This guy after he was about to buy food told me he'd just eat elsewhere because he had to go do work for "the church". I only know he's mormon because he asked me if I am (another weird thing mormons do. Asking strangers if they're mormon)

i like that also. i always like to get all wide-eyed and ask in my innocent voice, "which church?"

i have lived in Utah my entire life, 40 years, so of course I know damn well which church, but it makes them nutsy when i ask. ;)

When Christians say "the Church" they mean the entire body of Christianity. Another difference between Mormons and Christians.

Not necessarily.
I know catholics who use 'the church' to refer spcifically to the catholic church.

Up until a few years ago, 'the church' in the UK meant the church of England (Anglicans) [nowadays, due to multiculturalism, I think people are more likely to make the distinction]

I dont see it as a purely mormon distinction

"The church", or similar, is used in any society where it's meaning is implied and generally understood. In Utah "the church" means the Mormon church. In most of England it still means the Church of England. In Ireland it *always* means the Catholic church, to the extent that Irish Mormons talking to other Irish Mormons will probably qualify and say "our church" and would never say "the church" to mean the Mormon church when talking to strangers.

Well, in Utah "the church" means only one thing. It irks me because there are lots of other churches here. When "the church" is referenced on the news it seems rather arrogant that the assumption is that they are referring to the LDS church.

There is such an undertone here. You don't really key into right away, but after 3+ years it really grinds on you.

There really seems to be a huge bubble around this state. Wishing I never moved here, and looking forward to the day when we can leave this crazy town!

Inside of Utah, this is the vernacular.

Outside of Utah, it usually means Catholocism. :)

It is fine assuming everyone understands which church you are talking about, but if there is no frame of reference such as when you are talking to a stranger, it is rude to assume that they are Mormon or know which church you are talking about.

When people say "the church". I always ask, St Peters? Is is after all the biggest church.

As I recall, they said members shuold just say "the church" because 1, everyone knew what you meant and those who didn't were the ones you needed to share it with and 2, it really was the only "church".

It's funny how many people in Utah assume I'm Mormon, and that I know what they're talking about when they use Mormon slang. Sometimes I'll have complete strangers come up to me and ask out of the blue where I went on my mission (I never went on one). I'll ask them what mission and for who, and they just stare at me in shock, then they give me the typical Mormon shrug-off like, eh, he's one of "them."



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2012 01:11PM by happyexmormon.

I was having a conversation with my mormon friend about "the church" and I kept referring to it as "your church". After a few minutes of this, he got really frustrated and said "why do you keep saying your church? It's THE church". I told him it's not my church, it's yours. haha He didn't know how to respond.

is to "misunderstand" that statement as catholic and treat them accordingly.

Something along the lines of: "You work for the church? What did you think of the Pope's last encyclical?"

Then wait for the deer-in-the-headlights reaction. :)

Oh, I love that! I'm going to file that away for future use.

Thirty plus years ago, I was a new police officer in a Utah community when the dispatcher called my car number on the radio and announced (imagine a syrupy dispatcher voice) "Go to The Church on a reported vandalism, the complainant will meet you there".

Well, being nevermo, but growing up in southern Utah. I pulled over to the side of the road and responded "10-4". I then waited about 5 minutes and annouced, that I was going to be out of my car at the Catholic Church on the report.

The dispatch advised me, "Not the Catholic church, The Church".

I responded "10-4" again, waited about four minutes and announced I was going to be out at the Baptist Church.

An upset dispatcher then told me, "No not that church, The LDS Stake Center".

I replied I was en-route. I never had a disptacher use "The Church" as a location on another call.

Ha ha--that is totally funny!

I never use "church" and mormon in the same sentence. I can not see anything "church" about the mormons.

I am learning the fact that "church" and Mormonism exclusive of each other thanks to this site....thank you everyone for confirming as fact what I've suspected for the last 40+ years...

Worse is when they refer anyone that isn't Mormon as a "nonmember". Imagine the outrage if Catholics suddenly started calling Mormons "non-Catholics"

Outside of Mormonism, the ONLY time I have ever heard the term “the church” used to mean a specific denomination has been when both/all participants in the conversation were aware of the particular Church being referred to; either because all those listening were in the same congregation, or because the particular denomination already had been identified earlier in the conversation.