the LDS Church and
A manuscript called "Further Light & Knowledge"
One investigative article in the early 1990s wrote of the TLC's beginnings that:
"Prior to the Fall of 1992, some members of the LDS Church in Manti and surrounding areas occasionally met together in study groups and informal gatherings to discuss their interpretations of the gospel. Some of these individuals already had Mormon Fundamentalist leanings .... Harmston, as well as other men and women, began to teach what they knew of the 'original, pure' doctrines of Joseph Smith in their study groups as well as to interested individuals. This teaching began as informal discussions, evolving into a two-day, organized seminar referred to as the Models. "Frustrated with the 'dilution' of the 'pure' doctrines taught by Joseph Smith, Harmston and his wife, Elaine, say they sought a closer relationship with God and answers to their questions about the modern-day practices of the LDS Church. They decided to seek those answers at home, in a prayer circle, using the 'true order of prayer,' as taught in LDS temples" (Johns, p. 32).
Jim and Elaine Harmston "donned their Mormon temple robes at home and created a makeshift altar from a pillow and piano bench topped by a white bed sheet. They knelt to utilize the 'true order of prayer,' a ritual said to facilitate otherworldly communication .... They say God gave them the same answer He gave Smith (in the grove when asking what church to join) only this time He said the current church was among the 'wrong' churches and they should start their own".[5]
TLC doctrines and teachings
Soon after organizing the church, Harmston taught a number of semi-private seminars known as "the Models," discussing the necessity of following early Mormon doctrines. Besides the doctrines of plural marriage and the law of consecration, the TLC also teaches "multiple mortal probations," a form of reincarnation limited in scope to one's own gender and species, i.e., human men are reincarnated as human men and human women as human women. This doctrine is considered false by the LDS Church and some Mormon fundamentalist groups. The TLC also teaches "the gathering," a doctrine familiar to early Mormonism and referenced numerous times in Latter Day Saint scripture. "The gathering" is the idea that all the "elect" of Israel should gather together. To the TLC church, this gathering is thought to be primarily to Manti, but can be elsewhere in Sanpete County, Utah.
Harmston taught he was the reincarnation of Joseph Smith and that he had been ordained by Moses. He predicted a period of upheaval beginning before 2004, and began a survivalist community where he and 300 followers would stay during that period. They would be armed and would have food stored beforehand. Several former sect members sued Harmston, hoping to recover $250,000. Members of the sect were excommunicated by the LDS Church for "undue preoccupation with Armageddon."[6]
While proselytizing was heavily pursued during the infancy of the TLC, all missionary work ceased by March 2000. This was in part due to a revelation and promise by Harmston that Christ would appear on March 25, 2000, perform the ordinance of deliverance, and begin the terrestrial order (or, Millennium). This promise was conditional upon the faithfulness of the members, but when it was not fulfilled, some members felt Harmston had prophesied inaccurately. This precipitated the subsequent apostasy of several members of the First Presidency and Quorum of Twelve Apostles (Randy Maudsley, Jeff Hanks, Kent Braddy, Bart Malstrom and John Harper all either left or were excommunicated). The Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency were subsequently reorganized. One of the church's better proselytizing tools, its website, shut down completely a short time later due to a revelation declaring that "the day of the Gentile" had ended, meaning preaching to non-members (gentiles) must cease. A CD-ROM version of the TLC website has continued to be mailed to persons interested in joining the TLC. While the TLC has decided to remain offline in regards to their public missionary work, discussion forums do exist with former members,[7] and cached archives of TLC website material is available on the internet.[8]
The end of "the day of the Gentile" is a reference to previous revelations, particularly in the Doctrine and Covenants, that the gospel of Jesus Christ would first go to the Gentiles and then to the Jews ("the House of Israel"). This policy, in addition to the above factors, discontinued the TLC's policy of open missionary work or attempts at conversion. Those seriously seeking knowledge or membership have been directed at times to attend meetings or research doctrine and other information from the early Latter Day Saint movement.
While the TLC has claimed many early LDS Church doctrines as its own, it has been noted that the TLC itself has changed some of its doctrinal interpretation since its formation. The TLC teaches that only the perception of doctrine has changed, and the actual foundational material remains.
The TLC has a strong youth program heavily involved in Scouting, including the Venturing Scout program which allows participation of both young men and young women.[9]
Lawsuit
In 1998, two disaffected members accused Harmston of fraud when they failed to see Jesus.[10] In 2002, a court awarded them $300,000, but the award was later overturned. An appeals court in 2005 granted the two former members the right to a new trial.[11] The settlement was later reduced to $60,000 due to the church's financial hardship.[12]
Media coverage
A twenty-minute audio documentary, "Saints of the Last Days", aired on National Public Radio's program
A book containing the accounts of two of Harmston's wives (Pauline and Rachel Strong) was published in 2006.[14] Numerous other anti-polygamy books include "exposés" of the TLC.[15]
A 2007 documentary critical of Mormon fundamentalist groups, Lifting the Veil of Polygamy, included interviews with a former TLC member.[16] In 2010, the anti-polygamy TV program Polygamy: What Love Is This? also aired an interview with a former TLC member.[17][unreliable source?]
