Founded:
1946
Founder:
Pauline Hancock
Alternate Names:
Lukites (after prominent member H. Irvin Luke)
Church of Christ (Lukites)
Church of Christ (Hancock)
The Basement Church
Church of Christ, Independent
Headquarters:
Independence, Missouri
Congregations:
There were at least 2 congregations of this group: one located in Independence, Missouri and one in Salt Lake City, Utah (Carter, pp. 50-51).
Scriptures:
Bible
Book of Mormon
Book of Commandments - revelations 2-15 only (those given through the seer stone) (Huggins)
About:
- Hancock was the first woman to lead a denomination within the Latter Day Saint Movement. She claimed a vision in which she saw God, who spoke to her saying: "Now go and teach all people what I have shown you - for I am the way" (Carter 50).
- Famous Mormon critics, Jerald and Sandra Tanner, were once active in this group.
- Jerald Tanner laid out a list of beliefs:
We believe the Bible and the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
We do not believe in holding up any man, but rather in holding up Christ.
We believe that all mankind are lost through the fall: for the natural man is an enemy to God and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord...
We believe that a person must be faithful in Christ until death or he cannot be saved.
We believe that this life is the onlly time given man to prepare to meet God, for there will be no chance for repentance after death. (Carter 51)
- The group voted to dissolve in 1984 after most followers had rejected belief in the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
References:
- Carter, Kate B. Denominations that base their beliefs on the teachings of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1969, pp. 49-51.
- Huggins, Ronald V. "Jerald Tanner's Quest for Truth." Salt Lake City Messenger, May 2007, issue 108.
- Shields, Steven L. Divergent Paths of the Restoration. Herald House, 2001, pp. 152-155.
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