I don't get on here much at all but I am curious about the purpose of outlawing the name Mormon. Is this just a wild hair by Nelson or is it a shift in order to winnow the membership? The growth is almost down to nil. Are they moving in the direction of maintaining a solid core that will provide sustained income for the empire? I've been out for over four years and just don't give a rat's ass, but I am curious about this goofy name thing. Enlighten me, for I am a lost soul who wandered away from the flock.

there you go asking, AS IF that MORmON name avoidance thing is actually going to hold up. It aint *EVEN* going to work while Nelson is alive and pushing it. It will be deader than Nelson once Nelson passes away.

I'm of two minds:

First, I think it's a wild hair that Nelson has had for decades.

Second, it's so stupid a move that it must have been considered clever by the Q.

They want to be known as the Only True Church of Jesus Christ. The nickname: Mormons doesn't convey that.

SusieQ#1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They want to be known as the Only True Church of
> Jesus Christ.


> The nickname: Mormons doesn't
> convey that.


Hey, so WHY do not MORmONS just go with "Only True Church of Christ" ??? !!!!!!

smirkorama Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SusieQ#1 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > They want to be known as the Only True Church
> of
> > Jesus Christ.
>
>
> > The nickname: Mormons doesn't
> > convey that.
>
>
> Hey, so WHY do not MORmONS just go with "Only True
> Church of Christ" ??? !!!!!!


They said they want the whole name of the church used as in the Style Guide... and they are OK with LDS ...
That's what Dr. Nelson said.
They tried this before, of course.

I don't think it's anything more than trying to figure out how to distance themselves from the polygamists. I know several people who are hooked on some show called "Escaping Polygamy." I don't do cable TV so I haven't seen it. But apparently they use the word Mormon freely and more people have asked me if I grew up in polygamy. Those reality shows on US TV are big hits overseas. A friend of mine says the Brits love the Duggers and other weird American families. So it's bad enough that people in non-mormon areas like here in the Southeast can't distinguish between fundamentalist and mainstream mormonism, but now all these people internationally are confusing it too.

The irony is that the polygamists are the genuine Mormons.

I don't get the Latter Day Saints bit. Is that supposed to mean all of the members are saints or just the bigwigs?

I knew a family who moved from Minnesota to Salt Lake City who didn't know anything about Mormons when they arrived but were soon calling Mormons "Little Dirty Saints" after some religious discrimination on the job. They must not have been impressed.

The name of their current church campaign is "Flight into Oblivion."

My take is it's a form of cowardice, based on the anti-Mormon sentiment found online and elsewhere. They don't want to face the music or wrath of the anti- or ex-Mo movement, so by changing their name they are basically 'moving the cheese.'

It's a pawn move in a chess game, if you will. But the game pieces are still the same.

Amyjo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My take is it's a form of cowardice, based on the
> anti-Mormon sentiment found online and elsewhere.
> They don't want to face the music or wrath of the
> anti- or ex-Mo movement, so by changing their name
> they are basically 'moving the cheese.'
>
> It's a pawn move in a chess game, if you will. But
> the game pieces are still the same.


And the game is at a complete standstill. Is a reverse in the foreseeable future? Will they be able to admit to a decrease in membership? More likely they'll stop reporting the stats every April just like the billions they stockpile.

I think Nelson was like the kid that didn't start his term paper until the night before it was due. He didn't have anything significant or insightful for conference, so he just made up this bullshit about god being offending by the word "mormon".

Just a gospel hobby horse of Nelson. He tried the same schtick in April 1990 but was slapped down by Hinckley in October. He's been steaming about it ever since, and after all these years has his one chance to get the last laugh on Gordon and Tommy.

He thinks that every single one of his random brain farts is a revelation from god, and Wendy is certainly egging him on from the shadows.

I loved your "random brain fart" description so memed it here:

http://salamandersociety.com/conference/Russell-Nelson-revelation-fart.jpg

It was made, for people just like you [not saying there are any, besides yourself, of course; but if there were], who don't lead, and surely don't follow, but simply question stupid questions, laws, and actions.

Good work!

It's just an effort to "look busy".

Yep. They are stagnant.

They are trying to do something-anything to try to make it seem like they are progressing.

They know "rebranding" works for other companies that have become stodgy and stagnant.


They are following their prophet Orwell.

I think he'll regret it because I don't think 'Christers' is going to catch on.

The human mind appreciates shortcuts, nicknames. Even those born in an attempt to vilify or make fun of, can take hold and morph into a respectable nickname.

I join the crowd that says 'mormon' will never, ever go away. Meaning Jesus is going to be pissed.

elderolddog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think he'll regret it because I don't think
> 'Christers' is going to catch on.
>
> The human mind appreciates shortcuts, nicknames.
> Even those born in an attempt to vilify or make
> fun of, can take hold and morph into a respectable
> nickname.
>
> I join the crowd that says 'mormon' will never,
> ever go away. Meaning Jesus is going to be
> pissed.


Think Jesus will stomp his feet, throw a tantrum, hold his breath? If he exists (highly unlikely) could he even give a rat's ass? Just like I don't give a rat's ass? Highly likely. 16 million (highly unlikely as a true number) versus 7 billion? COJCOLDS doesn't even show up on many radar screens. Oblivion.

Even back in the early 1990s, Nelson gave a conference talk about it and then 6 months later Hinckley basically told Nelson to shove his pet peeve up his peepstone. Hinckley said that there was nothing wrong with using the nickname Mormon and that it was a great name and, in any case, it was silly to try to get rid of it now. (Hinckley may actually come off looking like a prophet on this one.)

