Beggar's Bread

“‘Mormonism’ is the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ; of which I myself am not ashamed.”
(Joseph Smith, “Letter to James Arlington…”, September 8, 1842, “History of The Church”, 5:156)

by Fred W. Anson
If you’re still scratching your head over current LdS President, Russell M. Nelson’s public denunciation of the words “Mormon”, “LDS” and all their various variations and derivations as it relates to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you’re not alone. In case you missed it, here’s what he said:

The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have work before us to bring ourselves in harmony with His will. In recent weeks, various Church leaders and departments have initiated the necessary steps to do so. Additional information about this important matter will be made available in the coming months.
(LdS President, Russell M. Nelson quoted in Sarah Jane Weaver, ‘“Mormon” Is Out: Church Releases Statement on How to Refer to the Organization’, Official LdS Church News website, August 16, 2018)  

The same article then goes on to offer new style guide directives including the following:

The official name of the Church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The full name was given by revelation from God to Joseph Smith in 1838.

• In the first reference, the full name of the Church is preferred: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
• When a shortened reference is needed, the terms “the Church” or the “Church of Jesus Christ” are encouraged. The “restored Church of Jesus Christ” is also accurate and encouraged.
• While the term “Mormon Church” has long been publicly applied to the Church as a nickname, it is not an authorized title, and the Church discourages its use. Thus, please avoid using the abbreviation “LDS” or the nickname “Mormon” as substitutes for the name of the Church, as in “Mormon Church,” “LDS Church,” or “Church of the Latter-day Saints.”
• When referring to Church members, the terms “members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” or “Latter-day Saints” are preferred. We ask that the term “Mormons” not be used.
• “Mormon” is correctly used in proper names such as the Book of Mormon or when used as an adjective in such historical expressions as “Mormon Trail.”
• The term “Mormonism” is inaccurate and should not be used. When describing the combination of doctrine, culture, and lifestyle unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the term “the restored gospel of Jesus Christ” is accurate and preferred.
• When referring to people or organizations that practice polygamy, it should be stated that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not affiliated with polygamous groups.
  (ibid)

In my 40+ years in Mormon Studies, I thought that I had seen some real head-scratchers from the Mormon side of the divide, but this one absolutely tops the list. And then when President Nelson doubled now on this absurdity in the Fall 2018 General Conference, things went from, “What is he thinking?” to eye rolling and facepalming. After all, how can you help it when you’re hearing over the top public rhetoric like this:

The name of the Church is not negotiable. When the Savior clearly states what the name of His Church should be and even precedes His declaration with, “Thus shall my church be called,” He is serious. And if we allow nicknames to be used or adopt or even sponsor those nicknames ourselves, He is offended.

What’s in a name or, in this case, a nickname? When it comes to nicknames of the Church, such as the “LDS Church,” the “Mormon Church,” or the “Church of the Latter-day Saints,” the most important thing in those names is the absence of the Savior’s name. To remove the Lord’s name from the Lord’s Church is a major victory for Satan. When we discard the Savior’s name, we are subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did for us—even His Atonement.
(President Russell M. Nelson, “The Correct Name of the Church”, Fall General Conference, October 2018, italics in original) 

And, yes, President Nelson was correct when he said, “In the early days of the restored Church, terms such as Mormon Church and Mormons were often used as epithets—as cruel terms, abusive terms—designed to obliterate God’s hand in restoring the Church of Jesus Christ in these latter days.” (ibid, italics in original), but so what? As Easton’s Bible Dictionary explains, the word “Christian” was also originally an epithet that was used by the enemies of the primitive Christians too:

Christian the name given by the Greeks or Romans, probably in reproach, to the followers of Jesus. It was first used at Antioch. The names by which the disciples were known among themselves were “brethren,” “the faithful,” “elect,” “saints,” “believers.” But as distinguishing them from the multitude without, the name “Christian” came into use, and was universally accepted. This name occurs but three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16).
(“Christian”, Easton’s Bible Dictionary) 

