When asked what church you belong to, how do you respond?

[california boy]

17 minutes ago, rongo said:

That's really sad and disappointing. My views on homosexuality are well known, but I can't imagine any of my children not being welcome for Thanksgiving or family gatherings if they were gay. They will always be my children, no matter what. 

Things have gotten better over the years, haven't they?

My family was doing what they thought the Church wanted them to do.  It was a while ago.  The Church has changed and so has my family.  It took about 13 years.  I think about how long it took me to deal with being gay and it helps me understand.  Things are now different.  My partner and I are invited to family events now.  There is still some deep scars, but I am working hard on feeling like I can trust their love.  

17 minutes ago, rongo said:

One of our standbys is my wife's killer 7-layer Jello (alternating layers have evaporated milk, so they don't only alternate colors, they also alternate transparent and opaque. It takes a long time to do the layers the night before, because they have to set before you can do the next one, and you have to pour onto a spoon so you don't erode away the layers). This is a must for the picky kids in the extended family. 

I detest grated carrots or pineapple in Jello, though. 

My sister used to make that Jello for Thanksgiving with her son.  It does take a lot of time.  She and her son look back on that activity with strong memories of love.  Both doing the activity together and giving such a treat that took time to the family.

[Amulek]

On 4/20/2021 at 10:16 AM, Fair Dinkum said:

So I am curious to know how members of this august board refer to themselves when asked what church you belong to [...]

When someone literally asks what church I belong to, I do generally say "I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." 

And then I break out in song, "I know who I am. I know God's plan. I'll follow Him in faith..."  

 

Quote

I would also like to know if you have stopped referring to yourself as a Mormon [...]?

Nope. I'm with @rongo on this one. 

Referring to members of the church as Mormons is just too convenient to give up - especially in casual conversation.

As I've said in previous discussions on this topic, I've got no problem with referring to the church by it's official name - that's never really been a problem though (at least, not for me).

It's what to call members of the church that's the sticking point. 

Most other religions have easy-to-use naming conventions for their adherents: Jews, Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Muslims, Anglicans, Mennonites, Buddhists, Adventists, Unitarians, etc.

Plus, Mormon carries a lot of brand recognition. From the old Homefront ads which were brought to you by "the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...the Mormons," to the more recent "I'm a Mormon" media blitz. Like it or not, that's how a lot of people recognize us.

And while I'm happy to expand their understanding, at the end of the day I'm a bit of a pragmatist when it comes to communication. So, if someone asks if I'm a Mormon, I've got no problem with answering them just as Joseph F. Smith did and say, "Yes siree; dyed in the wool; true blue, through and through."
 

[Ginger Snaps]

I haven’t been asked in a while, but I did have to explain something to my kid’s teacher the other day and just said, “We’re LDS”. I didn’t even think about how I said it until after the fact, maybe until this thread . . . It’s a years long habit that is apparently going to be hard to break😄. In any case, the teacher knew exactly what that meant and we don’t live in an area where the church is prominent. 

[Scott Lloyd]

9 hours ago, AtlanticMike said:

Maybe it's a Utah thing, don't you and Bluebell live in Utah? Maybe most people in Utah just assume your Mormon/ a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?  Out here where only 1percent are Mormon, I get asked all the time. But it has lessened, I think because all this "wokeness" people are afraid you'll get offended if they point out or question something they see. 

I wish people would ask me more often. I’d welcome the chance to tell them and to engage in any ensuing conversation. 

[california boy]

7 minutes ago, Ginger Snaps said:

I haven’t been asked in a while, but I did have to explain something to my kid’s teacher the other day and just said, “We’re LDS”. I didn’t even think about how I said it until after the fact, maybe until this thread . . . It’s a years long habit that is apparently going to be hard to break😄. In any case, the teacher knew exactly what that meant and we don’t live in an area where the church is prominent. 

I remember when the whole LDS/LSD thing was confusing to a lot of people.  But that was in the 70's when LSD was in the news quite often.  LDS is a dicey term that people may or may not know.  Even when they pretend to understand.  I wonder if you had asked the teacher if she knew what LDS meant if she would be able to answer that.

I do have one other question that is a bit confusing.  If you are using LDS or Mormon, what is the difference since neither one of them contain the name of Christ, which I thought was President Nelson's big issue?

[california boy]

6 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I wish people would ask me more often. I’d welcome the chance to tell them and to engage in any ensuing conversation. 

For some reason, I can't picture you without a tie pin of the SLC temple on it.  😉 Maybe they figure it out on their own.  

Tell me honestly.  Do you wear an Angel Moroni or SLC temple pin?  Now I just have to know.

Edited April 21, 2021 by california boy

[rongo]

23 minutes ago, california boy said:

I do have one other question that is a bit confusing.  If you are using LDS or Mormon, what is the difference since neither one of them contain the name of Christ, which I thought was President Nelson's big issue?

