- Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times
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The Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times is a Mormon fundamentalist sect headquartered in northern Mexico that was founded in 1955 by Joel LeBaron and members of his family.
Contents
Establishment
The LeBaron family, led by Alma Dayer LeBaron, Sr., had been involved with Mormon fundamentalist leader Joseph White Musser since 1936. In 1944, the LeBarons were excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for teaching and practicing plural marriage. For the next 11 years, the LeBarons associated themselves with Rulon C. Allred's Apostolic United Brethren in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
On 21 September 1955, Joel LeBaron and his brothers Ross and Floren visited Salt Lake City, Utah, and there organized the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, with Joel being ordained President of the Church, with Floren as first counselor in the First Presidency and Ross as head patriarch. Shortly thereafter, Joel reported being visited by nineteen former prophets, including Jesus, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and Joseph Smith, Jr. Joel LeBaron claimed his priesthood line of authority from his father Alma, who had been ordained by Alma's grandfather Benjamin F. Johnson, who had received the priesthood from Joseph Smith. LeBaron invited Allred and his followers to join their new organization, but their invitation was rejected.
In early 1956, the LeBaron brothers returned to Chihuahua. Their father Alma and brother Ervil became the fourth and fifth members of the new church; their mother Maude also eventually joined. Several months later, Ervil LeBaron published a pamphlet titled Priesthood Expounded, which became a foundational text for the church.
Missionary work
The Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times is one of the few Mormon fundamentalist churches to have engaged in active proselytization. While most of their efforts have been focused on attracting Mormon fundamentalists from other groups to join their group, missionaries of the church have preached and distributed tracts at the LDS Church strongholds of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and outside the gates of Temple Square in Salt Lake City. The church's pamphlet Priesthood Expounded and other tracts became instrumental in the conversion of nine LDS Church missionaries of the church's French Mission to the LeBaron church, an incident that has been described as the "worst missionary apostasy in the history of the [LDS] Church".[1]
Schism and murder
By 1962, Ervil LeBaron was the Presiding Patriarch of the church and number two in authority to Joel LeBaron. By 1967 he was teaching that he, not Joel, was the proper head of the church. Joel and other leaders of the church denounced Ervil and released him from his position.
In August 1972, Ervil LeBaron and his followers established the rival Church of the Lamb of God. Ervil began teaching his followers that he was the "One Mighty and Strong" prophesied of in the Doctrine and Covenants, and he prophesied that "Joel will be put to death". On 20 August 1972, Joel LeBaron was shot in the head by one of Ervil's followers. Joel was succeeded by his brother Verlan, who was killed in an automobile accident in 1981.
Current status
The church continues to exist in Chihuahua. It has under a thousand members all together in Chihuahua;[2][3] Los Molinos, Baja California; San Diego, California, Central America, as well as a large number in Salt Lake City, UT.
See also
- Factional breakdown: Mormon fundamentalist sects
- Benjamin LeBaron
- Mormon fundamentalism
- List of Mormon fundamentalist churches
- List of Mormon fundamentalist leaders
Notes
- ^ Kahlile Mehr, "The Trial of the French Mission", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, vol. 21, no. 3 (Autumn 1988) pp. 27–45.
- ^ Booth, William (July 23, 2009). "Ambushed by a Drug War: Mormon Clans in Mexico Find Themselves Targets of the Cartels". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/22/AR2009072203738_2.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2009072203833.
- ^ Althaus, Dudley (July 11, 2009). "In killings, sect suffers a new bloody chapter". Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/6524161.html.
References
- Janet Bennion (2004). Desert Patriarchy: Mormon and Mennonite Communities in the Chihuahua Valley (Tucson: University of Arizona Press) ISBN 0816523347
- Ben Bradlee (1981). Prophet of Blood: The Untold Story of Ervil Lebaron and the Lambs of God (New York: Putnam) ISBN 0399123717
- Brian C. Hales (2006). Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism: The Generations After the Manifesto (Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books) ISBN 1589580350
- D. Michael Quinn, "Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalism", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, vol. 31, no. 2 (Summer 1998) pp. 1–68 at pp. 16–18, 23
- Steven L. Shields (1990, 4th ed.). Divergent Paths of the Restoration (Independence, Mo.: Herald House) ISBN 0942284135
- Lyle O. Wright (1963). "Origins and Development of the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times." (M.S. thesis: Brigham Young University)
Sects in the Latter Day Saint movement
Mormon fundamentalist sectsChurch of Christ
Organized by: Joseph Smith, Jr.
Joseph Smith's original
organization; renamed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 26, 1838. multiple sects currently
claim to be true successor1844 (trust reorganized)
1851 (incorporated)The Church of
Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints
Organized by: Joseph Smith
and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
14 million membersMormon fundamentalist
sects.1920s 1926 1994 2001 Short Creek Community
Organized by: Lorin C. Woolley
Multiple sects claim
to be true successorLatter Day Church of Christ
Organized by: Elden Kingston
approx. 2,000 membersTrue and Living Church
of Jesus Christ of
Saints of the Last Days
Organized by: James D. Harmston
approx. 400 memberThe Church of the
Firstborn and the General
Assembly of Heaven
Organized by: Terrill R. Dalton1954 1954 1984 Apostolic United Brethren
Organized by:Rulon C. Allred
approx. 10,000 membersFundamentalist Church of
Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints
Organized by:Leroy S. Johnson
approx. 10,000 members2
0
0
2Blackmore/Bountiful
Community
Organized by: Winston Blackmore
approx. 700 membersCentennial Park
Organized by: Marion Hammon
and Alma Timpson
approx. 1,500 members1
9
9
0Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and the
Kingdom of God
Organized by:Frank Naylor
and Ivan Neilsen
approx. 250 members1975 1977 1978 1955 Church of the
New Covenant in Christ
Organized by: John W. BryantConfederate Nations of Israel
Organized by: Alex Joseph
approx. 400 membersRighteous Branch of the
Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints
Organized by: Gerald Peterson, Sr.
approx. 100 membersChurch of the Firstborn
of the Fulness of Times
Organized by: Joel F. LeBaron
under 1,000 members1
9
7
2Church of the Lamb of God
Organized by: Ervil LeBaronCategories:- Christianity in Mexico
- Religious organizations established in 1955
- Organizations based in Mexico
- Mormon fundamentalist sects
- Christian denominations, unions, and movements established in the 20th century
- Mormon fundamentalism
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