And like the word “Christian”, the word “Mormon” has become nothing more than shorthand for the ridiculously long (43-digit to be exact), “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” and its various derivations. This directive makes no sense from any perspective. There’s no nice way to say it, it is both inane and insane! I mean, does President Nelson, or anyone else for that matter, really think that outsiders are going to start referring to Mormons as “members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”? Or Mormon Missionaries as “Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”? And if he really thinks that he’s going to get mainstream Christians and journalists to replace the word “Mormonism” with the term “the restored gospel of Jesus Christ” when they’re  “referring to the combination of doctrine, culture, and lifestyle unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”, then he needs to wake up and smell the Postum. As Mormon author Jana Riess correctly observed:

This is problematic for reporters and writers. It is not the job of a religion-neutral media to adopt or validate the truth claims of whatever religions they’re writing about. Some denominational names do have truth claims already baked in—is Roman Catholic really catholic, meaning universal? Is Orthodox really orthodox, meaning doctrinally pure? Have Reformed Christians and Reform Jews actually changed from the traditions that preceded them? Etc.—but in those cases, the truth claims have been part of the religion’s name for centuries.
(Jana Riess, “The name ‘Mormon’: Why all the fuss, and why now?”, Religion News Service website, October 20, 2018)  

Friends, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the words “Mormon”, “Mormonism”, or the abbreviation “LDS” (or more accurately “LdS”) any more than there is anything wrong with the words “Presbyterian”, “Baptist”, “Methodist”, “Lutheran”, “Calvinist”, “Catholic”, or whatever. Using those terms doesn’t offend the Savior, it doesn’t disregard all that Jesus Christ did for us (even His Atonement), and it doesn’t give Satan a victory of any kind. The suggestion that it does any of that is utter and complete madness! They’re just words that encapsulate much bigger, more complex social constructs, cultures, and systems of theology – nothing more. As the aforementioned Jana Riess noted elsewhere:

Given that the LDS Church has not suggested any substitute that is actually workable when referring to its members, the name “Mormon” is here to stay. Rather than fighting it, why doesn’t the Church just embrace it? Its own powerful and often delightful “I’m a Mormon” campaign is not going to have nearly the same descriptive power when it becomes the “I’m Affiliated with the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ” campaign, or somesuch silliness.
(Jana Riess, “I’m a Mormon! But I’m not supposed to call myself that anymore.”, Religion News Service website, August 17, 2018)  

Think about it. Are we really to believe that Christ is so thin-skinned that He gets his nose out of joint if folks don’t constantly and explicitly drop His Name – like some kind of ego-driven, self-absorbed prima donna? Is He like a small child in a sandbox angrily shaking His fist at the world while shouting, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me!” Doesn’t that image of an immature, divaish Christ seem utterly foreign to the implacable, down-to-earth, “velvet-covered brick” that we see in the New Testament gospels? Is it anything like the no-nonsense, sword-wielding, take no prisoners, all-powerful, overcoming Sovereign that we see in the Book of Revelation?

The strong, steadfast, faithful and transcendent Jesus of the Bible is the Lord and Savior that I know and love. And He’s not someone, who with everything else that’s going on in the world, gnat-strains over what people call His Church like some petty, persnickety, Pharisee getting more and more incensed with every  “mint, dill, and cumin” uptick of the tally.

So, given all that, Beggar’s Bread has exactly no (that is, zero) intention of joining President Nelson in his bizarre Escher’s world of unreality. To coin a phrase, he’s not our President. And if for some reason you consider that stance harsh, inflexible, or unreasonable, I would just point you to the pages of history and consider that fact that not only did Mormon Leaders prior to Mr. Nelson have no problem with the words, they made them their own and took ownership of them. The rest of this article is nothing more than examples of this. And to make the point even clearer for the reader, I have bolded every instance of “Mormon” or “Mormonism” in the text.

And if Mr. Nelson takes issue with anyone calling him on his folly I would suggest that he take it up with these guys – especially the first one.

