427: A Visual History of the Community of Christ (RLDS) Pt. 2: Aftermath of the Succession Crisis, 1844-1860

In Part 2, John Hamer talks about the pivotal period from 1844-1860, when different Latter Day Saints came up with different solutions for how to remain faithful to their religion in the wake of the founder’s death. John conceptually divides successor churches into three categories: (1) Those who sought to "purify" the church and go back to an earlier form of Mormonism, (2) those who sought to "preserve" the church as it existed in 1844, and (3) those who wanted to continue to "innovate" by having a new prophet ever revealing new doctrine and practices on the model of the founder. John describes how polygamy continued to be the main point of contention and how the organizations of most of Brigham Young’s rivals had faltered by 1860.