DispensatorMysteriorum Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) I’ve been thinking lately about how some of our choices of words may confuse people of other faiths. I’m not talking about theological-ridden terminology (although we can be very imprecise about that too), but more about our terminology associated with worship. I like to call these funny words/phrases "mormon-isms."Some of the terms I think are foreign for how “dated” they are as well (e.g. Holy “Ghost” instead of “Spirit”). What does a modern American teenager think when we say they can have the “Holy Ghost” with them? That’s a topic for another time, I guess, but it relates to my overall concern–how much we confuse people or put them off even by our strange terminology? Could we be a little more conscientious about how we say things without doing damage to our doctrine? I think so. Here are some examples that come to mind with some alternative terms we could use:Sacrament Meeting–> Sacrament ServiceBear testimony–> Testify/WitnessGive a talk (this, by far, is the weirdest thing we routinely say)–> Speak in Church/PreachGive a prayer–> Offer a prayer (or simply “pray.” e.g., ’After the hymn, Brother Smith will pray’).Are there any others you can think of? Edited October 31, 2011 by DispensatorMysteriorum
John Larsen Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 Counsel (v): To give orders to, especially by a file leader. (i.e. "The Stake President counseled us to have Priesthood Leadership Meeting every Sunday at seven am.") 1
cinepro Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 I don't condone "Mormon-isms", or any -ism for that matter. -Ism's in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me." Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off people. 2
altersteve Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 "Fry sauce."I know it's a Utah (not just LDS) thing, but I jokingly asked a cashier at a fast food restaurant in California if they had any fry sauce when I was there last weekend. The look they gave me was priceless.
ERMD Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 Saintspeak: The Mormon Dictionary This is really funny.
Mansquatch Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 I don't condone "Mormon-isms", or any -ism for that matter. -Ism's in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me." Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off people.Bueller, Bueller
Mansquatch Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 "Fry sauce."I know it's a Utah (not just LDS) thing, but I jokingly asked a cashier at a fast food restaurant in California if they had any fry sauce when I was there last weekend. The look they gave me was priceless.I hear tell that it's a Canadian thing too.
Calm Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) I hear tell that it's a Canadian thing too.Yep and gravy on French fries and cheese: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry_sauce Edited October 31, 2011 by calmoriah
LeSellers Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) Yep and gravy on French fries [is "a Canadian thing"]Or vinegar. Lehi Edited October 31, 2011 by LeSellers
LeSellers Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 Or vinegar.Malt vinegar....You couldn't think I meant distilled vinegar, could you?Lehi
Loran Blood Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) Some of the terms I think are foreign for how “dated” they are as well (e.g. Holy “Ghost” instead of “Spirit”). What does a modern American teenager think when we say they can have the “Holy Ghost” with them? Its biblical - as well as BofM - terminology. As to what the typical modern American teenager thinks about certain traditional patterns of language usage within the Church, well, I'll just leave that alone for now (and I'm not sure why the "teenager," being a rather recent cultural creation (just since the fifties), gets to be the central determinant of how language is traditionally been used in the Church to describe various of its activities and theological concepts).That’s a topic for another time, I guess, but it relates to my overall concern–how much we confuse people or put them off even by our strange terminology? Could we be a little more conscientious about how we say things without doing damage to our doctrine? I think so. Here are some examples that come to mind with some alternative terms we could use: Sacrament Meeting–> Sacrament ServiceBear testimony–> Testify/WitnessGive a talk (this, by far, is the weirdest thing we routinely say)–> Speak in Church/PreachGive a prayer–> Offer a prayer (or simply “pray.” e.g., ’After the hymn, Brother Smith will pray’).Are there any others you can think of?Most of these appear to me to be trivialities, at the very best. Does it really matter that much that we say "sacrament" and not "partaking of the holy Eucharist," or "give a talk" rather than "preach a sermon?" Indeed, LDS speakers at LDS sacrament services, not being clergy at all, in the traditional sense, are not therefore "preachers" in the traditional sense, but delivering discourses or "talks" on gospel subjects, which include teaching, preaching, and bearing of testimony.Anyone here up for composing an example of the bearing of testimony in valleyspeak?Like, dude, I know the Church is knarly. Like, totally. Edited October 31, 2011 by Loran Blood
William Schryver Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 Counsel (v): To give orders to, especially by a file leader. (i.e. "The Stake President counseled us to have Priesthood Leadership Meeting every Sunday at seven am.")I think it's pretty funny that John's relevance here has devolved to the point that no one even pays attention anymore when he drops one of these drive-by bombs.
cinepro Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 Saintspeak: The Mormon Dictionary telestial kingdom 1. The only place in the hereafter where no one will be surprised to see anyone except himself. 2. The only place in the hereafter where you won’t have to make a bunch of new friends. 3. The only place in the hereafter where there will be enough Mormons to hold a really good softball tournament.