Joseph Smith: Great Prophet of the Restoration (of Mormonism)
‘“Look,” he went on to say, “if there is any name that is totally honorable in its derivation, it is the name Mormon. And so, when someone asks me about it and what it means, I quietly say—‘Mormon means more good.’”
(Joseph Smith, “Correspondence”, Times and Seasons, May 15, 1843, 4:194; also see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 299–300)

“The Saints can testify whether I am willing to lay down my life for my brethren. If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a ‘Mormon,’ I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves. It is a love of liberty which inspires my soul—civil and religious liberty to the whole of the human race.”
(Joseph Smith, “History of the Church”, 5:498–99; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on July 9, 1843, in Nauvoo, Illinois; reported by Willard Richards)

“The inquiry is frequently made of me, “Wherein do you differ from others in your religious views?” In reality and essence we do not differ so far in our religious views, but that we could all drink into one principle of love. One of the grand fundamental principles of “Mormonism” is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may.”
(Joseph Smith, “Sunday , July 9, 1843 – Meeting in the Grove”, “History of The Church”, 5:499)

Have the Presbyterians any truth? Yes. Have the Baptists, Methodists, any truth? Yes. They all have a little truth mixed with error. We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true “Mormons.”‘
(Joseph Smith, “Discourse — Burden of the Prophet’s Ministry — Friendship”, “History of the Church”, 5:517); also see “Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith”, p.316)

“Friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of “Mormonism“; [it is designed] to revolutionize and civilize the world, and cause wars and contentions to cease and men to become friends and brothers. Even the wolf and the lamb shall dwell together; the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, the young lion and the fatling; and a little child shall lead them; the bear and the cow shall lie down together, and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall play on the cockatrice’s den; and they shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountains, saith the Lord of hosts. (Isaiah.)”
(Joseph Smith, “Discourse — Burden of the Prophet’s Ministry — Friendship”, “History of the Church”, 5:517)

“Mormonism is truth; and every man who embraced it felt himself at liberty to embrace every truth: consequently the shackles of superstition, bigotry, ignorance, and priestcraft, falls at once from his neck; and his eyes are opened to see the truth…

Mormonism is truth, in other words the doctrine of the Latter Day Saints, is truth…. [Y]ou may think that it is a broad assertion that it is truth; but … the first and fundamental principle of our holy religion is, that we believe that we have a right to embrace all, and every item of truth, without limitation or without being circumscribed or prohibited by the creeds or superstitious notions of men, or by the dominations of one another, when that truth is clearly demonstrated to our minds, and we have the highest degree of evidence of the same; we feel ourselves bound by the laws of God, to observe and do strictly, with all our hearts, all things whatsoever is manifest unto us by the highest degree of testimony that God has committed us, as written in the old and new Testament, or any where else, by any manifestation, whereof we know that it has come from God: and has application to us, being adapted to our situation and circumstances; age, and generation of life; and that we have a perfect, and indefeasible right, to embrace all such commandments, and do them…. And again, we believe that it is our privilege to reject all things, whatsoever is clearly manifested to us that they do not have a bearing upon us.
(Joseph Smith, “To Isaac Galland, March 22, 1839,” Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, p.420-421, ellipses mine)

“Hell may pour forth its rage like the burning lava of mount Vesuvius, or of Etna, or of the most terrible of the burning mountains; and yet shall “Mormonism” stand. Water, fire, truth and God are all realities. Truth is “Mormonism.” God is the author of it. He is our shield. It is by Him we received our birth.”
(Joseph Smith, “The Prophet’s Epistle to the Church, Written in Liberty Prison, Liberty Jail, Clay County, Missouri, March 25, 1839”, History of the Church, 3:297)

“Peace and prosperity attend us; and we have favor in the sight of God and virtuous men. The time was, when we were looked upon as deceivers, and that “Mormonism” would soon pass away, come to nought, and be forgotten. But the time has gone by when it is looked upon as a transient matter, or a bubble on the wave, and it is now taking a deep hold in the hearts and affections of all those who are nobleminded enough to lay aside the prejudice of education, and investigate the subject with candor and honesty. The truth, like the sturdy oak, has stood unhurt amid the contending elements, which have beat upon it with tremendous force. The floods have rolled, wave after wave, in quick succession, and have not swallowed it up.”
(Joseph Smith, “Report of the First Presidency”, General Conference, April 7, 1841, History of the Church 4:337)

