I know that the proper term is “Latter-day Saints” rather than “Mormon,” but most members of the church of LDS don’t find it offensive. So I guess what I’m trying to clarify to myself is this: there’s more than one “Mormon” religion, but only one Church of Latter-day Saints, so not all so-called Mormons are LDS, but all LDS members are mormon? Is that right?
2 Responses to “I know that the proper term is “Latter-day Saints” rather th…”
Luciano Delgado
2009-03-12 05:19:39
Hi friend,
I hardly blame you for being confused, especially given the way the mainstream media misuses these words. Though the word "Mormon" was originally used as a sort of ethnic slur to describe members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you are right that it is no longer considered offensive. The one exception is the term "Mormon Church," which should be avoided because it has anti-Mormon connotations. Jesus Christ is central to our theology; many anti-Mormons intentionally leave his name out of the name of our church, calling us instead the "Mormon Church," in an attempt to deny us our Christianity. The term "Church of Latter-day Saints" should also be avoided for the same reason, but, for reasons I don't understand, "LDS Church" is not seen as offensive at all. Go figure.
The term "Mormon" should only be used in reference to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The only other large religious body that claims to be the church restored by Joseph Smith in the 19th century is the Community of Christ, formally known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but they make no claim on the name "Mormon." Some small break-off sects refer to themselves as "Mormons" or "Mormon fundamentalists," but their doctrines, practices, and culture differ significantly from that of the mainstream LDS Church, and they are not correctly called Mormons. The Associated-Press Stylebook states, "The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other Latter Day Saints churches that resulted from the split after [Joseph] Smith's death."
As an interesting side note, "Mormon" is actually a registered trademark in some countries, a trademark held by the LDS Church. It's unclear to me whether or not the Church holds the trademark in the U.S., though the United States Patent and Trademark Office webpage seems to suggest that it does. Official use of the term "Mormon" by other groups may therefore constitute trademark infringement.
Hope this helps. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.
Luciano Delgado
2009-03-19 04:32:13
I'd like to make a correction to the answer above. Much to my surprise, the Church also discourages the use of the term "LDS Church," according to their newsroom site.
I hardly blame you for being confused, especially given the way the mainstream media misuses these words. Though the word "Mormon" was originally used as a sort of ethnic slur to describe members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you are right that it is no longer considered offensive. The one exception is the term "Mormon Church," which should be avoided because it has anti-Mormon connotations. Jesus Christ is central to our theology; many anti-Mormons intentionally leave his name out of the name of our church, calling us instead the "Mormon Church," in an attempt to deny us our Christianity. The term "Church of Latter-day Saints" should also be avoided for the same reason, but, for reasons I don't understand, "LDS Church" is not seen as offensive at all. Go figure.
The term "Mormon" should only be used in reference to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The only other large religious body that claims to be the church restored by Joseph Smith in the 19th century is the Community of Christ, formally known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but they make no claim on the name "Mormon." Some small break-off sects refer to themselves as "Mormons" or "Mormon fundamentalists," but their doctrines, practices, and culture differ significantly from that of the mainstream LDS Church, and they are not correctly called Mormons. The Associated-Press Stylebook states, "The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other Latter Day Saints churches that resulted from the split after [Joseph] Smith's death."
As an interesting side note, "Mormon" is actually a registered trademark in some countries, a trademark held by the LDS Church. It's unclear to me whether or not the Church holds the trademark in the U.S., though the United States Patent and Trademark Office webpage seems to suggest that it does. Official use of the term "Mormon" by other groups may therefore constitute trademark infringement.
Hope this helps. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.