Orthodox Christian Posted December 27, 2021 Posted December 27, 2021 It was in Antioch that followers of Jesus were first called Christians. It was a derogatory name, meant to insult, intended to show how hated Christians were by those who didn't believe, and designed to dissuade those who might show an interest in this new religion. Of course now, we who are Christians are more than happy to identify with Christ. My questions are, do you LDS, find the name Mormons at the very least unflattering? Did that name also begin in the same way, and how do you feel about it now?
Calm Posted December 27, 2021 Posted December 27, 2021 (edited) 29 minutes ago, Orthodox Christian said: My questions are, do you LDS, find the name Mormons at the very least unflattering? Did that name also begin in the same way, and how do you feel about it now? The problem with Mormon for us is that we do not worship Mormon while many think we do, he is a prophet and author of scripture. Calling ourselves Latter-day Saints is much more descriptive as well as using the actual name of the Church, which is fully The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was working in a church bookstore up in Calgary back in 2001 when a Russian Orthodox priest walked in. He was looking for a bible and must have used yellow pages to find a church bookstore. When he found out we were Mormon, he expressed much surprise at seeing all the walls of our little store covered with pictures of Christ. He had not known we were Christian. I let him know we were very much so. When we were in Moscow when my husband was teaching at Moscow university for a semester, the missionaries there said they were often spat on and people made the sign for the evil eye. Apparently many Russians thought they were sorcerers, in part because of the title Elder. Getting spat on or beaten up was not unusual for foreigners in Moscow though. We had some international students from Nigeria who attended church with us and they had gotten attacked several times. Very few Russians I talked to knew we were Christians, but easily accepted the fact once I explained it to them. There was a woman who shared since Russians had a legend of Jesus visiting them after his death (I believe there is debate whether this is an actual medieval folk legend or a misinterpretation of apostles visiting Russia), she thought the Book of Mormon made perfect sense. Back at the bookstore….I also explained to the Russian Orthodox priest while we had a number of bibles, the English ones were all KJV with LDS footnotes, meaning besides information on meaning of words, they included links to our additional scriptures. Since that was not what he was looking for, I directed him to a more generic Christian bookstore close by. Some members prefer to be called Mormon as there is a lot of positive history and identity tied to it. Not long go we had a major promotion called “I’m a Mormon”. But there have been off and on efforts to drop the term Mormon for the Church or its members in order to make it clear we are followers of Christ (no problem using for historical stuff like the Mormon Trail or cultural like this board being Mormondialogue is not referring to the Church, but all things related to the greater community); however, the most recent push to change usage has been massive and is having a big impact among members. I do think will change much nonmember usage, but hopefully the fact we are Christian will become much better known. And as long as we don’t have a convenient term for Mormonism that doesn’t use the term Mormon, I don’t see it as possible for “Mormon” to disappear in being used as a label for us. Edited December 27, 2021 by Calm 2
InCognitus Posted December 27, 2021 Posted December 27, 2021 Just now, Orthodox Christian said: My questions are, do you LDS, find the name Mormons at the very least unflattering? Did that name also begin in the same way, and how do you feel about it now? Referring to a person as a "Christian" at least indicates that they are a follower of Christ. So even though the original intent was derogatory it was a good descriptive term, although these days it's rather broad in meaning since there are so many different kinds of "Christians". But the name "Mormon" refers to a single prophet, one of many prophets (that name was used for us because of our belief in the Book of Mormon), and while we do follow teachings of the prophet Mormon (as we do other prophets) and the Book of Mormon, it doesn't describe who we really are as followers of Christ. So being called "Mormon" is not helpful, because we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We would rather be known as members of Christ's church, taking upon us his name. 2
