So what religion are you?

[bytebear]

In the 1800s the erm Mormon or Mormonite was derogatory. Various leaders of church groups used the -ite term, as in Nephite, Bickertonite, etc, and even today various RLDS (i.e. Prairie Saints) still use Brighamites to describe all of the Rocky Mountain Saint groups, including FLDS.

But, then the LDS Church decided not to run away from the term Mormon and it became a good (or at least neutral) term. On my mission we used the introduction "Why do you think we are called Mormons?" and that led to a discussion on the Book of Mormon.

But, then anti-Mormon rhetoric focused on Mormons not believing in Jesus, and using the name as "proof" so the church re-emphasized the full church name. But as Mormon became de-emphasized, it re-emerged with polygamist groups being called Mormons, and that just was too much confusion so the church now has to embrace Mormon as well as try to get the media to use the term LDS and Church of Jesus Christ correctly. It still is used wrong all the time though.

Edited March 21, 2011 by bytebear

[Lost_one]

I am a Heathen at the moment. Although hiding from God under this rock is getting kinda bothersome. Plus there's bugs and stuff under here.

[Captain_Curmudgeon]

Captain Curmudgeon... I love old rock songs. :)

Me, too. And I like some of the representations of Jesus that are rather out of the mainstream (eg Lord Buckley's

. (If you want to read it, it's here.)

It seems to me that Jesus can survive any sincere translation into another frame of reference. What he couldn't survive was being shoved into the middle of the Roman State religion.

... perceived as hostile.

Not that long ago, when you said you were from Utah, everyone asked you if you were a Mormon. When I was getting out of the Navy in the late 60s, I used to tell people "No" if I thought they were Mormons and "Yes" if I thought they weren't. Don't know if that was hostile or not but going the other way seemed to me then to be ducking a fight.

[curiousheathen]

Thanks for explaining that guys.

*takes her pagan self back to lurking*

[QuestionableSanity]

LDS, or Mormon if they don't recognize LDS. When I spent a week in the hospital, every new guy or girl had to tell us what Religion they were. Oddly, yet positive enough, I had to reexplain what I believe to all the new folks coming in.