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In Christianity the term restorationism, sometimes called Christian primitivism, refers to the...

In Christianity the term restorationism, sometimes called Christian primitivism, refers to the belief that a purer form of Christianity should be restored using the early church as a model. Such groups teach that this is necessary because Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians introduced defects into Christian faith and practice, or have lost a vital element of genuine Christianity. It is sometimes used more specifically as a synonym for the American Restoration Movement. The term restoration is also employed by the Latter Day Saint movement. The term is also used by more recent groups, describing their goal to re-establish Christianity in its original form, such as some anti-denominational Charismatic Restorationists, which arose in the 1970s in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In comparable terms, earlier primitivist movements including the Paulicians, Hussites, Anabaptists, Landmarkists, Puritans and the Quakers have been described as examples of restorationism. Efforts to restore an earlier, purer form of Christianity are often a response to denominationalism. As Rubel Shelly put it, "[t]he motive behind all restoration movements is to tear down the walls of separation