Nelson apparently nursed his pet peeve along until he finally got the Top Prophet job and now, since he has no ability to get real revelation, he has decided to use his pet peeve as pseudo-revelation.

He may actually be regretting it now. It's like one of those ideas that you have for years and years, but you never get a chance to get people to listen to the idea. But then one day you do get the chance to put it out there in a really big way...and as soon as you do, you start realizing that it was never really a good idea. You wonder how you missed seeing all the problems with that idea for all those years that you were thinking about it in your head.

It really is idiotic. The church has officially invested tons of time and money in developing the "Mormon" brand as something positive for the past many decades. They have official sub-organizations and websites that use the name. Nelson's Pet Peeve contradicts virtually all past prophets' utterances on the subject.

At some point, when the history of this era is written, this will probably be referred to as "Nelson's Folly" or "Nelson's Pet Peeve." It certainly won't be referred to as inspired revelation.

Makes me think Nelson has lost his mind.

My impression as a nevermo: the whole thing is badly done, lack of planning, coordination, no sign it was well thought out.

Based on that I wouldn't take it as a shift in direction. More an impulsive move on the part of one man.

One might say that Rusty is trying to use an oar to steer the Mortanic away from the icebergs.

Also won't be the first time it doesn't work.

He probably was the type of doctor who got mad when someone addressed him as Doc or Mr. Nelson. Formal, no nicknames, and give me all the honor I deserve I personally see as his mantra.

Hmmm...

mormon.org is still up and going.

And yet, the big article on "lds.org" says: "My dear brothers and sisters, I promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen.

So is mormonnewsroom.org

Maybe they should have given some thought to roll out

Just Wonderin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hmmm...
>
> mormon.org is still up and going.
>
> And yet, the big article on "lds.org" says: "My
> dear brothers and sisters, I promise you that if
> we will do our best to restore the correct name of
> the Lord’s Church, He whose Church this is will
> pour down His power and blessings upon the heads
> of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we
> have never seen.

"The likes of which we have never seen." ???

Au contraire! I have had a surfeit of blessings! RfM being one of them! Also included is sleeping in on Sundays, not paying tithing and not having to genuflect to pompous old White Men!

In another thousand years, MORmONISM will be lucky to be considered as a pimple on the back of traditional Christianity, a NON Christian pimple that is !!!!

It's a leader with a lot of confidence thinking he can finally make the nickname "Mormon" go away. I think it's impossible without changing the name of the church to something shorter.

Community of Christ is a nice, friendly, short name but that one is taken.

problematic, depending on how you pronounce it. Worse than the LSD vs. LDS confusion.

I really don't think that Nelson really thought it out very well.

He gave that sermon back in 1990 about the importance of remembering the full, official name of the Church. It was okay as a sentiment, as long as it was just to gently remind members to keep the "savior's name" in their hearts.

But when Hinckley put Nelson in his place 6 months later by declaring that it was okay to keep using the nickname Mormon, it just seems like Nelson's ego and hurt feelings took over and instead of carefully exploring whether his idea could be implemented in a practical way, he just nursed his hurt feelings and grudge until he got the power to give it full expression. Now he has a stupid, half-baked mess on his hands.

The devout members, as they are wont to do, are busy trying to follow the prophet. But I suspect that even they are already starting to see how poorly thought out it is, how impractical it is and how ridiculous it is to feel a need to say the full, long name of the Church anytime you refer to it...only then to have to explain that you're talking about the Mormon church.

Gordon B Hinckley was more experienced with public relations than Russel M. Nelson. From what I've heard is Russel M. Nelson is a very self-sure, confident in himself type of individual. He comes across as I know what I'm doing and you better know what you are doing.

The members will try and follow the prophet's advice to a point but not enough to make any real difference. President Nelson's health will start to go due to his age and he will die. There will be great excitement as the new prophet is announced.

President Nelson will be forgotten about and unless the new prophet wants to push the "No More Mormon" thing that too will be forgotten about.

This all will be a little blip in the Mormon church. Prophets are pretty disposable actually in the church. Does anyone give a rat's behind about Howard W Hunter or Harold B. Lee in the church anymore?

Please refer to Mr. Jeff Holland for his input regarding Asking possibly embarrassing questions about the LDS church / to church leaders....

(refer to Texas members where Sam Young lives)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2018 05:19PM by GNPE.

No. TSCC has no direction, and it will never shift.

Prob. As far as I'm concerned, would really like to see a rebrand and name change to BYU. It's terribly embarrassing that it's named after BY.

C'mon, COJCOLDS - you can do it! If my small home state university could do it, so can you! You owe it to women everywhere.

I am of the belief that this is the beginning of a movement to become more mainstream Christian, and less "weird". While Nelson has had had the name thing as a pet peeve almost 30 years, I think the "Book of Mormon" musical has spooked the leadership more than we know. The embarrassing 'secrets' that the church had been able to hide for over 150 years have not only been exposed by the internet, they are now part of a high profile, Tony Award winning satirical musical. The church is no longer viewed as unique, or peculiar, it is viewed as downright weird and silly. If it wants to survive, it needs to adapt and distance itself from the weirdness. We are seeing the beginning of that major shift IMHO.

https://www.thespoof.com/spoof-news/entertainment-gossip/127559/mormon-tabernacle-choir-wraps-up-tour-of-quebec
Now they took the “ Mormon” off the tabernacle choir; that’s going too far.
I always wondered if they joked about the name in Quebec, now they can really joke about it , because it’s just the Tabernacle choir.

I think its just their own narcissism. The Corporation is so preoccupied with how they think the world perceives them that they just obsess endlessly about themselves.