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| '''Mormon''' is a colloquial term referring to people who believe that |
'''Mormon''' is a colloquial term that began (sometimes pejoratively) by referring to people who believe that The ] is divine ]. It is still used to refer to members of either The ] or one of the many smaller organizations that separated themselves from that Church. The term is derived ultimately from the name of the prophet--Mormon--by whose hand, according to Church theology, the history of the ] was preserved. | ||
| In the past, the term was widely used within the |
In the past, the term was widely used within the Church, as evidenced by the name of the Church's most prestigious choir "the ]", the names of several Church songs, such as "I'm a Mormon Boy", and the tagline "From the Church of ] of Latter-day Saints, The Mormons", which appeared at the end of a series of short television spots produced by the Church in the late 1970's. However, as early as 1979 Church leaders began discouraging use of the term due to concerns at least in part that "Mormon Church" was being used to the exclusion of the Church's official name, which is believed to have been decreed by God (see for example ). In 2001, the Church issued an official statement regarding the name of the Church and the use of the term "Mormon" in the media (see ). It encourages use of the official name of the Church or, as an abbreviated form, "the Church" or "the Church of Jesus Christ", and advises that the term "Mormon" or "Mormon Fundamentalist" is not properly applied to other religious groups, especially those now practicing polygamy. Notwithstanding, the Church has since acquired and set up a website at http://mormon.org intended for non-Mormons looking for more information. | ||
| ⚫ | Despite the Church's discouragement of "Mormon" some scholars feel it is useful to collectively describe all those groups which derive from ]. Sometimes "]" is used for this purpose instead, but that can lead to confusion, since there are an entirely different group of ] churches (those derived from Campbell, e.g. the ] and the ]) who are also called Restoration Churches. | ||
| Despite the church's efforts to restrict use of the term "Mormon" some scholars feel | |||
| ⚫ | it is useful to collectively describe all those groups which derive from ]. Sometimes "Restoration Churches" is used for this purpose instead, but that can lead to confusion, since there are an entirely different group of Christian churches (those derived from Campbell, e.g. the |
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| Some scholars (e.g. Melton, in his Encyclopedia of American Religion) subdivide the Mormons into "Utah Mormons" and "Missouri Mormons". The Missouri Mormons are those Mormons who did not travel westward to Utah, and the |
Some scholars (e.g. Melton, in his ''Encyclopedia of American Religion'') subdivide the Mormons into "Utah Mormons" and "Missouri Mormons". The Missouri Mormons are those Mormons who did not travel westward to Utah, and the organizations formed from them (the ], Strangites, Temple Lot, etc.), while the Utah Mormons are those who did travel westward to Utah, and the organizations formed from them (the Church of Jesus Christ and the various polygamy-practising groups who are separated from the Church). This nomenclature is not common within the Church and the use of Mormons or Mormon Fundamentalists in refering to organizations or groups outside of the Church is a grave misunderstanding of Mormon theology, in particular the principal of ]. | ||
| According to the theology of the |
According to the theology of the Church, Mormon was a prophet who lived in the Americas circa 400 A.D. Faced with the destruction of his people, the ], by a rival tribe known as the ], Mormon compiled a history of his people on plates of gold. This history, which was an abridgement of more extensive records, was passed on to Mormon's son, ], who buried them in order to prevent them from being destroyed by the ]. Latter-day Saints believe that the location of the plates was later revealed to ] by the ] Moroni and translated into English by divine assistance. This translation is published as ]. | ||
| === External links === | === External links === | ||
Revision as of 18:58, 23 January 2003
Mormon is a colloquial term that began (sometimes pejoratively) by referring to people who believe that The Book of Mormon is divine scripture. It is still used to refer to members of either The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or one of the many smaller organizations that separated themselves from that Church. The term is derived ultimately from the name of the prophet--Mormon--by whose hand, according to Church theology, the history of the Nephites was preserved.
In the past, the term was widely used within the Church, as evidenced by the name of the Church's most prestigious choir "the Mormon Tabernacle Choir", the names of several Church songs, such as "I'm a Mormon Boy", and the tagline "From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Mormons", which appeared at the end of a series of short television spots produced by the Church in the late 1970's. However, as early as 1979 Church leaders began discouraging use of the term due to concerns at least in part that "Mormon Church" was being used to the exclusion of the Church's official name, which is believed to have been decreed by God (see for example ). In 2001, the Church issued an official statement regarding the name of the Church and the use of the term "Mormon" in the media (see ). It encourages use of the official name of the Church or, as an abbreviated form, "the Church" or "the Church of Jesus Christ", and advises that the term "Mormon" or "Mormon Fundamentalist" is not properly applied to other religious groups, especially those now practicing polygamy. Notwithstanding, the Church has since acquired and set up a website at http://mormon.org intended for non-Mormons looking for more information.
Despite the Church's discouragement of "Mormon" some scholars feel it is useful to collectively describe all those groups which derive from Joseph Smith. Sometimes "Restoration Churches" is used for this purpose instead, but that can lead to confusion, since there are an entirely different group of Christian churches (those derived from Campbell, e.g. the Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ) who are also called Restoration Churches.
Some scholars (e.g. Melton, in his Encyclopedia of American Religion) subdivide the Mormons into "Utah Mormons" and "Missouri Mormons". The Missouri Mormons are those Mormons who did not travel westward to Utah, and the organizations formed from them (the RLDS, Strangites, Temple Lot, etc.), while the Utah Mormons are those who did travel westward to Utah, and the organizations formed from them (the Church of Jesus Christ and the various polygamy-practising groups who are separated from the Church). This nomenclature is not common within the Church and the use of Mormons or Mormon Fundamentalists in refering to organizations or groups outside of the Church is a grave misunderstanding of Mormon theology, in particular the principal of continuous revelation.
According to the theology of the Church, Mormon was a prophet who lived in the Americas circa 400 A.D. Faced with the destruction of his people, the Nephites, by a rival tribe known as the Lamanites, Mormon compiled a history of his people on plates of gold. This history, which was an abridgement of more extensive records, was passed on to Mormon's son, Moroni, who buried them in order to prevent them from being destroyed by the Lamanites. Latter-day Saints believe that the location of the plates was later revealed to Joseph Smith by the angel Moroni and translated into English by divine assistance. This translation is published as The Book of Mormon.
External links
- The entire canonical scripture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is available at http://scriptures.lds.org.