MormonFAQ

Mormon FAQ page is under construction.

The purpose of this page is two-fold. First it is to give factual information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons); second it is to give advice on the consistent use of words, names, places and other elements in writing. It is hoped that the information given will be helpful to journalists and others who write about the LDS church, its doctrines or beliefs. While this page is sponsored by a pro-LDS group, every effort has been made to take a neutral position on the issues presented here. There may be links in some of the entries. Be forewarned that following those links may lead to information that is likely sponsored by pro-LDS sources.

WHO ARE THEY?

Restorationist Faiths.

Restorationist faiths or churches are defined as all faiths who can trace their origins to Joseph Smith, Jr. [1805-1844] and the religious manifestations that he had over the course of his life. Either directly or through some other faith.

It is most important that the writer keep a neutral tone when reporting on events. This is of particular concern when the writer is a member of one of the restorationist churches. Pejoratives such as apostate or break-off should never be used except in direct quotes.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

This is the largest of all of the restorationist movements and is based in Salt Lake City. Note the lower case on the word "day" and the use of hyphenation.

The Community of Christ (RLDS)

Previously known as The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This church is the only other world wide church with in the restorationist movement. Headquartered in Independence, Mo.

http://www.cofchrist.org/

Restoration Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

This group was formally organized in 1991 in response to what they felt was the liberal direction of the Community of Christ (RLDS).

'Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Another church which broke from the The Community of Christ over the issues of woman's ordination and other changes in that church

http://www.theremnantchurch.com/

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS)

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS Church) is one of America's largest practitioners of plural marriage. The FLDS Church emerged in the 1930s largely because of the LDS Church's continued practice of excommunicating any practitioners of plural marriage. There is no connection between the FLDS Church and the LDS Church as members of the FLDS church are mostly children or grandchildren of people who were excommunicated from the LDS church because of their practice of polygamy.

'Others

There are many other small denominations of restorationist churches. The purpose of this guide is not to list them all, but just to be aware that they exist. The various denominations are not affiliated with each other, so it is important to correctly identify which denomination you are referring to in anything you may write.

Mormon

The term Mormon originally started as a pejorative to identify a person who believed in The Book of Mormon. Some early newspapers used the term Mormonite. While it may be tempting to use that label the same way today, the term "Mormon" used without additional modifiers has come to represent members of the Salt Lake City based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is not appropriate to identify members of the Community or Christ or members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as "Mormon" as that would be confusing. It becomes especially objectionable to the LDS church members to identify members of the FLDS as Mormons because the founders of that denomination were excommunicated from the LDS church.

TERMS

A

Aaronic Priesthood This is one of the two Latter-Day Saints priesthoods. It is made up of three offices Deacon, Teacher and Priest each with increasing duties. In the LDS Church it is generally given to young men starting at age 12. In the RLDS and most other restorationist churches it is given to adults most of the time. Capitalize both words. See priesthood.

Aaronic Order A communal restorationist faith in and around Esk-Dale, Utah.

apostate Never use the word apostate to describe or label any church or person. If a church can trace it's origins to another church then it should be stated in that way. For example: The Restoration Church of Jesus Christ which formed by members of the RLDS Church in 1989.

Apostle A calling usually in reference to a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In the RLDS Church it may be used as a title, Apostle John Smith. Use the term Elder in the LDS Church, Elder John Smith. a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Auditorium, The Capitalize when referencing to the building at Independence, Mo.

B

baptism for the dead The practice of baptizing a person by proxy for a deceased person. Do not capitalize. This rite is performed most often in the temples of the LDS Church.

Barlow University A college in Colorado City, Arizona operated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Barlow)

bishop A lay person called to oversee the operation of a local congregation (LDS) or to assist in the temporal affairs of the church in a given area (RLDS). Capitalize when part of the title. Bishop John Smith otherwise lower case as in the bishop's storehouse. In the RLDS and Temple Lot, etc. bishops have the general oversight and responsibility for all the temporal affairs of the church and its members.

Book of Commandments A book of scripture first published in 1833. It was reissued in 1835 as the Doctrine and Covenants. The Book of Commandments is still used by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and several other restorationist churches. .

Book of the Law of the Lord A book of scripture translated by James J. Strang in 1851. Used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strang) and related groups.

The Book of Mormon A book of scripture used by most, but not all, of the restora- tionist churches. Translated by Joseph Smith, Jr. it is also known as The Record of the Nephites by some churches. Use the word Mormon only in the context of The Book of Mormon, not as a nickname for a church or its members. The LDS Church's media style guide give the name as The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ which is rarely used even within the LDS Church. Citing scriptures from the Book of Mormon. Because the Book of Mormon has two different verse numbering systems in use it is important to cite verses from it in a consistent way. The numbering system used by the church about which the story is concerning should be used with the alternate system used afterwards. The two systems are noted as either LDS or RLDS. For example: 1Ne. 1:1 (1Ne. 1:1 RLDS) You should do this even in cases where the two numbering systems agree. Abbreviations of book titles The following are the accepted abbreviations. Table 1: default 1 Ne. 1 Nephi 2 Ne. 2 Nephi Jacob Jacob Enos Enos Jarom Jarom Omni Omni W of M Words of Mormon Mosiah Mosiah Alma Alma Hel. Helaman 3 Ne. 3 Nephi 4 Ne. 4 Nephi Morm. Mormon Ether Ether Moro. Moroni