Name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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The name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints goes back to an 1838 revelation found by Joseph Smith . Church leaders make it very important that the name of the Church is pronounced in full and that there are no informal or abbreviated names such as: "Mormon Church", "LDS Church", or "Church of Latter-day Saints".

Historical names of the church

Logo of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The LDS Church traces its origins to the April 6, 1830 back when Joseph Smith other along with five men who the Church of Christ ( Church of Christ ) formally established. The church was known by this name from 1830 to 1834. In the 1830s, the fact that there were many churches that also used this name, also from the Restoration Movement of the Campelites, added to the confusion. In May 1834, the Church announced a resolution that its name would now be Church of Latter-day Saints . The church was also sometimes called the Church of Jesus Christ , or The Church of God, or The Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints .

Adoption of the current name

In the late 1830s, Smith established a new church headquarters in Far West, Missouri . There he received a new revelation from God and named the church from now on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . The Church was known by that name until the death of Joseph Smith. After Joseph Smith's death, a number of churches emerged, each with a different successor. The largest of these, led by Brigham Young , continued to use the name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints until it was incorporated and standardized by the unrecognized state of Deseret in 1851. In January 1855, the Utah Territory legislature resumed the charter that the Church had incorporated under that name.

In 1876 the LDS Church published a new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants containing important revelations from Joseph Smith. In this new edition, the first after Smith's death, the name from Revelation of 1838 is presented as it is used by the Church today.

“And also to my faithful servants who form the council of my Church in Zion, for that is what it shall be called, and to all the elders and all the people of my Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are scattered all over the world, for that is what my last-day church is to be called, namely, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "

- Doctrine and Covenants , chapter 115, verses 3–4

Meaning of the name

The Church teaches that her name is an important part of her origin and mission. The following teachings have been given on various parts of her name:

  • The Church : “Notice that the article Die begins with a capital letter. "The" is an important part of their title as the Church is the official organization of baptized believers who have taken the name of Christ upon themselves. "" The word Die indicates the special position of the Church among the religions of the world. " "The word die is significant: not just Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because when you say the church you distinguish it as the only true church on earth."
  • Jesus Christ : “Under divine directive this church was named after the holy name of Jesus Christ , whose Church it is.” “The words Church of Jesus Christ proclaim that it is His Church.” “With all due respect, the Church called Mormon to name it would make it a Mormon Church. While many members are not offended by the word Mormon, they prefer the name that better represents their relationship with Jesus Christ. "
  • of the Saints : “ Saint means that members follow Jesus Christ, seek to do his will, keep his commandments, and prepare to live with him and his Father again in the future. Holy simply means trying to keep their life holy by following a covenant with Christ. A saint is a believer in Christ and knows of his perfect love. ... A saint serves others. ... A saint is tolerant and pays attention to other people's wishes. ... A saint keeps his distance from idolatry and tries to learn by studying and having faith. ... A saint is honest and kind. ... A saint is an honorable citizen. ... A saint resolves all differences with others honestly and peacefully and is always kind ... A saint rejects what is impure and derogatory and even tries not to get too much of it so that it is good. Most importantly, a saint should be worshipful. Worship of God, of the earth he created, of church leaders, for the welfare of others, for the law, for the sanctity of life, for churches and other buildings, these are all evidence of sacred beliefs. "
  • of the latter days : " The last days means that this is the same church that Jesus founded during his mortal ministry, but restored in these last days."

Informal and abbreviated names

Since its inception, church leaders have resisted the temptation to use informal or abbreviated names for the church. However, because of members' faith in the Book of Mormon, the name Mormon became more common.

Church leaders have resisted this practice and call on members not to call the church that.

In 2001 the Church published a manual on her name, which she updated on August 15, 2018. In it she asked the following of those who write about her:

“The first time it is mentioned, give the full name of the church: 'Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.' If you would like to use a shorter term, please select 'the church' or 'the church of Jesus Christ'. 'The restored Church of Jesus Christ' is also correct and recommended. Although the term 'Mormon Church' has long been used by the public as the name of the Church, it is not approved and the Church does not recommend its use. Please avoid using the abbreviation 'LDS' or the nickname 'Mormons' as a substitute for the Church, as in 'Mormon Church', 'LDS Church' or 'Church of Latter-day Saints'. "

When the manual was updated in 2018, current President Russell M. Nelson condemned the use of the Mormon name . He called for the church to be called only by its real name.

Explanations of the English name

The English name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . The common abbreviation for this is LDS . With the full name, make sure that Latter-day Saints only stands for members of this church, but Latter Day Saints for all Mormon churches .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Chapter 2: Establishing the Foundations of the Church" , Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. LDS Church, Salt Lake City, Utah 1996.
  2. ^ A b c Susan Easton Black : Name of the Church. ( Memento of the original from May 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Daniel H. Ludlow (ed.): Encyclopedia of Mormonism . Macmillan, New York 1992, p. 979. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / eom.byu.edu
  3. ↑ a b c d Richard Lloyd Anderson : I Have a Question: What changes have been made in the name of the Church? In: Ensign , January 1979.
  4. ^ Minutes of a Conference. In: Evening and Morning Star , Vol. 2, No. 20, p. 160 (May 1832).
  5. ^ A b Joseph Smith ( BH Roberts , ed.): History of the Church . 3 : 24, footnote.
  6. ↑ Manuscript History of the Church , LDS Church Archives, Book A-1, p. 37; reproduced in C. Jessee (comp.): The Papers of Joseph Smith: Autobiographical and Historical Writings. Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah 1989, Vol. 1, pp. 302-303.
  7. ^ H. Michael Marquardt, Wesley P. Walters: Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record. Signature Books, Salt Lake City, Utah 1994, p. 160.
  8. ↑ a b J. Reuben Clark Law Society , Law and the Church as to the institution , jrcls.org.
  9. ^ A b c Russell M. Nelson : "Thus Shall My Church Be Called". In: Ensign , May 1990.
  10. ^ A b c d M. Russell Ballard : The Importance of a Name. In: Liahona , Nov. 2011.
  11. ↑ Harold B. Lee : The Way to Eternal Life. In: Ensign , November 1971.
  12. ↑ The Saints. In: Evening and Morning Star , Vol. 2, No. 20, pp. 158-159 (May 1834).
  13. ↑ George Albert Smith : Conference Report (April 1948), p. 160: “Don't let the Lord down by calling this the Mormon Church. He didn't call it the Mormon Church. It is all right for us to believe in the Book of Mormon. He expects us to do that, but he told us what to call this Church. "
  14. ^ Church should be called by its revealed name (editorial). In: Church News , Feb.17, 2001.
  15. ↑ Style Guide: Name of the Church . In: Latter-day Saint Church of Jesus Christ's press site . August 15, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  16. ↑ Mormons no longer want to be called Mormons Spiegel Online