The term derives from the Book of Mormon, published in 1830 and regarded by the faith as a sacred text and supplemental testament to the Bible. Adherents believe that the book was translated from an ancient record by Smith by the gift and power of God. The text is said to be an ancient chronicle of a fallen and lost indigenous American nation, compiled by the prophet–historian and warrior, Mormon and his son, Moroni, the last of the Nephites.
The term Mormon was applied to members of the church Smith founded in the 1830s by those outside the faith due early believers only calling themselves "the Church of Christ" and "saints", which was the same terminology used by the Campbellites only a few miles away. Therefore, like the Campbellites, the term "Mormonite" was applied to the new religious movement by outsiders to distinguish it from other Christian sects. The term "Mormon" was later embraced by members of the faith. Different denominations have made efforts in the years since to embrace the term "Mormon" as their own or distance themselves from it.
The term Mormon is taken from the title of the Book of Mormon, a text adherents consider sacred and believe was translated from golden plates whose location was revealed by an angel to Joseph Smith and which was published in 1830. According to the text of the Book of Mormon, the word Mormon stems from the Land of Mormon,[1][bettersourceneeded] where the prophet Alma preached the gospel and baptized converts. Mormon—who was named after the land—was a 4th-century prophet–historian who compiled and abridged many records of his ancestors into the Book of Mormon.[2] The book is believed by Latter Day Saints to be a literal record of God's dealings with pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas from approximately 2600 BC through AD 420,[3] written by prophets and followers of Jesus Christ. The book records the teachings of Jesus Christ to the people in the Americas as well as Christ's personal ministry among the people of Nephi after his resurrection.[4] The LDS Church teaches that the Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ, "holy scripture comparable to the Bible".[5]
The terms Mormonism[6][bettersourceneeded]and Mormonite[7] were originally descriptive terms invented in 1831 by newspaper editors or contributors in Ohio and New York to describe the growing movement of "proselytes of the Golden Bible".[8] Historian Ardis Parshall quotes an 1831 news item, appearing within the first year of the LDS Church's founding, as reading, "In the sixth number of your paper I saw a notice of a sect of people called Mormonites; and thinking that a fuller history of their founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., might be interesting to your community … I will take the trouble to make a few remarks on the character of that infamous imposter."[9] The term Mormon developed as a shortened version of Mormonite a year or two later. By the 1840s the term was adopted by Mormon leaders to refer to themselves, though leaders occasionally used the term as early as 1833.[10][bettersourceneeded] The term also started to be used pejoratively sometime before 1844[11][bettersourceneeded] with the coinage of the term Jack Mormon to describe non-Mormons sympathetic to the movement. Since that time the term Mormon has generally lost its pejorative status, as it became reappropriated.[12] According to LDS Church historian Matthew Bowman, and by the end of the 1800s it was broadly used.[13]
Popular usage
Several schisms in the Latter Day Saint movement have resulted in dozens of denominations, each with their own preferred terminology. Today, the term Mormon is often used to refer to members of the largest denomination, the LDS Church, which rejects “Mormon” as a reference term as of 2018. The second-largest sect, the Community of Christ, also rejects the term “Mormon” due to its association with the practice of polygamy among Brighamite sects.[14] Smaller sects often adopted the term, including adherents of Mormon fundamentalism. Due to the size and influence of the LDS Church, it tends to dominate discussions of how Mormon is used.
The term Mormon is frequently embraced by adherents of Mormon fundamentalism, who continue to believe in and practice plural marriage,[15][16] and consider themselves to be the true successors of the LDS church or hide among the membership of the LDS church. Seeking to distance itself from polygamy and Mormon fundamentalism, prior to August 2018 the Church of Jesus Christ had taken the position that the term Mormon should only apply to itself and its members, and not other adherents who have adopted the term.[17] It cited a now-obsolete AP Stylebook which stated, "The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other Latter Day Saint churches that resulted from the split after [Joseph] Smith’s death."[18]
Despite the LDS Church requesting since August 2018 that all press and publications no longer refer to it as the Mormon Church or adherents as Mormons, the term is still in considerable use by journalists and non-journalists to refer to adherents of church and Mormon fundamentalists alike for brevity and due to their shared history of polygamy.
