File talk:LDS main branch timeline.svg

This graphic suggests that Joseph Smith III's movement is an offshoot of James Strang's movement, and this is not strictly speaking true. It is true that former Strangites made up a large percentage of the early Reorganizers, but there is no definite organizational link between the Josephites and the Strangites. Leaving it as it is now would suggest that the Reorganization recognized James Strang as prophet, seer and revelator for a time before Joseph Smith III's ordination and that is not the case. --BenMcLean (talk) 21:20, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

I think this graphic is a fairly crude method of explaining anything, and I have never been terribly fond of it. However, I'm not sure it is as big a problem as you suggest. There is a small red line connecting the Strangites to the RLDS, which I suppose is meant to suggest that there was a "transfer" of many followers at some stage, but the orange RLDS line does faintly precede that transfer point. As I said, it's a very crude tool and would be in favor of just not using it anymore because of these problems. This is a great example of how there can be multiple interpretations of the same graphic—for that reason, is seems to muddy things up rather than clarify them. Good Ol’factory ^(talk) 00:24, 7 April 2011 (UTC)

I think a graphic can be useful here if some way to distinguish between mere transfers of people and actual organizational links can be clearly shown. --BenMcLean (talk) 00:16, 12 April 2011 (UTC)