Mormons are dropping their nickname and asking that the Church be referred to by its full, formal, and divinely given name – even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Quoting Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, local LDS Public Affairs director, Phil Smartt said, “Mormon was a man.He was a prophet; he was a writer, a record-keeper.We honor him and treasure the book that bears his name.But we’re talking about the name of the Church.”
“It’s not the Mormon church.It’s not the LDS church.It’s not the church of the Latter-day Saints,” President Nelson said.“Those are nicknames that have been used for more than 100 years,” Mr.
Smartt continued. “But those names do not reflect who we are or what we believe.”
“We follow Jesus Christ,” Mr. Smartt said, “and that’s why since 1838 – when the Church was restored – our name has been The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”Like President Nelson said, “We’re not changing names. We’re correcting a name.”
“This is an important issue for us,” John Griffey, Stake President of the local congregations in the greater Chattanooga said.“We want to do our part in letting our friends and neighbors know that we, like them, believe Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world, that He is the living Son of the living God, and that through the Atonement of Christ all mankind be saved.”
“We especially thank our local media for helping us inform the public about our desire to correct the misnomers that have, as President Nelson said, ‘overshadowed the Church’s appropriate name.’ Further information can be found at lds.org, a site which we expect will also be renamed to reflect these corrections,” Mr. Griffey concluded.