Usage preferred by the LDS Church
The terminology preferred by the LDS Church has varied over time. At various points, the church has embraced the term Mormon and stated that other sects within the shared faith tradition should not be called Mormon.[19] At other times, the church has rejected the term Mormon altogether except in extremely limited uses.[20]
The LDS Church has made efforts, including in 1982, in 2001 prior to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, in 2011 after The Book of Mormon appeared on Broadway, and again in 2018, to encourage the use of the church's full name rather than the terms Mormon or LDS.[21]
Around 2010, the LDS Church and its members experienced a "Mormon moment" in which they were thrust into the national spotlight by Mitt Romney's 2008 and 2012 campaigns for President of the United States and the 2011 Broadway musical titled The Book of Mormon.[22][23] Facing media attention and abundant negative stereotypes, the church actively fostered its "Mormon" nickname with a multinational I'm a Mormon ad campaign (2010-2018), the film Meet the Mormons (2014), and websites like mormon.org and mormonandgay.org.[24]
In 2018, the church reversed course again after Russell M. Nelson became church president. In August 2018, Nelson announced a renewed effort to discourage the use of the word "Mormon" in reference to itself and its members, saying that terms like "Mormon Church" offended Jesus and were a "major victory for Satan".[21][25][24] The church followed up with a major renaming, with its websites at lds.org and mormon.org merged to a new website at churchofjesuschrist.org; the Mormon Tabernacle Choir becoming the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, and the church-affiliated publishing house Deseret Book began phasing out book titles that used the word "Mormon".[26]
In 2018, the LDS Church published a style guide that encourages the use of the terms “the Church,” the “Church of Jesus Christ” or the “restored Church of Jesus Christ” as shortened versions after an initial use of the full name.[27][13][20] According to church historian Bowman, 'the term “restored” refers to the idea that the original Christian religion is obsolete, and Mormons alone are practicing true Christianity.'[13] The 2018 style guide rejects the term Mormons along with "Mormon Church", "Mormonism", and the abbreviation LDS.[13]
According to Patrick Mason, chair of Mormon studies at Claremont Graduate University and Richard Bennett, a professor of church history at Brigham Young University, this is because non-church members have historically been confused about whether it represents a Christian faith, which concerns church leaders, who want to emphasize that the church is a Christian church.[21][13] The term Mormon also causes concern for church leaders because it has been used to include groups such as the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints who continued to practice polygamy after the Second Manifesto of 1904. Mason said "For more than 100 years, the mainstream LDS church has gone to great pains to distance itself from those who practice polygamy. It doesn’t want to have any confusion there between those two groups."[21]
In some countries, Mormon and some phrases including the term are registered trademarks owned by Intellectual Reserve, a holding company for the LDS Church's intellectual property.[28] In the United States, the LDS Church has applied for a trademark on Mormon as applied to religious services; however, the United States Patent and Trademark Office rejected the application, stating that the term Mormon was too generic, and is popularly understood as referring to a particular kind of church, similar to Presbyterian or Methodist, rather than a service mark.[29] The application was abandoned as of August 22, 2007.[30] In all, Intellectual Reserve owns more than 60 trademarks related to the term Mormon.
Despite the LDS Church's position, the terms Mormon and LDS in 2023 remain widely used both inside and outside the church to refer to members of the main church and "Fundamentalist Mormon" or "Fundamentalist LDS" to refer to members of fundamentalist splinter groups.[20][13][21]
Scholarly usage
J. Gordon Melton, in his Encyclopedia of American Religions, subdivides the Mormons into Utah Mormons, Missouri Mormons, Polygamy-Practicing Mormons, and Other Mormons.[31] In this scheme, the "Utah Mormon" group includes the non-polygamous organizations descending from those Mormons who followed Brigham Young to what is now Utah. The LDS Church is by far the largest of these groups, with a December 2022 membership count totaling 17,002,461[32] worldwide and the only group to initially reside in Utah.
