LDS Mormons No More

[Rescued One]

The very first attempt at converting me to Mormonism:



"Yesterday, the church that invested millions in its Meet the Mormons movie and exports its Mormon Tabernacle Choir as its ambassador to the world asked us all to stop using the word 'Mormon.'

"Ahem. It seems I’m no longer a Mormon columnist. I’m a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints columnist, and isn’t that just so fun to say?

"...But yesterday’s announcement went even further. 'Mormonism' is also out as a noun. The Church now states that

"The term 'Mormonism' is inaccurate and should not be used. When describing the combination of doctrine, culture and lifestyle unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the term 'the restored gospel of Jesus Christ' is accurate and preferred..."
https://religionnews.com/2018/08/17/im-a-mormon-but-im-not-supposed-to-call-myself-that-anymore/

The Mormon Way
by Teena Kimble
(Bookcraft, $5.95)
New converts are sometimes bewildered by the whole new way of life that becoming a Mormon entails. Author Teena Kimble, herself a convert, understands that struggle well. She gives some delightful hints and explanations about living a Mormon life-style that lifelong members often take for granted. Her book is an introduction to the culture rather than the doctrine of the Church and contains many words of encouragement.
https://www.lds.org/new-era/1982/04/fyi-for-your-information?lang=eng

Ah, yes. I have that book, too.

 

[Rescued One]

I can understand the decision to do this because Nelson is right that "Mormon' and sometimes "LDS" carries a negative connotation for many. I wish him luck though I doubt he will be successful in this generation of stamping out the term 'Mormon" or "LDS" to identify his denomination. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is long, tedious, and time consuming to say or type out in text, etc. I suspect most will continue using the convenient abbreviated terms.

It's sort of like The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that has the similar problem without all the issues of being 'different'. Who wants to say all that or type it out in text? So its advocates just identify themselves as "Christians" or more commonly "Disciples" or "Disciples of Christ" or "DOC" which can be confusing to those not familiar with that denomination.

We can envy a bit the Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Nazarines, etc. who don't have that problem.

Well, I don't think there's a denomination called The Nazarene Church; it's Church of the Nazarene.

The Church of the Nazarene is a Protestant Christian church in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Yet they refer to themselves as Nazarenes.

 

[Rescued One]

Is it Latter Day or Latter-day?

Some lifetime Mormons don't know.

 

[dzheremi]

How about instead worrying about rebranding due to the negative connotations that "LDS" and/or "Mormon" have for many, the Mormon leadership do something about why they have these negative connotations? You know...do something about the Mormon faith itself, instead of trying to change how others refer to your group?

They're just acting like cynical ad men.

 

[Rescued One]

 

[drstevej]

That's basically what McCombs and other reporters are doing when they use "Mormon" exclusively or almost exclusively instead of clearly specifying whether they're talking about the main body or any of the various off-shoot groups. It's bad form, and does the readers a disservice by not making things clear.

Then change lds.org first and then whine about this to non Mormons.

 

[dzheremi]

Since their buildings often feature a statue of the angel Moroni touting the supposed 'restoration' of the Gospel, would it be more appropriate to refer to them as Moronies?

I'd be okay with that.

 

[Ironhold]

How about instead worrying about rebranding due to the negative connotations that "LDS" and/or "Mormon" have for many, the Mormon leadership do something about why they have these negative connotations? You know...do something about the Mormon faith itself, instead of trying to change how others refer to your group?

They're just acting like cynical ad men.

The vast majority if the "negative connotations" are the deliberate creations of people hostile to the church, including folks who would prefer that the truth not get in the way of their preferred narratives.

I've dealt with enough of them to know they exist.

 

[drstevej]

The vast majority if the "negative connotations" are the deliberate creations of people hostile to the church, including folks who would prefer that the truth not get in the way of their preferred narratives.

I've dealt with enough of them to know they exist.

Then change lds.org first and then whine about this to non Mormons.

