The Mormon Community (Reform) – also known as Reform Mormonism – has no connection to the LDS Church, Community of Christ, or any other denomination tracing its origins to the early Mormon movement. Established in 2002, it is a distinct denomination with no interest in “reforming” other denominations or religious institutions. Instead, it has reformed its approach to the Mormon faith much the way Reform Judaism has reformed its approach to the Jewish faith.
Reform Mormonism embraces the evolving nature of religious faith and the superiority of its ethical aspects to its organizational and ceremonial ones. It embraces the foundational Mormon doctrine of continuous revelation, seeing it as closely intertwined with human reason. Thus, it embraces a non-literal approach to scripture and rejects the fundamentalist mindset as detrimental to the Eternal Progression of the human family
Ordinances are regarded as symbolic, created by humans to reveal aspects of Godliness and to celebrate spiritual and ethical commitments. An ordinance’s power and authority result from the faith, understanding, and Spirit that participants bring to its observance.
Theology is valued for establishing a paradigm—a figurative model—for exploring, understanding, and finding meaning in life and the ongoing revelation of existence. Theology also provides individuals and communities with concepts, stories, symbols, and a language for sharing those understandings and meanings.
Reform Mormonism is committed to preserving Mormonism as a distinct religious tradition without sacrificing objective, critical scholarship and modern innovations. We embrace diversity while asserting commonality. (“We’re all Mormons—black, white, male, female, gay, straight, rich, poor, etc.”) We affirm our beliefs without rejecting those who doubt. In fact, those who doubt provide an important springboard for further exploration—an essential tenant of Reform Mormonism.
While the teachings and character of Christ play a central role in our faith and ethics, Reform Mormons understand that Mormonism does not share Christianity’s theological paradigm. Just as Christianity sprang from Judaism and evolved into an entirely new religion, we hold that Mormonism sprang from early 19th-century Christianity and evolved into an entirely new religion. Therefore, Reform Mormons happily embrace the words Mormon, Mormons, and Mormonism as correctly and properly identifying us and our religion.
Reform Mormonism does not distance itself from early Mormonism’s distinct theological innovations, nor does it try to force those innovations into fitting the theological paradigm of Christianity and monotheism. Instead, Reform Mormons fully embrace those theological innovations and declare that they established a new theological paradigm that serves as the foundation upon which we build and innovate our faith.
One’s personal acceptance of Mormonism’s distinct theological paradigm and commitment to living by its inherent values make one a Reform Mormon – not accepting the claims of a specific church, the authority of particular ecclesiastical leaders, or submitting to rituals and ordinances.
For Reform Mormons, the church is not a thing—an “it” that one joins, attends, and follows. For Reform Mormons, “church” is a personal pronoun—a “they,” a “him,” a “her.” (See Moroni 6:5-9, LDS versing) The church is anyone who turns to God, endeavors to live by the Spirit, and strives to embody the Divine character. This is in harmony with Mormonism’s earliest definition of the church, found on page 56 of this book: “Behold this is my doctrine: whosoever repenteth, and cometh unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me.”
In publishing this edition of “Doctrine & Covenants,” we, like our early Mormon forebearers, endeavor to present, as clearly as possible, the beliefs, faith, and principles of our religion.