The terms Utah Mormon and Missouri Mormon cannot be interpreted to mean more than the location of the various groups' headquarters, as the majority of members of "Utah Mormon" groups and "Missouri Mormon" groups no longer live in either of these US states. Although a majority of Utahns are members of the LDS Church, it has a worldwide membership with the majority of its members outside the United States; and most "Missouri Mormons" do not live in Missouri.[citation needed]
Meaning of the word
The May 15, 1843, issue of the official Latter Day Saint periodical Times and Seasons contains an article, purportedly written by Joseph Smith, deriving the etymology of the name Mormon from English "more" + Egyptian mon, "good", and extolling the meaning as follows:
It has been stated that this word [mormon] was derived from the Greek word mormo. This is not the case. There was no Greek or Latin upon the plates from which I, through the grace of God, translated the Book of Mormon. Let the language of that book speak for itself. On the 523d page, of the fourth edition, it reads: And now behold we have written this record according to our knowledge in the characters which are called among us the Reformed Egyptian ... none other people knoweth our language; therefore [God] hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof." ... [The] Bible in its widest sense, means good; for the Savior says according to the gospel of John, "I am the good shepherd;" and it will not be beyond the common use of terms, to say that good is among the most important in use, and though known by various names in different languages, still its meaning is the same, and is ever in opposition to bad. We say from the Saxon, good; the Dane, god; the Goth, goda; the German, gut; the Dutch, goed; the Latin, bonus; the Greek, kalos; the Hebrew, tob; and the Egyptian, mon. Hence, with the addition of more, or the contraction, mor, we have the word MOR-MON; which means, literally, more good.[33]
Whether Smith was the actual author of this passage is uncertain. Official LDS Church historianB. H. Roberts removed the quote from his History of the Church compilation, saying he found evidence that W.W. Phelps wrote that paragraph and that it was "based on inaccurate premises and was offensively pedantic."[34] LDS Church apostleGordon B. Hinckley noted that the "more good" translation is incorrect but added that "Mormon means 'more good'" is a positive motto for members of the LDS Church.[35]
Meaning in the Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon's title page begins, "The Book of Mormon: An account written by the hand of Mormon" (Introduction). According to the book, Mormon compiled nearly 1000 years of writings as well as chronicled events during his lifetime. Most of the text of the Book of Mormon consists of this compilation and his own writings.[36] However, the name Mormon is also used in the Book of Mormon as a place name (e.g. Waters of Mormon). Mormon1:5 states, "And I, Mormon, being a descendant of Nephi, (and my father’s name was Mormon)...", whereas 3 Nephi5:12 states, "And behold, I am called Mormon, being called after the land of Mormon, the land in which Alma did establish the church among the people yea, the first church which was established among them after their transgression." Based on these verses, Latter-day Saint scholar David Lamb interprets the name of the Book of Mormon to mean "Book of the Restoration of the Covenant":
[The prophet] Mormon was not named after his father; he was named after the land of Mormon. He had been taught about his heritage by his parents and understood the sacred significance associated with the name Mormon. No doubt his father also bore the name Mormon for the same reason. In 3 Nephi 5:12 he gives us a clear indication that the name Mormon is symbolically synonymous with the restoration of the covenant which took place in the land of Mormon by Alma and his people.
A study of the Introduction of the Book of Mormon tells us its main purpose is to restore a knowledge of the covenants to the house of Israel. This adds weight to the understanding that the name Mormon was always associated with the place of the restoration of the covenant to the Nephites. In fact, the name Mormon became synonymous with the concept of restoring the covenants.
In light of this understanding, the Book of Mormon is not named for a man. It is named for the place where the covenant was restored. Symbolically, the Book of Mormon bears the name 'Book of the Restoration of the Covenant.'"[37]
Related Research Articles
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several groups following different leaders; the majority followed Brigham Young, while smaller groups followed Joseph Smith III, Sidney Rigdon, and James Strang. Most of these smaller groups eventually merged into the Community of Christ, and the term Mormon typically refers to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as today, this branch is far larger than all the others combined. People who identify as Mormons may also be independently religious, secular, and non-practicing or belong to other denominations. Since 2018, the LDS Church has emphasized a desire for its members be referred to as "members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", or more simply as "Latter-day Saints".
Mormonism is the theology and religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of the Latter Day Saint movement, although since 2018 there has been a push from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to distance itself from this label. One historian, Sydney E. Ahlstrom, wrote in 1982 that, depending on the context, the term Mormonism could refer to "a sect, a mystery cult, a new religion, a church, a people, a nation, or an American subculture; indeed, at different times and places it is all of these."
Polygamy was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890 by between 20 and 30 percent of Latter-day Saint families.
The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days (TLC) is a breakaway sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is headquartered in Manti, Utah, United States, where as of 2004 it maintained a membership of 300 to 500 adherents. The church has a meetinghouse in Manti, and in the past also owned a building in Manti called the Red Brick Store, not to be confused with the Red Brick Store in Nauvoo, Illinois.
The Latter Day Saint movement is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Joseph Smith in the late 1820s.
The Church of Christ was the original name of the Latter Day Saint church founded by Joseph Smith. Organized informally in 1829 in upstate New York and then formally on April 6, 1830, it was the first organization to implement the principles found in Smith's newly published Book of Mormon, and thus its establishment represents the formal beginning of the Latter Day Saint movement. Later names for this organization included the Church of the Latter Day Saints, the Church of Jesus Christ, the Church of God, the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
In orthodox Mormonism, the term God generally refers to the biblical God the Father, whom Latter Day Saints also refer to as Elohim or Heavenly Father, while the term Godhead refers to a council of three distinct divine persons consisting of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. However, in Latter Day Saint theology the term God may also refer to, in some contexts, the Godhead as a whole or to each member individually.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has several unique teachings about Judaism and the House of Israel. The largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement, the LDS Church teaches the belief that the Jewish people are God's chosen people and it also teaches the belief that its members share a common and literal Israelite ancestry with the Jewish people.
