This is a letter written by Robert M. McIntier, on November 6th,, 1986. While Antonio A. Feliz was the president at this time, McIntier would soon become the president.
This gives us a fascinating insight into the beliefs of the RCJC!
November 6th, 1986
Dear Brother Dawson,
Thank you for your letter and questions about the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ. President Feliz has read your most recent letter, and has asked that I respond to your questions. I am especially pleased to be able to communicate with someone from the U.K. as I served a mission in southern England for the LDS church several years ago.
I apologize for the fact that your questions were not answered to your satisfaction the first time you wrote. Because the Church is still very small, many of us have had to accept several callings simultaneously, which makes it very difficult to spend much time in correspondence. I hope you will not equate our slow response with a lack of interest in you or your questions.
You have raised some very important questions, and I will attempt to answer them. In order to do so, it is necessary for me to make a couple of assumptions. I assume, first of all, that you are, or have been, associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most (though not all) of our members are former “Mormons”. I will also assume, for the purpose of the discussion, that you are either gay or are close to someone who is. Most (but not all) of our members are also in that category.
Before I get to your specific questions, let me give you some background about our Church. This will give you a broader understanding of what we are all about, and it will make answering your specific questions easier.
It is our testimony to the world that Jesus Christ established a church in the meridian of time and empowered His followers with priesthood power to carry on the work after His death. Through apostasy, this church degenerated over many years to the point that in 1829 the Lord declared that all of the existing churches were corrupt, having only a form of godliness left in them, and teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.
We also declare that God of Heaven appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820, and that he (Joseph Smith) was authorized to restore the truth as God revealed it to him, and to organize a church after the pattern of the original one that Jesus established. We know that Joseph Smith was (and is) a true prophet of God in every sense of the word.
Perhaps it would be instructive at this point to discuss what a prophet really is. We believe a prophet to be one who has, by revelation, received a testimony of Jesus Christ, and who has been especially commissioned of Him to reveal His word to a group of people. These special emissaries of the Lord were never perfect, but were always very human individuals, each with their own level of understanding, and each with their own set of prejudices. They made mistakes, were often chastened by the Lord for their errors, and usually were humble enough to accept the chastening and go on with their prophetic callings.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie has said, “With all their inspiration and greatness, prophets are yet mortal men with imperfections common to mankind in general. They have their opinions and prejudices, and are left to work out their own problems without inspiration in many instances. Joseph Smith recorded that he ‘visited with a brother and sister from Michigan, who thought that a prophet was always a prophet; but I told them that a prophet was only a prophet when he was acting as such.’ Thus the opinions and views even of the prophets may contain error unless those opinions and views are inspired by the Spirit.” (Mormon Doctrine, page 608)
It is also important to note that there is much scriptural evidence to support the concept that God has frequently had more than one prophet on the earth at a time. The clearest example of this is the fact that there was a church in Jerusalem with a prophet and apostles, while at the same time there was a church in the Americas which also had a prophet and apostles. Indeed, Moses, under the inspiration of the Lord, declared, “Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:29)
As nearly as we can tell, it was Wilford Woodruff who first taught publicly that the prophets were infallible. He stated, “I say to Israel, the Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the program. It is not in the mind of God.” (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pages 212-213)
Having laid this background, I will now attempt to answer the questions you posed in your latest letter. Your first question was whether we believed our Church to be the only true church on the earth. We believe that our Church is “A True Church” but not “THE True Church”. It would be nice if there were such a thing, but when humans are involved, their own prejudices often color what would be absolute truth. We believe, for example, that Joseph Smith was not opposed to same-sex love, as illustrated in the enclosed pamphlet. But since his time, the ideas of various LDS leaders, whose upbringing taught them that homosexuality was bad, have crept in and become doctrine, when in fact that was never in the mind of the Lord at all.
We are not a “homosexual church”. We are a Church of Jesus Christ. All people are welcome at our Church, regardless of their sexual orientation. Exaltation in the Kingdom of God is not dependent on which church one belongs to, but rather, how we conform to the two great commandments of God. Any person, gay or straight, can receive all the blessings of Heaven by obedience to the laws upon which they are predicated, whether they do it in the LDS church or the Restoration Church. Our mission is to all who will hear us.
We do not regard the LDS Church as a false church, but we do believe that some personal prejudices and false teachings have crept in and become doctrine in that church. We believe that Ezra Taft Benson is a prophet to those people, as is Wallace B. Smith to those of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as is Antonio A. Feliz to our Church.
