ah — interesting. Each has a different idea of when the “Great Apostasy” happened. The CoC as per that link says that it occured in 550 AD while the Mormons push it back to 33 AD
Exactly. There are other common characteristics, most have some sort of prophet or revelation and extra scripture (even if they don’t call it that), most have ways that the ‘proper authority’ was ‘restored’ to only their founder, and all are pretty much exclusivists (only their group goes to Heaven). Mormonism is unique in that it is, at the same time, both exclusivist and universalist.
I am just starting a research project on the Campbell and the rise of restoration movements in the 19th century US.
Something that intrigues me is that at least 3 of these groups (LDS, JW, SDA) were founded in NY within about 60 years and 100 miles of each other.