The Baton is Passed: The Mormon Leaders Who Followed
“They [Joseph Smith the Prophet and his brother, Hyrum Smith] were innocent of any crime, as they had often been proved before, and were only confined in jail by the conspiracy of traitors and wicked men; and their innocent blood on the floor of Carthage jail is a broad seal affixed to “Mormonism” that cannot be rejected by any court on earth, and their innocent blood on the escutcheon of the State of Illinois, with the broken faith of the State as pledged by the governor, is a witness to the truth of the everlasting gospel that all the world cannot impeach; and their innocent blood on the banner of liberty, and on the magna charta of the United States, is an ambassador for the religion of Jesus Christ, that will touch the hearts of honest men among all nations; and their innocent blood, with the innocent blood of all the martyrs under the altar that John saw, will cry unto the Lord of Hosts till he avenges that blood on the earth. Amen.”
(Doctrine & Covenants 135:7, Bracketed text derived from context.) 

“Do you belong to the Methodist’s society? And have you got the truth? It is right, that truth is ‘Mormonism,’ it is my property. Are you a Quaker? It is no matter, if you have the truth, that same truth is mine. Are you a Catholic, and have got the truth? That is my doctrine, and I will not quarrel about it”
(Brigham Young, July 24, 1853, “Journal of Discourses”, 1:243-244)

“The Universalists say that we are all going to heaven in a heap together, and if they believe their religion they do not trouble themselves about ‘Mormonism.’ Though I confess that I think the most of them are like the old man who was a strong believer in Universalism, and, while walking among his cattle, and musing over his doctrine, stepped up to a favorite ox, and said to him­self, ‘I believe the doctrine of the Universalists, but, old Bright, as well as I love you, I would willingly give you if I knew it was true.’ You find a man who does not believe in any religious doctrines, who does not believe in a future existence, and what does he care about ‘Mormonism?’ Nothing at all”
(Brigham Young, February 18, 1855, “Journal of Discourses”, 2:180)

“‘Mormonism,’ so-called, embraces every principle pertaining to life and salvation, for time and eternity. No matter who has it. If the infidel has got truth it belongs to ‘Mormonism.’ The truth and sound doctrine possessed by the sectarian world, and they have a great deal, all belong to this Church. As for their morality, many of them are, morally, just as good as we are. All that is good, lovely, and praiseworthy belongs to this Church and Kingdom. ‘Mormon­ism’ includes all truth. There is no truth but what belongs to the Gospel. It is life, eternal life; it is bliss; it is the fulness of all things in the gods and in the eternities of the gods”
(Brigham Young, “Discourses of Brigham Young”, p.3)

“A Duty to Listen to the Truth-Do not say, ‘You are Mormons, and we do not want to hear anything about you.’ Wait until you have searched and researched and have obtained wisdom to under­stand what we preach, or to prove it to be untrue. If you cannot prove it untrue and are not disposed to receive it, let it alone. If it is the work of God, it will stand. What do you say, outsiders? What do you say, Christian world and heathen world? If we have the truth to present to you, which will do you good here and hereaf­ter, which will save you today and tomorrow and every day, until it saves you in the Kingdom of God and brings you to a perfect state of felicity and happiness in the presence of the Father, will you have it?”
(Brigham Young, “Discourses of Brigham Young”, p.435)

“Brethren and sisters, our friends wish to know our feelings to­wards the Government. I answer, they are first-rate, and we will prove it too, as you will see if you only live long enough, for that we shall live to prove it is certain; and when the Constitution of the United States hangs, as it were, upon a single thread, they will have to call for the ‘Mormon’ Elders to save it from utter destruction; and they will step forth and do it”
(Brigham Young, February 18, 1855, “Journal of Discourses”, 2:182)

“Some of the sectarian ministers are saying that we Mormons are ashamed of the doctrine announced by President Brigham Young, to the effect that Adam will thus be the God of this world”
(B.H. Roberts, “Mormon Doctrine of Deity”, pp.42-43)