I've noticed that, too. It seems like it's "Mormon" and not "LDS" or "Latter-day Saint" that is frowned on, even though none of them have Jesus in the title. Under President Nelson's emphasis, I've noticed general authorities now seem to say "Latter-day Saints" as the preferred title for members.* It seems to me that the long-term goal is to expunge anything "Mormon" (other than the book title Book of Mormon) as a branding strategy. 

*Elder McKay, in a recent stake conference broadcast, slipped up and said "Mormons." He laughed self-deprecatingly and joked that we aren't called that any more. It's not just that it's so entrenched, but that it's really not workable to never refer to members of the Church that way, as @Amulek noted. That was a really good point ---- I don't call it the Mormon Church, either, but referring to its members as Mormons is usually best unless it's already a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints audience.  

[strappinglad]

I suppose we could be Bahai and deal with the ramifications.🙃

[Scott Lloyd]

2 hours ago, california boy said:

For some reason, I can't picture you without a tie pin of the SLC temple on it.  😉 Maybe they figure it out on their own.  

Tell me honestly.  Do you wear an Angel Moroni or SLC temple pin?  Now I just have to know.

No. 
 

I have a CTR ring my wife bought me. That’s about it. 
 

I have a Nauvoo Temple tie I bought from a street vendor years ago when I went there for the temple dedication, but I haven’t seen it in years and don’t even know where it is. 

Edited April 21, 2021 by Scott Lloyd

[Scott Lloyd]

38 minutes ago, rongo said:

I've noticed that, too. It seems like it's "Mormon" and not "LDS" or "Latter-day Saint" that is frowned on, even though none of them have Jesus in the title. Under President Nelson's emphasis, I've noticed general authorities now seem to say "Latter-day Saints" as the preferred title for members.* It seems to me that the long-term goal is to expunge anything "Mormon" (other than the book title Book of Mormon) as a branding strategy. 

*Elder McKay, in a recent stake conference broadcast, slipped up and said "Mormons." He laughed self-deprecatingly and joked that we aren't called that any more. It's not just that it's so entrenched, but that it's really not workable to never refer to members of the Church that way, as @Amulek noted. That was a really good point ---- I don't call it the Mormon Church, either, but referring to its members as Mormons is usually best unless it's already a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints audience.  

“LDS” is disapproved, I suppose because it’s too much like a nickname. “Latter-day Saints” is a correct appellation for Church members. 
 

I disagree that it’s unworkable to follow President Nelson’s teaching. I have to remind myself sometimes that language usage doesn’t come as easily to some folks as it does to me, but I can’t honestly agree that it’s “unworkable.”

Who is Elder McKay, by the way? Is he one of the newer General Authority Seventies?

Edited April 21, 2021 by Scott Lloyd

[rongo]

35 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Who is Elder McKay, by the way? Is he one of the newer General Authority Seventies?

I don't think he's that new. Kyle S.

[AtlanticMike]

2 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I wish people would ask me more often. I’d welcome the chance to tell them and to engage in any ensuing conversation. 

You want me to order one of these and send it to you? 😁😁. Probably start a couple conversations.

 

[Scott Lloyd]

8 minutes ago, AtlanticMike said:

You want me to order one of these and send it to you? 😁😁. Probably start a couple conversations.

 

Nah. It would probably be ineffective here in Utah. 

[AtlanticMike]

5 hours ago, bluebell said:

I've got plenty of neighbors that aren't members (we live next to Hill Air Force base so we have a lot of people in the area who come here to work on the base) but the one's I live closest to already assume I'm a member by default.  It's never a question that is asked.

5 or 6 weeks ago I was finishing up a job for a retired Navy captain and when I went inside his home to talk money he offered me a beer, I said no thanks but I'll take a water. Then he offers me a cigar😁, again, no thanks. Yep, next question, are you Mormon? For some reason I get asked all the time. 

[Scott Lloyd]

5 minutes ago, AtlanticMike said:

5 or 6 weeks ago I was finishing up a job for a retired Navy captain and when I went inside his home to talk money he offered me a beer, I said no thanks but I'll take a water. Then he offers me a cigar😁, again, no thanks. Yep, next question, are you Mormon? For some reason I get asked all the time. 

I’ve been helping my daughter with high school psychology. The chapter on psychotropic drugs discussed barbiturates, stimulants, depressants, etc. and ran the whole gamut, including alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. In the back of my mind, I wondered if it would mention Latter-day Saints. Sure enough, it discussed religious culture as affecting one’s motivation to use or abstain and listed Orthodox Jews, “Mormons” and Mennonites as the three groups with the lowest incidence of nicotine addiction. 

[AtlanticMike]

4 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I’ve been helping my daughter with high school psychology. The chapter on psychotropic drugs discussed barbiturates, stimulants, depressants, etc. and ran the whole gamut, including alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. In the back of my mind, I wondered if it would mention Latter-day Saints. Sure enough, it discussed religious culture as affecting one’s motivation to use or abstain and listed Orthodox Jews, “Mormons” and Mennonites as the three groups with the lowest incidence of nicotine addiction. 