Some ex-members (including one former member of the First Presidency) have maintained blogs with information about the church.
Terminology and relationship within the Latter Day Saint movement
The term "
The TLC may also be distinguished from historical Mormon fundamentalism which traces priesthood lineage either through the
The TLC is a re-restorationist movement in that it holds that the original keys passed down from Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, were lost through apostasy and a re-restoration was necessary.
The TLC shares much doctrinal common ground with other new religious movements, including
Some doctrinal distinctions also exist between Mormon fundamentalism and TLC teachings. For example, while the TLC does offer the original endowment Joseph Smith restored, it is understood that a "living endowment"—or administration of keys not all at the same time, but possibly during separate sessions—is necessary for the living, while endowments for the dead are performed in the same manner as the mainstream LDS faith and some other Mormon faiths. The TLC also provides temple ordinances beyond those revealed to Joseph Smith prior to his martyrdom in 1844.
The TLC teaches that the
Harmston gave up clothing with leather or other animal products, suggesting he may have adopted a
At one time, the TLC had an "endowment house" in Fairview, Utah, but this was lost when the property owner (a member of the church's First Presidency) left the TLC. They have continued to offer temple ordinances [25] for the living and the dead without the Fairview endowment house,[26] consistent with the threefold mission of the church, which includes "redeem the dead". Historically in Mormonism, ordinances for living people could be performed in endowment houses whereas ordinances for the dead required a temple.[27]
Death of Harmston
Harmston died of a heart attack Thursday, June 27, 2013, at Sanpete Valley Hospital. Harmston had a history of heart trouble, but his death was unexpected.[28]
See also
- List of Mormon fundamentalist churches
- List of Mormon fundamentalist leaders
Notes
- ISBN 1-888106-76-X. Archived from the originalon October 22, 2013.
- ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article742425.ece [dead link]
- OCLC 367100487. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "iLink BYU Online Catalog". Catalog.lib.byu.edu. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ Campbell, p. 9.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the originalon April 25, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "Mormon-TLC : Mormon-TLC". Groups.yahoo.com. June 20, 2001. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ "Welcome to tlcmanti.org, the official website of the TLC". Archived from the original on March 2, 2000.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Egan, Dan (June 28, 2013). "From the archives: Polygamist James Dee Harmston's hex, wives and videotape". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016. Reprint of original April 26, 1998 article.
- ^ "Hancock v. The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days". romingerlegal.com. July 8, 2005. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Llewellyn, John (February 15, 2010). "Jim Harmston and The TLC Settle Law Suit, paragraph 6". polygamybooks.org. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
- ^ Carrier, Scott (April 26, 1996). "Factions. Act 1: Religious Faction". This American Life. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ISBN 9780977707218. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ISBN 9781888106763. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ "Lifting The Veil of Polygamy". Sourceflix.com. May 7, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ "Polygamy: What Love Is This? || Episode 3.01 (January 7, 2010)". Whatloveisthis.tv. January 7, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- JSTOR 23920013.
- ^ Adams, Brooke (July 9, 2008). "Fundamentalists: We're Mormon, too". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2008.
- ^ "Church Responds to Questions on TV Series". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City. March 6, 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "LDS Church Reminds Media they don't Practice Polygamy". KSTU ("Fox 13"). April 11, 2008. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
- ^ "What is your doctrine? | The Truth About the True & Living Church (TLC) in Manti, UT". Manticult.com. September 8, 2010. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ "TLC Cult Breaking up from the Inside (Guest Post, Part 1)". The Truth About Jim Harmston and the TLC (True & Living Church) in Manti, UT. June 5, 2011. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Harrison, Laird (January 1, 2005). "A Sweets Deal". Natural Solutions. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "An Outsider's Brushes with the Best and Worst of Utah". Metal Band Promised Land. March 25, 2010. Archived from the original on April 19, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ "FAQ #13: Does the TLC offer the Endowment?". helpingmormons.org. Archived from the original on October 30, 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "Endowment Houses". Lightplanet.com. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ McFall, Michael (June 27, 2013). "Utah polygamous church leader dies of a heart attack". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
References
- Becky Johns, "The Manti Mormons: The Rise of the Latest Mormon Church", Sunstone, June 1996, p. 30.
- "Radicalized Prophets of the Far, Far Right" Archived August 21, 2010, at the Sunstone, Oct. 2003, p. 39.
- True & Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days website