Is Mormon theology diverging into new directions?
For six months after the death of Joseph Smith, different factions fought for control of the LDS Church. Sidney Rigdon, Brigham Young, and James Strang, among others, claimed to be the rightful successor to the church. The church eventually split apart. Brigham Young happened to gain the most followers, and his faction became the modern LDS church.
A much less dramatic, but interesting, divergence seems to be happening today.
A recent episode of the Mormon Expression podcast interviewed Jason “Dr. Shades,” the creator of mormoninformation.com. Specifically, they discussed his concept of “Internet Mormon” versus “Chapel Mormon” and how there seems to be a growing theological distinction between the average LDS member sitting in the pews, and Mormon apologists who are often found on the Internet defending their faith against critics. (If this interests you read the whole thing)