Stargazer Posted December 27, 2021 Posted December 27, 2021 27 minutes ago, Orthodox Christian said: It was in Antioch that followers of Jesus were first called Christians. It was a derogatory name, meant to insult, intended to show how hated Christians were by those who didn't believe, and designed to dissuade those who might show an interest in this new religion. Of course now, we who are Christians are more than happy to identify with Christ. Yes we are! 27 minutes ago, Orthodox Christian said: My questions are, do you LDS, find the name Mormons at the very least unflattering? Did that name also begin in the same way, and how do you feel about it now? Yes, it did begin with that. But much like the Christians of yore, we took upon ourselves the title with, if not glee, then at least without rancor. For myself, I have no objection to be referred to as a Mormon. To me, it's a dignified title, so why not? But at base, I am a Christian. The Church itself, has officially discouraged the sobriquet for quite some time, and very recently has been earnestly rebranding itself. I'm pretty sure it will never fully succeed -- the idea of "Mormon Church" is too old and traditional. I know why the Church is doing the rebranding, though. It's because there are too many people who have gotten the idea that we are not Christians, as if we were non-Christians, who perhaps worship a being called "Mormon". I agree with the effort to rebrand, for just that reason. But a few things sound odd to me. This includes the name of that famous choir, now called The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Formerly, and for well over a hundred years, it was called the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. 1
bluebell Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 4 hours ago, Orthodox Christian said: It was in Antioch that followers of Jesus were first called Christians. It was a derogatory name, meant to insult, intended to show how hated Christians were by those who didn't believe, and designed to dissuade those who might show an interest in this new religion. Of course now, we who are Christians are more than happy to identify with Christ. My questions are, do you LDS, find the name Mormons at the very least unflattering? Did that name also begin in the same way, and how do you feel about it now? We used to go by it a lot, even in official channels. Some members don't mind about the nickname of Mormon but many are trying harder to use the full name of the church so that our commitment to Christ is always at the forefront. Either way, it's a rare member that would actually be offended to be referred to as a Mormon. I love this story that was shared in our last General Conference. You can find the whole talk here but below is the part that I thought of when I read your question. Brother Lauri Ahola from the eastern United States admits that at times he finds it awkward to share the full name of the Church. But because of the prophet’s counsel, he persists. On one occasion, he was visiting a friend at a church of another faith. Here are his words: An acquaintance asked, “Are you a Mormon?” “‘I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, yes,’ I said. He started asking me several questions, each beginning with: ‘Does the Mormon Church believe … ?’ And each time, I began my answer with the phrase: ‘In the restored Church of [Jesus] Christ, we believe …’ “… When he noticed that I wasn’t accepting the title ‘Mormon,’ he asked me point-blank, ‘Are you not Mormon?’ “So I asked him if he knew who Mormon was—he didn’t. I told him that Mormon was a prophet … [and I was] honored to be associated with [him]. “‘But,’ I continued, ‘Mormon didn’t die for my sins. Mormon didn’t … suffer in Gethsemane or die on the cross [for me]. … Jesus Christ is my God and my Savior. … And it is by His name that I want to be known. …’ “… After a few seconds of silence, [the acquaintance exclaimed], ‘So, you are a Christian!’” 1
Orthodox Christian Posted December 28, 2021 Author Posted December 28, 2021 10 hours ago, Stargazer said: now called The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Formerly, and for well over a hundred years, it was called the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Oh no, that seems a little extreme, but as you have explained it, I can understand why. I guess the change of name will not make the Choir any less amazing.
Orthodox Christian Posted December 28, 2021 Author Posted December 28, 2021 Nicknames aren't always helpful, people have recorded that when asked about their faith they have answered Orthodox, and the questioner assumed that they were Jewish. Orthodox Christian says it all for me, and thankfully isn't a long title. What about Latter Day Saint Christian? 2
Stargazer Posted December 28, 2021 Posted December 28, 2021 (edited) 8 hours ago, Orthodox Christian said: Nicknames aren't always helpful, people have recorded that when asked about their faith they have answered Orthodox, and the questioner assumed that they were Jewish. Orthodox Christian says it all for me, and thankfully isn't a long title. What about Latter Day Saint Christian? I've heard that before, and if I remember correctly, I've actually used it at least once. It's a perfectly fine nickname, IMHO. As for Orthodox, being aware that there are both Orthodox Christians as well as Orthodox Jews, if someone used that one word to identify their faith, if it weren't already obvious from context, I'd make sure I understood first which one they meant. Now, oddly enough, I once had a dream in which a person in the dream responded to an apparently perplexed look on my part about why they were on the other side of one of those rope barriers (like you see for bank queues) by saying: "We're Orthodox Mormons!" I am not sure if the "orthodox" was supposed to be capitalized or not, but there was definitely an emphasis there. Perhaps there will be a schism of sorts later. Edited December 28, 2021 by Stargazer 1
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