If I may, long ago at a boy scout leadership training camp I was taught, “It is OK to write SPL on a board as a quick shorthand, but don’t say ‘ess pee ell.’ Say ‘senior patrol leader.’ It’s much better communication.” That forty-year old counsel is one that stuck in my mind and is combining this morning with seeing the Washington Post using “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” in a headline.

Did you get the captions backwards? Easy mistake to make!

Neither Brigham Young nor any other Mormon leader has ever used the neologism “LDS Christians.” The term never appears at all on the website formerly known as lds.org except (twice) as part of the phrase “non-LDS Christians.” The same Nelson-era “style guide” that tells people not to say “Mormon” also tells us not to say “LDS.”

Here’s something Brigham Young actually said:

When the wicked have power to blow out the sun, that it shines no more; when they have power to bring to a conclusion the operations of the elements, suspend the whole system of nature, and make a footstool of the throne of the Almighty, they may then think to check “Mormonism” in its course, and thwart the unalterable purposes of heaven. Men may persecute the people who believe its doctrines, report and publish lies to bring tribulation upon their heads, earth and hell may unite in one grand league against it, and exert their malicious powers to the utmost, but it will stand as firm and immovable in the midst of it all as the pillars of eternity. Men may persecute the Prophet, and those who believe and uphold him, they may drive the Saints and kill them but this does not affect the truths of “Mormonism” one iota, for they will stand when the elements melt with fervent heat, and the heavens are wrapt up like a scroll and the solid earth is dissolved. “Mormonism” stands upon the eternal basis of omnipotence. Jehovah is the “Mormonism” of this people, their Priesthood and their power; and all who adhere to it will, in the appointed day, come up into the presence of the King Eternal, and receive a crown of life.

The guy in the second picture, though, looks like he may well be saying, “Ackshually, we prefer the term ‘LDS Christians’…”

You may think it should be that way, but actually it is the progressive Mos that are conspicuously signaling their freedom from mind mommy orthodoxy or whatever by continuing to call themselves Mormon. Meanwhile the people who are most enthusiastic about Brigham Young are the people who are most enthusiastic about calling themselves latter day Saint Christians or whatever

How about “Latter-day Saints,” then? It’s traditional, it was used by Brigham Young and company, “saint” conveys the connotation of religious seriousness you want, and it’s even one of the monikers explicitly recommended in the Nelson-approved style guide — unlike “LDS Christian,” which is just something you made up.

Also, I have no idea what the last sentence in your comment was supposed to say. Cat-like typing detected!

I fixed the really shocking schizo level incoherence in my prior comment. Sorry

Also, in difference to your sensibilities, I will change it to latter Day Saint Christians which is the term I believe one of the apostles used in this conference

Imagine if someone told you that it’s unpatriotic to call yourself an “American” and that all true patriots should insist on “USA Citizen” or something like that. And then we could make these awesome memes talking up USA Citizens like, uh, George Washington, and dissing Americans!

Who could object, right? After all, “America” isn’t the official name of the country.

Still, “mind mommy orthodoxy” still doesn’t make sense, I assume that “mind-numbing orthodoxy” was intended.

Sounds/reads like speech-to-text input. Blame Siri/Alexa.

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Look up the story of a nuclear accident when the non-technical secretary transcribing a meeting wrote down “an organic kitty litter” when the scientist speaking said “inorganic kitty litter.” And, even though there were several reviews and sign-offs, “an organic kitty litter” was purchased, _and used_ and eventually led to many barrels of nuclear waste popping open and leaking.

Erp… correction: one barrel burst, but 700 could potentially burst.

Clean-up for the mess of one barrel bursting ran upwards of $200 million.
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WJT: Continuing revelation. The Lord deemed that it was time for a change. Whether a correction of an error, or whether the whole scenario, both before and after the change, was “planned that way”, … it matters not.

As McConkie said (paraphrasing) “forget whatever was said before on the matter. We are now operating under new light and knowledge. So, get with the program.” _That_ is of the essence of true religion with a living prophet, and why “mainstream” Christianity is as dead today as the religion of Moses was in A.D. 34. Both were/are decayed/corrupted versions of a once-true religion that then rejected living prophets.

I realize some absolutists dislike change, but scripture, both ancient and modern, show “roll out”, development, and new marching orders as time goes on.

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Btw, IMO, most modern adult converts never did like the “Mormon” moniker.

I assumed “mind mommy” meant “obey your mother” — as in “Mamie minded Momma / Till one day in Singapore…” — implying that people who say “Mormon” are trying to be too-cool-for-school bad boys. (Not sure how goody-goody Ned Flanders fits into the picture!)

Or maybe it was just “awesome Tuesday” word salad. I’m sure G can enlighten us.

“Continuing revelation. The Lord deemed that it was time for a change.”

Certainly possible in principle, but a sudden 180 like this — Nelson literally called the policy of his immediate predecessor “a major victory for Satan” — should be a reminder that Church Presidents are not infallible and that not everything they do is driven by continuing revelation. Red flags like the Church’s recent embrace of birdemic values and the “anti” racist movement serve to make this even clearer.

In the end, we must each rely on our own personal discernment. I have not been shy about saying what I personally discern.

“Mormons are afraid to offend.”

The new naming policy is intended to make Mormons more palatable in countries where the word “Christian” is familiar and has positive connotations, as opposed to being “as different as can be”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5je6XURzsM

WJT: I remember Pres Monson putting out the same directive. At least once, maybe twice. It was in a letter sent out to all bishops and was read over the pulpit in sacrament meetings. It was also in the online newsroom. It might still be online. I’m thinking 2008 era, if you want to look it up.

However, apparently Pres Monson didn’t do it forcefully enough, and the PR department then did the “I am a Mormon” campaign.

Pres Nelson basicly said the same thing as Pres Monson in the over-the-pulpit-letter, but just put more weight or force behind it, effectively saying “and now we mean it.”

President Nelson’s “we _will_ do it this time” was obviously in full knowledge of both the corporate church’s (all the full-time non-ecclesiastical employees) and the general membership’s failure to heed Pres Monson.

So, no…. Pres Nelson did not do a 180 from his predecessor, he continued on in the same direction, completing what Pres Monson started.

As to your birdemic and racism analysis, … I think you are not seeing the bigger picture… think obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. Now is not the time to give anti-religionists more ammo in their push to remove tax exemption from religions.

Given the church’s past history, and given some member’s failure-to-get-with-the-new-program since 1978, I think Pres Oaks’ recent remarks were wise in regards to current events.

@ WJT,
What I’m seeing is that the church is picking their battles carefully.

It is well within our doctrine to avoid *actual* racism, and I have noticed that the Brethren have carefully avoided much of the woke language on the subject, instead sticking to ‘we shouldn’t be judging people based on their skin tone’, with the addendum that all people are welcome to come to Christ.

As for their pandemic policies, I do wonder if this last year has been a fire drill of sorts, as well as a sifting of the membership.