 

[Foxfyre]

Well, I don't think there's a denomination called The Nazarene Church; it's Church of the Nazarene.

The Church of the Nazarene is a Protestant Christian church in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Yet they refer to themselves as Nazarenes.

True just as Episcopalian refers to The Episcopal Church of the United States of America and Baptist most commonly refers to The Southern Baptist Convention and Methodist most commonly refers to The United Methodist Church and Presbyterian most commonly refers to The Presbyterian Church (USA) while those of various Lutheran denominations with longer names will be commonly referred to as Lutheran. But none of us generally use the formal name of any of those denominations when we refer to them.

So again it is much easier to say Methodist or Lutheran or Presbyterian or Nazarine or Episcopalian or Baptist as a matter of convenience. And it is easier to say "Mormon" or "LDS" to designate a member of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints. And that's why I doubt those terms will disappear from modern usage unless common usage switches to something like "Saints" or something easier to say, write, text, etc.

And I can imagine somebody identifying himself/herself as a Saint and somebody immediately asking for clarification: "Mormon?" or "LDS?"

 

[dzheremi]

The vast majority if the "negative connotations" are the deliberate creations of people hostile to the church, including folks who would prefer that the truth not get in the way of their preferred narratives.

I've dealt with enough of them to know they exist.

If you want to keep telling yourselves that nobody can stop you, but that's not going to do anything to help deal with the negative connotations that "Mormon" or "LDS" may have with some people.

 

[MartyF]

THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH HAS SPOKEN!!!

We are no longer at war with Eurasia. We are at war with Eastasia. We have always been at war with Eastasia. We have always been at peace with Eurasia.

Also, oranges are now to be called lemons. Lemons are to be called bananas. And bananas will now be called oranges.

Anyone who denies any of these things will be called a racist, sexist, NAZI bigot and ignored and banned by all righteous upstanding snowflakes.

The Department of Truth

 

[Anto9us]

Moronies?

guffaw!

 

[The Barbarian]

I figure it's good to call people what they would like to be called. Doesn't cost anything and it makes them happy.

The approved name is a bit unwieldy, though. He could have chosen something shorter.

 

[Foxfyre]

I figure it's good to call people what they would like to be called. Doesn't cost anything and it makes them happy.

The approved name is a bit unwieldy, though. He could have chosen something shorter.

While I don't disagree with you at all, I will likely use the name requested by the person too. But in other conversations, I am a realist. And I'm pretty sure that I'll still say "Mormon" or "LDS" for convenience. And I'm guessing so will most of the advocates of that particular denomination.

 

[Foxfyre]

Just a sideline observation. I learned many years ago that you can't fix a problem with a system by changing the people. And you can't fix problem people by changing the system.

If there are negative connotations to the terms 'Mormon" or "LDS", it seems a better course of action to do what can be done to change the negative image. Just changing the words used probably won't have much effect.

 

[The Barbarian]

Just a sideline observation. I learned many years ago that you can't fix a problem with a system by changing the people. And you can't fix problem people by changing the system.

Probably so. Changing the name won't change anyone's mind, I think.

 

[Foxfyre]

Probably so. Changing the name won't change anyone's mind, I think.

I am not Mormon and that is one of the very few mainline churches in which I have never attended a service. But I know a lot of Mormons and they pretty much are intelligent, pleasant, often delightful people. And when their missionaries used to come around, they too were pleasant and personable. I have no personal negative feelings or images connected with the Mormon people, their church, their faith even though I cannot embrace many aspects of it--I have studied it. But I doubt there is any organized church that I can agree 100% with though I agree with much in some much more than others.

So I rather think anybody's impression of a organized church is going to be based on:
a) how others describe and/or characterize it (which is often unreliable.)
b) personal experience with its people

I agree that the name it is called is unlikely to make a lot of difference.

 

[Foxfyre]

Sorry. Board doesn't want to show my post as posted so I inadvertently made several double post. . .

 

[Foxfyre]

Sorry double post

 

[Foxfyre]

double post