Why is the RLDS (Community of Christ) so liberal?
While the LDS Church has steered right and become an increasingly conservative denomination, the RLDS Church moved left. Starting in the mid-80s a string of doctrine and policy changes happened: (1) a revelation presented to and accepted by the RLDS membership in 1984 permitted the ordination of women to priesthood office; (2) the new Independence temple was dedicated to “the pursuit of peace,” (as a departure from whatever the RLDS Church previously thought about temples); (3) the church moved to “open communion,” whereby non-RLDS congregants could partake of the Lord’s Supper (i.e., the sacrament) as well as RLDS; (4) in the mid-90s, W. Grant McMurray became the first President of the RLDS Church not from the Smith line; and (5) in 2000, the RLDS Church changed its official name to the Community of Christ. These are significant changes. The only one of these five that have a parallel in the LDS Church was the first, the LDS 1978 revelation on priesthood. Both were “political” revelat
