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| Rigdonite | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rigdonite |
| Classification | Religious movement |
| Orientation | Christian restorationist |
| Founded | 19th century |
| Founder | Sidney Rigdon |
| Areas | United States, Canada |
Rigdonite is a 19th‑century restorationist movement that emerged from post‑Joseph Smith succession disputes within the broader Latter Day Saint tradition. It centers on the teachings and leadership claims associated with Sidney Rigdon and engages with contemporaneous figures and institutions such as Brigham Young, James Strang, William Smith (brother of Joseph Smith), John C. Bennett, and Emma Smith. The movement's historical footprint intersects with events like the Kirtland Temple dedication, the Mormon succession crisis (1844), and interactions with communities in Kirtland, Ohio, Pittsburgh, and Painesville, Ohio.
The origins trace to the aftermath of Joseph Smith's assassination and the ensuing Mormon succession crisis (1844), when competing leaders including Brigham Young, Sidney Rigdon, James Strang, and Joseph Smith III advanced rival claims. Rigdon, formerly affiliated with institutions such as the Kirtland Safety Society and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Strangite), asserted a guardian role invoking events like the Kirtland Temple dedication and corresponded with figures including Orson Pratt, Parley P. Pratt, and Wilford Woodruff. The movement's early adherents often came from regions connected to the Kirtland period and engaged legal and political structures in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania during disputes over property and priesthood authority.
Rigdonite doctrine emphasized claims made by Sidney Rigdon regarding continuity with revelations attributed to Joseph Smith and referenced scriptures associated with the Doctrine and Covenants (Latter Day Saints), while contesting interpretations forwarded by leaders like Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball. Teachings engaged with texts produced in contexts involving figures such as Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and Parley P. Pratt and debated practices tied to the Kirtland Safety Society episode. Theological distinctions involved concepts debated in councils attended by contemporaries such as William E. McLellin and Lyman Wight, with polemics echoing controversies around succession, revelation, and prophetic authority evident in correspondence with John Taylor and other mid‑19th‑century leaders.
Organizational claims centered on the adopted leadership model promoted by Sidney Rigdon, contrasting with hierarchical systems established by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles under Brigham Young and the familial succession claims associated with Joseph Smith III and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Leadership rosters and councils referenced names like Sidney Rigdon, Hazelton, and local presiding elders who negotiated authority alongside civic actors in Kirtland, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The movement's institutional arrangements interacted with legal proceedings involving entities related to the Kirtland Temple trusteeship and property disputes brought before courts influenced by state actors in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Worship practices reflected rites rooted in the early Latter Day Saint movement including sacramental observances comparable to those in congregations led by Joseph Smith, ritual elements paralleling services administered by Oliver Cowdery, and liturgical patterns observed in communities influenced by the Kirtland period. Meetings often invoked sermons and scriptural readings linked to figures such as Sidney Rigdon, hymns familiar from collections associated with Emma Smith, and communal decision‑making processes similar to those recorded in minutes involving John C. Bennett and other early leaders. Practices diverged from those adopted by Brigham Young’s followers on issues that included institutional organization and migration.
Rigdonite relations with contemporaneous movements were marked by rivalry and occasional correspondence with leaders such as Brigham Young, James Strang, and Joseph Smith III. The movement engaged doctrinal disputes and legal contestation with bodies like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Strangite) and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints while participating in the broader network of post‑1844 schismatic groups which included adherents who later interacted with figures like William Smith (brother of Joseph Smith), Lyman Wight, and Alpheus Cutler. These interactions involved public statements, pamphlets, and assemblies that referenced events such as the Mormon succession crisis (1844) and institutions such as the Kirtland Temple.
Historically concentrated in northeastern Ohio and parts of western Pennsylvania, Rigdonite adherents included converts and former members from Kirtland, Ohio, Painesville, Ohio, and urban centers like Pittsburgh. Migration patterns contrasted with the westward exodus to Salt Lake City led by Brigham Young and sometimes overlapped with contingents that associated with leaders such as James Strang on Beaver Island. Membership numbers remained smaller compared with groups led by Brigham Young or the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, with demographic composition reflecting mid‑19th‑century American communities engaged in religious movements alongside civic figures in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Controversies involved competing claims of prophetic succession, polemics with leaders like Brigham Young and James Strang, and disputes over assets from the Kirtland Safety Society and the Kirtland Temple trusteeship. Schismatic dynamics mirrored patterns seen in disputes involving Joseph Smith III and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, prompting pamphlet wars, legal actions, and public lectures that referenced opponents including Orson Pratt, Parley P. Pratt, and John Taylor. Internal divisions sometimes produced splinter groups and alignments that engaged regional powerbrokers and ecclesiastical figures across the broader mid‑19th‑century Latter Day Saint milieu.
Category:Religious movements Category:Latter Day Saint movement