The Church of Jesus Christ in Zion was the name of a small, now-defunct sect of Mormonism located in Independence, Missouri. The group recognized Roger E. Billings as a prophet and patriarch, but disbanded in late 2004 or early 2005. Mormonism (also called Latter Day Saint theology or Mormon theology and Latter Day Saint culture or Mormon culture) is a religion, ideology, movement, and subculture originating in the early 1800s as a product of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... Independence is a city located in Missouri, in the Kansas City metropolitan area. ... Roger E. Billings grew up in Provo, Utah and was born in 1948. ... In numerous religions, including Abrahamic religions, Jah religions, Sikhism, and many forms of Paganism, a prophet is an intermediary with a deity, particularly someone who claims to speak for the deity or interprets the deitys will or mind. ... In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Latter Day Saint movement, a patriarch is the Melchizedek Priesthood office that is called evangelist in the New Testament. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Relationship with Mormonism

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ in Zion were followers of Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Jr., but they believed that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had strayed from Smith's teachings. The church claimed that Smith restored Priesthood keys to Ken Asay, who ordained Billings to be a Prophet and the Patriarch of Zion prior to Asay's death in 1985. Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Salt Lake City temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ...

The church believed in a doctrine of "multiple lives". This doctrine is similar to reincarnation; however, humans may only be reborn as other humans. Many sources report that the sect practices polygamy, with Billings himself reportedly having several wives and dozens of children. However, defenders of Billings claim that this charge was brought by Novell as a means to discredit Billings in a decade-long patent lawsuit (which Novell won in May 2004). While Billings admitted that he wrote a tract in 1985 advocating polygamy, he denied that he ever practiced it. Past Lives redirects here. ... The term polygamy (literally much marriage in late Greek) is used in related ways in social anthropology and sociobiology. ... Novell, Inc. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term polygamy (literally much marriage in late Greek) is used in related ways in social anthropology and sociobiology. ...

Business and educational operations

Under the direction of Roger Billings, the church was associated with, and helped operate, a number of business and educational operations, including an alternative science and math educational program named the International Academy of Science. This school is in operation, but is no longer associated with the now-defunct church. Billings also runs a number of businesses which were once associated with the church, including WideBand Corporation (a high-speed networking company), Billings Energy Corporation (a hydrogen fuel-cell research company), Acellus Labs (a system of educational software), and EarthTouch (which sells health supplements).

Ownership of the group's name by the Church of Scientology

The name of the Church of Jesus Christ in Zion has been registered as the Kansas City Mission of the Church of Scientology, located at 1202 West 40th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. According to Missouri Secretary of State records, the Registered agent is Gary Miller. Official Scientology Cross Symbol The Church of Scientology was founded by author L. Ron Hubbard as an organization dedicated to the practice of Scientology, an applied religious philosophy formulated by Hubbard. ...

In 1992, the sect using the name Church of Jesus Christ in Zion was recognized by the Church of Scientology as a "suppressive group." Currently, the Church of Scientology has registered the name as one of its missions. It is speculated that this is an effort to prevent the sect from forming again under its original name. 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official Scientology Cross Symbol The Church of Scientology was founded by author L. Ron Hubbard as an organization dedicated to the practice of Scientology, an applied religious philosophy formulated by Hubbard. ... In Scientology, a formally a condemned and shunned heretic or wrongdoer is labelled a Suppressive Person, often abbreviated SP. L. Ron Hubbard coined the term to refer to critics of the Church of Scientology, including journalists, disgruntled ex-Scientologists, and members of the psychiatric profession, whom Scientology considers as their... Official Scientology Cross Symbol The Church of Scientology was founded by author L. Ron Hubbard as an organization dedicated to the practice of Scientology, an applied religious philosophy formulated by Hubbard. ...