Authority Without a Church: How Independent Mormons Claim Priesthood (Ericksons)

The Ericksons introduce a massive new scripture project for Independent Mormons and all Restorationists. We discuss the contentious issue of priesthood authority outside the LDS Church, and explain why they believe authority can exist in multiple branches of the Restoration simultaneously.

Don’t miss our other conversations on Mormon fundamentalism: https://gospeltangents.com/denominations/fundamentalim/

00:00 – Independent Mormons Restored Version of Scriptures:

Discussion of a new “triple combination” project spearheaded by Drew Briney. This edition includes the 1840 Book of Mormon text, formatted in paragraphs, and contains nearly 100 unpublished revelations from Joseph Smith and John Taylor.
12:00 – Details of the New Edition:

The new scriptures are annotated to show every substantial change in the text over history. It excludes “press releases” like the Manifestos but includes the Lectures on Faith and the full Wentworth Letter.
20:00 – The Authority Question:

Rick asks how the Ericksons claim authority without belonging to an established group like the AUB or Kingstons. Joshua argues that authority is broadly distributed, citing the Book of Mormon where Lehi and Jeremiah held authority simultaneously without coordinating.
28:00 – Priesthood vs. Church:

A discussion on the fundamentalist view that the priesthood exists independently of the corporate church structure. Joshua shares his experience of being rebaptized and reordained to align with scriptural requirements for married priesthood holders.
35:00 – Rebaptism:

Why independents view rebaptism as a renewable covenant and a preparation for special events (like temple dedications), rather than a one-time event3536.

• 40:00 – Can Josephites and Brighamites Unite?:

The group discusses the difficulty of unifying the various Restoration branches, noting that polygamy is often the “third rail” that prevents full unity

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Guest: Ericksons
Denomination: Indep Mormon Polygamists, Independent Polygamists
Tags: best Mormon history podcast, Church History, Gospel Tangents, Mormon, Mormon schisms

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Date: January 27, 2026
Guest: Ericksons
Denomination: Indep Mormon Polygamists, Independent Polygamists
Tags: best Mormon history podcast, Church History, Gospel Tangents, Mormon, Mormon schisms
Posted By: RickB

Table of Contents: Authority Without a Church: How Independent Mormons Claim Priesthood (Ericksons)

00:00 – Independent Mormons Restored Version of Scriptures:

12:00 – Details of the New Edition:

20:00 – The Authority Question:

28:00 – Priesthood vs. Church:

35:00 – Rebaptism:

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