🤯🤯 Scott!! Did you actually just type the word MORMON. 😂Just kidding bro, just kidding, just kidding. 

   Mennonites are awesome people and extremely hard workers. There's a group of Mennonites where I live that have sold off land for last 100 years to family members as they grow up and get married. It started out as one big farm, I think it was like 600 acres and two families back then and has now grown to at least 50 or 60 families. Extremely tight knit, immaculate yards and houses, modest, and very friendly. They have a lot of home remedies and natural concoctions they'll use for medicinal purposes before going to a doctor. I was on a job years ago and tried an herbal tea a Mennonite plumber home brewed. It tasted like an old railroad tie. 10 minutes later I was in the portal potty bent over in pain wishing I was dead😁. I think I was set up, maybe they also have a great sense of humor, who knows.

[2BizE]

I often say that I am “Mormonish”

Edited April 21, 2021 by 2BizE

[AtlanticMike]

4 minutes ago, 2BizE said:

I often say that I am “Mormonism”

Said that way sounds like a super hero

[2BizE]

1 hour ago, AtlanticMike said:

Said that way sounds like a super hero

Autocorrect problem...I say Mormonish 

[AtlanticMike]

7 minutes ago, 2BizE said:

Autocorrect problem...I say Mormonish 

Sounds like a Jewish super hero 😂

[2BizE]

23 minutes ago, AtlanticMike said:

Sounds like a Jewish super hero 😂

I’ll take that as a complement m.  I know of many great Jewish heros

[AtlanticMike]

16 minutes ago, 2BizE said:

I’ll take that as a complement m.  I know of many great Jewish heros

Here's my favorite Jewish super hero🤣. Ok, I'm done, I promise.

 

[Amulek]

20 hours ago, california boy said:

I do have one other question that is a bit confusing.  If you are using LDS or Mormon, what is the difference since neither one of them contain the name of Christ, which I thought was President Nelson's big issue?

I think the preference for not using Mormon when referring to people is kind of an implicit, second-degree association with the name of the church. If Catholics go to the Catholic Church, and Baptists go to the Baptist Church, then perhaps people might incorrectly assume that Mormons must go to the Mormon Church.

Though, to the extent that people do actually think that, I'm not certain that they believe "Mormon Church" is what our church is actually called.

In President Nelson's remarks he also made a comment about how people might mistakenly believe that we are disciples of Mormon. I didn't find that to be a very compelling point.

To begin with, I don't think most people even know Mormon is a person, so I don't know how it would even be possible for them to think us as his disciples. And, even if they did recognize it as being a proper name, I don't know that it then follows that we are his disciples. I mean, I certainly don't believe Baptists are disciples of John the Baptist instead of Jesus Christ. Or that Jews are disciples of Judah and not Yahweh. Many people may not believe that Mormons are proper Christians, but they certainly know we are Christian-y (Christian-ish?).

 

[Scott Lloyd]

6 hours ago, Amulek said:

I think the preference for not using Mormon when referring to people is kind of an implicit, second-degree association with the name of the church. If Catholics go to the Catholic Church, and Baptists go to the Baptist Church, then perhaps people might incorrectly assume that Mormons must go to the Mormon Church.

Though, to the extent that people do actually think that, I'm not certain that they believe "Mormon Church" is what our church is actually called.

In President Nelson's remarks he also made a comment about how people might mistakenly believe that we are disciples of Mormon. I didn't find that to be a very compelling point.

To begin with, I don't think most people even know Mormon is a person, so I don't know how it would even be possible for them to think us as his disciples. And, even if they did recognize it as being a proper name, I don't know that it then follows that we are his disciples. I mean, I certainly don't believe Baptists are disciples of John the Baptist instead of Jesus Christ. Or that Jews are disciples of Judah and not Yahweh. Many people may not believe that Mormons are proper Christians, but they certainly know we are Christian-y (Christian-ish?).

 

I don’t recall any disinformation campaigns being waged against Baptists to the effect that they are not a Christian faith. And, to my knowledge, they are not under direct commandment from Jesus Christ to formally attach His name to their church. 

[Calm]

16 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I don’t recall any disinformation campaigns being waged against Baptists to the effect that they are not a Christian faith.

Catholics are attacked this way. Second condition doesn’t apply that I am aware of though.  

added:

Jehovah’s Witnesses are closer, attacked as nonChristian and has a name of God in their title ...wonder how their name was chosen.  There are many nicknames for them that drop “Jehovah” as well.
 

added:  Their name was even changed to better show relationship with God.

Quote

who changed the group’s name to Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1931 to emphasize its members’ belief that Jehovah, or Yahweh, is the true God and that the Witnesses were his specially chosen followers. 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jehovahs-Witnesses

Edited April 22, 2021 by Calm