Mormon fundamentalism is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and John Taylor, the first three presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormon fundamentalists seek to uphold tenets and practices no longer held by mainstream Mormons. The principle most often associated with Mormon fundamentalism is plural marriage, a form of polygyny first taught in the Latter Day Saint movement by the movement's founder, Smith. A second and closely associated principle is that of the United Order, a form of egalitarian communalism. Mormon fundamentalists believe that these and other principles were wrongly abandoned or changed by the LDS Church in its efforts to become reconciled with mainstream American society. Today, the LDS Church excommunicates any of its members who practice plural marriage or who otherwise closely associate themselves with Mormon fundamentalist practices.
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith is a nonfiction book by author Jon Krakauer, first published in July 2003. He investigated and juxtaposed two histories: the origin and evolution of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a modern double murder committed in the name of God by brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who subscribed to a fundamentalist version of Mormonism.
The law of consecration is a commandment in the Latter Day Saint movement in which adherents promise to dedicate their lives and material substance to the church. It was first referred to in 1831 by Joseph Smith.
Community of Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are two denominations that share a common heritage in the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830. Since Smith's death in 1844, they have evolved separately in belief and practices. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and claims more than 17 million members worldwide; Community of Christ is headquartered in Independence, Missouri, and reports a worldwide membership of approximately 250,000.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints focuses its doctrine and teaching on Jesus Christ; that he was the Son of God, born of Mary, lived a perfect life, performed miracles, bled from every pore in the Garden of Gethsemane, died on the cross, rose on the third day, appeared again to his disciples, and now resides, authoritatively, on the right hand side of God. In brief, some beliefs are in common with Catholics, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. However, teachings of the LDS Church differ significantly in other ways and encompass a broad set of doctrines, so that the above-mentioned denominations usually place the LDS Church outside the bounds of orthodox Christian teaching as summarized in the Nicene Creed.
Islam and Mormonism have been compared to one another since the earliest origins of the latter in the nineteenth century, sometimes by detractors of one or both religions, but also at least once by Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, himself. Smith was also frequently referred to as "the Modern Muhammad" by several publications of the era, notably in the New York Herald, shortly after his assassination in June 1844. This epithet repeated a comparison that had been made from Smith's earliest career, one that was not intended at the time to be complimentary.
The name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is derived from an 1838 revelation church founder Joseph Smith said he received. Church leaders have long emphasized the church's full name, and have resisted the application of informal or shortened names, especially those which omit "Jesus Christ". These informal and shortened names include the "Mormon Church", the "LDS Church", and the "Church of the Latter-day Saints".
The following outline is provided as an overview of and a topical guide to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Remnant fellowships are a loosely organized branch of the Latter Day Saint movement formed by individuals who accept alleged divine revelations received by Denver Snuffer Jr.. The Remnant Fellowships generally feel called to personal and social renewal preparatory to Christ's eventual second coming. According to movement beliefs, participants anticipate a coming time when remnants remain within the full restored covenant with Jesus Christ: an allusion to a belief that "The Bible, Book of Mormon, and modern revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith, prophesy that the gospel of Jesus Christ would shift from the Gentile stewards of the gospel back to Israel in the last days." The movement places a renewed focus on individual communion with God, gifts of the spirit, tangible expressions of faith, and the eventual establishment of Zion. While the movement has no official name, the term "Snufferite" has been used to denote followers. Other designations include covenant of Christ movement and Denver Snuffer movement. Participants sometimes reference each other as "covenant Brother," "covenant Sister".
↑ The term Mormon fundamentalist appears to have been coined in the 1940s by LDS Church ApostleMark E. Petersen: Ken Driggs, "'This Will Someday Be the Head and Not the Tail of the Church': A History of the Mormon Fundamentalists at Short Creek", Journal of Church and State43:49 (2001) at p. 51.
↑ "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The," Associated Press, The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, 2002, ISBN0-7382-0740-3, p.48
↑ The LDS Church has taken the position that the term Mormon should only apply to the LDS Church and its members, and not other adherents who have adopted the term. (See: "Style Guide – The Name of the Church". LDS Newsroom. April 9, 2010. Archived from the original on June 13, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2011.) The Church cites the AP Stylebook, which 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." ("Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The", Associated Press, The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, 2002, ISBN0-7382-0740-3, p.48) Despite the LDS Church's position, the term Mormon is widely used by journalists and non-journalists to refer to adherents of Mormon fundamentalism.
↑ On August 18, 2018, church president Russell M. Nelson asked followers and non-followers to characterize the denomination with the name "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" instead of "Mormons", "Mormonism" or the shorthand of "LDS". "Latter Day Saints church leader rejects 'Mormon' label". BBC News. August 18, 2018. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
↑ For example, Mormon Tabernacle Choir is registered as United States Federal TM Reg. No. 2766231, and Mormon is registered in the European Community serial number EC004306701, registered July 6, 2006
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