In this regard, let me say that I am personally acquainted with President Beson. I have had the opportunity to visit with him on several occasions. His son, Mark Benson, was my bishop for a few years, and President Benson visited our ward for sacrament meetings and social events on many occasions. I know him to be a good man, and I believe him to be a true prophet of God. I also believe that he, like ALL of the other prophets, has human failings. It is crucial that all people who believe they are following prophets (including those in the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ) get their lives in order so that they can discern by the Spirit when their leaders are speaking by the Spirit, and when they are not inspired.
Your next question relates to another area where I believe that personal opinions have become doctrine in the LDS Church. The question is about the possibility of same-sex couples becoming gods and creating spirit children of their own. I suppose that it is natural for a person whose only experience has been heterosexual to assume that that is the way spirit children are created. The truth of the matter is, God has never revealed the process by which spirit children are created. We DO know, however, that God has promised us (meaning those of us in the gay community) the opportunity of eternal increase if we are faithful. This suggests to my mind that there must be some other way to do it. I do not know how this will occur, as it has not yet been revealed, but I am certain that God is faithful in keeping ALL of the promises He has made to us.
It is conceivable to me that there could be worlds with two Heavenly Parents who are of the same sex. In the Garden of Eden, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. We will make a helpmeet and a companion for him. …” We believe that God looks favorably on loving relationships, and that having eternal companions is very important. We also know from recent revelation, that our Mother in Heaven is equal with our Father in Heaven, and that they both have distinct roles to play in the progress of their children. We do not have any reason to believe, however, that their roles are necessarily gender-related.
As for our temple work, we do, in fact, now have a temple and are doing initiatory ordinances, endowments, and sealings. Our temple is a portable facility, not unlike the portable tabernacle that was carried by ancient Israel when they were traveling in the wilderness. It can be assembled in a room in someone’s home. It is taken back and forth, between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, where our two congregations of saints presently live. We do hope at a future date to be able to construct a permanent facility. Funds do not permit that at this time.
You asked about three specific groups that were thought to be ministering to the needs of gay Latter-day Saints. I have never heard of the United Order of the Family of Christ, nor of Mr. Desmond, nor have I heard of the Homosexual Church of Jesus Christ. I attempted to contact them through the directory assistance operator in Denver, who had no listings for them. There is a David M. Desmond in Denver, but I spoke with him and he has never heard of the United Order group either.
Affirmation, on the other hand, is a very different story. While it is based in Los Angeles, it has chapters all over the country (and perhaps in other countries as well – I’m not sure.) They have two chapters here in Salt Lake City, one of which I attended semi-regularly. Affirmation Is not a church, but it is a social and support organization for gay and lesbian Mormons. They perform a very needed function, but they cannot, by their own by-laws, hold a religious worship service or perform priesthood ordinances. Many of our members are also members of Affirmation.
I hope that I have answered your questions adequately. If there are further questions, I would be happy to continue a correspondence with you as often as time permits.
Before I quit, I would like to share something with you that is a little more personal. Since I left the LDS church two years ago, I have been searching for a means of expressing my religious feelings without compromising the knowledge that I am gay. I attended Metropolitan Community Church for a year and received many blessings from my involvement there. When I heard about the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ, I thought, “That’s all I need right now – another Church!” But out of curiosity, I investigated their message.
If someone had told me a year ago that I would be ordaining people to priesthood offices, baptizing people, calling them to positions, belling the sick, conducting sacrament meetings, etc. I’d have told them they were crazy. That was the last thing I wanted to do. I felt I had been betrayed by the Church I loved, and wanted nothing more to do with any organization that was even remotely similar to it. But through a series of marvelous manifestations from the Lord, which I can’t take time to describe here, it became apparent to me that this was, indeed, the work of the Lord. My course was clear, for there was only one way for me to proceed. The peace and happiness I have found in being of service in the Kingdom of God again are beyond description.
Our challenge to all the world, and specifically to you, is to study carefully what you have been told, and to prayerfully ask the Lord to reveal to you the truthfulness of our message. As one whose calling it is to bear special witness of our Lord. I promise you in the name of Jesus Christ that you will come to know in your heart and in your mind that the things I have told you are true. Please try it.
God bless you in your quest for knowledge of spiritual things.
Sincerely, your brother,
Elder Robert M. McIntier
The Restoration Church of Jesus Christ