Scott Lloyd Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) This is really funny.It's been around for decades.I acquired it in the early '80s, when it was first published and still have it in my library. It was written by Orson Scott Card, who has since made a name for himself as a popular science fiction writer.The humor is clever, but a bit edgy. It may be just my perception, but it seems that Card has mellowed a bit over the years, as shown in his current column in the Mormon Times section of the Deseret News. Edited October 31, 2011 by Scott Lloyd
Scott Lloyd Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 "Fry sauce."I know it's a Utah (not just LDS) thing, but I jokingly asked a cashier at a fast food restaurant in California if they had any fry sauce when I was there last weekend. The look they gave me was priceless.It was reportedly invented in Utah (by Arctic Circle drive-ins) but I don't believe it's strictly a Utah thing anymore.In any event, I think it a treasure. To me, it is among the ultimate comfort foods. Fattening, yes, but then, most food that tastes good is.And it's not all that unusual. I was at Crown Burger one day and ordered a meal with salad and French fries. I realized then that Crown Burger's fry sauce and its Thousand Island dressing is the self-same substance.
Doctor Steuss Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 I realized then that Crown Burger's fry sauce and its Thousand Island dressing is the self-same substance.In-n-Out Burger is the same. You can get little packs of fry sauce, which are just Thousand Island dressing.
Sky Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 In-n-Out Burger is the same. You can get little packs of fry sauce, which are just Thousand Island dressing.As long as we are on the subject of food, I can’t help but mentioning that the fixation with green-jello with carrot shreds needs to go. Yes to funeral potatoes – they are scrumptious (aside from, or because of, the saturated fat content).
Scott Lloyd Posted October 31, 2011 Posted October 31, 2011 As long as we are on the subject of food, I can’t help but mentioning that the fixation with green-jello with carrot shreds needs to go. Yes to funeral potatoes – they are scrumptious (aside from, or because of, the saturated fat content).I haven't seen the carrot shreds in a long, long time. I think that generation has mostly died off.But the funeral potatoes I think are here to stay.
mfbukowski Posted November 2, 2011 Posted November 2, 2011 "Ward house"- wards are in hospitals aren't they? Why would they be in a house, and what do they have to do with church?"The food's already blessed" - That's funny- I thought we prayed for our benefit- not the food's!"We thank Thee for the prophet, EVEN Joseph Smith"- usually reserved for the least likely candidate in the category, not the most."Stake Center"Elders- who are younger"Mormon" itself! Are "Moravians" Christian? Quick now! (Yes, but we are just as obscure to most people who haven't a clue we are either!)
mfbukowski Posted November 2, 2011 Posted November 2, 2011 I had never in my life had jello- a desert- with carrots or any vegetable, much less lime jello, in it until I was 31 and became LDS.Ice cream with broccoli anyone? Yum!
mfbukowski Posted November 2, 2011 Posted November 2, 2011 But the funeral potatoes I think are here to stay.I guess that is why we bless the food, so the funeral potatoes don't cause one right? 2
Calm Posted November 3, 2011 Posted November 3, 2011 I had never in my life had jello- a desert- with carrots or any vegetable, much less lime jello, in it until I was 31 and became LDS.Ice cream with broccoli anyone? Yum!Mentioned this elsewhere already, but worth a second look...From the create.LDS.org site listing what kind of photos they are interested in...see last line. http://lds.org/service/volunteer-and-contribute/create/current-needs/photos?lang=engOngoing NeedsMembers around the world living the gospel as individuals, families, in their callings, playing, working, and being together.Families: We’re looking for families in natural-looking, non-posed settings.Missionaries and missionary work.Temples outside of Utah: For most Utah temples, we have plenty of photos.Church history sites, pageants, and visitors’ centers: We can use photos of both inside and out.Photos that tell a story: Entertain those who will see your photos.Concepts: Teach something.Holiday and seasonal: We can use them all year round.Objects: Submit almost anything (except green Jell-O®). 1
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