‘Mormon’ Denounced By Church As A Nickname That’s No Longer Acceptable

The president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell M. Nelson, has declared that the term “Mormon” is no longer an acceptable nickname for the church or its followers. The church published a new style guide to help clarify all of the updates and changes, which also lists what names and abbreviations are appropriate to use.

While calling it “Church of Jesus Christ” or “the restored Church of Jesus Christ” is acceptable, “Mormon Church,” “LDS Church,” or “Church of the Latter-day Saints” are not. Meanwhile, followers of the faith should no longer be referred to as “Mormons,” but rather “Latter-day Saints” or “member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” according to Deseret News. Moreover, terms like “Mormonism” are no longer accepted.

The move comes after over a decade of its followers calling themselves “Mormons” and the term becoming well-known and associated with the church. In fact, during an international branding campaign, they showed people saying their name and following it up with a statement that “I’m a Mormon.”

Meanwhile, internal websites and publications sport the term “Mormon.” This includes the Mormon Channel, Mormon Messages, and Meet the Mormons movie. Its verified Twitter handle is @LDSchurch, and news is posted on what’s called the Mormon newsroom.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints releases new guidelines for its name, including that the word "Mormon" should no longer be used to refer to its membershttps://t.co/eV6FVG4b38

— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) August 16, 2018

The irony was not lost on Twitter users.

“No more using the word Mormons, reports Mormon Newsroom,” one user said. Others pointed out that the changes are likely to be confusing for those not associated with the church. Meanwhile, others poked fun at the reasoning behind the change. Someone else wondered how effective the guidelines are going to be for enacting change within the general public. After all, the term “Mormon” and “LDS” are short and concise, precisely what the modern world likes. On the other hand, saying “members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” could be time-consuming and confusing.

The change will affect approximately 16 million members, reported NBC News. And while their website and other publications currently use the term “Mormon,” it will reportedly complete necessary updates soon.

I am:

? gay

? straight

? a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I ask that the term "Mormon" or "LDS" not be used, except in proper names or as an adjective in historical expressions or in times of winter or famine

— BCC (@ByCommonConsent) August 16, 2018

However, the change in the style guide might be in vain. In 2002, the church attempted to impose similar rules, saying that the church should be addressed by its full name rather than as “Mormon.” But that didn’t work, and in 2012, the religion was using mormon.org and using the term to advertise their religion.

So for now, the only proper ways to use the word Mormon is in noted contexts like the “Book of Mormon” or the “Mormon Trail.”