Another Family Secret - Part 1

Joseph Smith and Me

Just a few blocks west of the old Jackson County Square Court House rests several acres of land hosting three religions reportedly founded, and rightly so, by Joseph Smith.

Mr. Smith did not start three churches of course, he started just one.  It took his followers to fight and fuss and split things up, which they are still doing and now there are plenty of splinter groups, but they are not represented in the area I am writing about.

The story goes that Joseph Smith was looking around for a place to move the headquarters of the Mormon Church from Ohio.  He apparently had a revelation in Independence, (why he came to Independence in the first place I am not sure,) at a location just west of town which to this day is called the Temple Lot.  He proclaimed a temple would be built there “without hammer or nail” and the Independence area was he revealed to his followers the original Garden of Eden.

It is not my intent to give a history lesson or a theological discourse about the Mormon Church and their pilgrimage but let it suffice to say that the Mormon’s, the Community of Christ, and the Church of Christ –Temple Lot, are represented in and around the Temple Lot and all their patriarch to be Joseph Smith and the one true church.

The Mormons, or the Latter Day Saints, have a Visitation Center on excellent kept grounds.  It is manned by volunteer Saints, as they call themselves, from all over the country.  They will provide you guidance about the church and its history and if you want will even provide you with some evangelism, but they are not pushy or over barring.  They are extremely nice, immaculately dressed, and as a friend of mine once said “well scrubbed looking.”  It is a nice place to visit for no other reason than its historical and cultural impact on the City of Independence.

 

Southwest of the Mormon visiting center is the Church of Christ, Temple Lot.  They claim to have in their possession the “true” portion of ground that Joseph Smith proclaimed the temple would be built.  They have a small visitation center also and they will readily show you the two stones where Mr. Smith carved in the date and the survey information about the site.  You venture outside and you can find the four corner survey markers just waiting for a temple to be built.  Problem is that the Church of Christ is like the read headed step child and has no money to speak of.  The man who was in the small visitation center the day I went there was the eldest elder of the church. ( Some refer to them as the Hedrickites which they don’t mind a bit.)  The gentleman wanted to convert me more that inform me about their history and how they came by way of the Temple Lot but I was not interested in being converted.  In all fairness to the Church of Christ, Temple Lot folks, their claim to the area is true.  Regardless if Joseph Smith actually said that is where they were going to build th Temple I am not sure, but they are.  I left my evangelic friend and ventured over to the Community of Christ Temple.

The Community of Christ Church is due east of the Temple Lot and north of the Mormon Visiting Center.  The Community of Christ Church changed their names a few years ago from The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  It was a mouth full to say when one was talking about them when I was growing up so most people just called them RLDS.  I am not sure why they changed their name but I am sure a lot of thought was put into the matter.   The Temple is the most interesting building in all of Independence.  I guess I could describe it but a picture does it much more justice. 

The Temple houses all the administrative offices, or at least most of them.  They have a huge archive, a museum, a sanctuary, a prayer garden, a huge organ with 5600 pipes I think, a chapel and a bunch of art work.  It is readily open to the public.  The people who meet and great the public are nice, knowledgeable, witty, and more lay back than their Mormon friends.  They dress business casual and really make you feel like you are one of them.  The Temple sanctuary is actually used seldom for services.  They do have organ recitals every day which if you like organ music is a nice experience.

There are two another building located in this Garden of Eden area that has dominated Independence for many years.  One is the Auditorium.  It has hosted many an event and most of the high school graduations in the surrounding area.  There was always Handel’s Messiah performed each year and was a great tradition.  (I understand that the new Kaufman Center will be hosting it from now on.  I hope it is only a temporary move.) It is a complex piece of architecture, well maintained, and an asset to the community. 

The other is called The Stone Church.  That was the first Community of Christ Church in Independence, very much a church like looking structure and sort of the anchor church.

The three religions mentioned above have been very influential in the community and added a lot of dignity and culture to the area.  There is a lot of jealousy from some non church member toward the Community of Christ Church.  I suspect that much of the jealousy is because the Church has been influential local politics and as a group are pretty successful socially and financially.

Now what has all this got to do with any of my family secrets?  Well that will be forthcoming in part 2