“Now I come to us, Mormons. We are the only true Church, so we say. We have the only true faith, so we say and believe. I believe we have many great and true principles revealed from the heavens. I will tell you how I feel about it, and what I have said many times when I have been abroad among the priests, people, and philoso­phers. If any man under the heavens can show me one principle of error that I have entertained, I will lay it aside forthwith, and be thankful for the information”
(John Taylor, “The Gospel Kingdom”, p.50)

“WE HAVE frequently said that perhaps the grandest thought that has ever been brought forth to the children of men is the Mormon truism, namely: ‘As man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become.’ The foundation of that truism is in this revelation and these words we have just read”
(Melvin J. Ballard, “Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard”, p.238)

“It is true that many of the Christian churches worship a different Jesus Christ than is worshipped by the Mormons or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”
(Bernard p.Brockbank, “The Living Christ,” Ensign (Conference Edition), May 1977, p.26)

“…Mormonism be it true or false, holds out to men the greatest inducements that the human mind can grasp… It teaches men that they can become divine, that man is God in embryo, that God was once man in mortality, and that the only difference between Gods, angels and men is a difference in education and develop­ment. Is such a religion to be sneered at? It teaches that the worlds on high, the stars that glitter in the blue vault of heaven, are king­doms of God, that they were once earths like this, that they have been redeemed and glorified by the same laws, the same prin­ciples that are applied to this planet, and by which it will ascend to a perfected and glorified state. It teaches that these worlds are peopled with human beings, God’s sons and daughters, and that every husband and father, may become an Adam, and every wife and mother an Eve, to some future planet”
(Orson F. Whitney, June 9, 1895, “Collected Discourses”, 4:336-337. Ellipses mine)

“Mormonism teaches that God was once just like ourselves; that the eternal part of Him was enshrined in mortal flesh, subject to mortal ills and earthly pains and toils. I do not now refer to the experience of the Savior in the meridian of time. I mean that in the far away aeons of the past God once dwelt upon an earth like this, and that through its trials and vicissitudes and the experience they afforded He became a more intelligent being than before, ascending finally by obedience to certain principles, ennobling and exalting in their nature, to the plane which He now occupies. These truths, forming the ladder up which He climbed to celes­tial heights, up which we too are expected to climb from earth to heaven, from mortality to immortality, from a world where grief and sorrow reign, to a better and brighter sphere where sorrow and suffering are unknown—these truths are self-existent and eternal. God did not create them”
(Orson F. Whitney, May 6, 1892, “Collected Discourses” 3:45)

“Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground”
(Joseph Fielding Smith, “Doctrines of Salvation”, 1:188. Italics in original)

“And again, we exclaim, O Mormonism! No wonder that Lucifer, son of the morning, the next heir to Jesus Christ, our eldest broth­er, should fight so hard against his brethren; he lost the glory, the honor, power, and dominion of a God: and the knowledge, spirit, authority and keys of the priesthood of the son of God!”
(W.W. Phelps, December 25, 1844, “Times and Seasons”, 5:758)

“I thank God for ‘Mormonism,’ so-called; it is the power of God unto salvation”
(Joseph F. Smith, “Gospel Doctrine”, 1986 edition, p.97)

“Time and time again my heart has been melted, my eyes have wept tears of gratitude for the knowledge that He lives and that this gospel called Mormonism is in very deed the plan of life and salvation, that it is the only true gospel upon the face of the earth, that it is in very deed the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ”
(Heber J. Grant, “Gospel Standards”, p.197-198; Given in General Conference October 1918)

“Seven hundred years before the birth of our Savior, a prophet of God upon the eastern hemisphere predicted the coming forth of ‘a marvelous work and a wonder.’ ‘Mormonism,’ so called, ac­cording the faith of its adherents, is the fulfilment of that ancient prediction”
(Orson F. Whitney, “Conference Reports”, October 1916, p.51)

“However, a more important question for us today is this: ‘Are the so-called ‘Mormons’ true Christians and does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contain the elements of a world-wide Christian religion?’ It is my sincere belief and testimony that the Latter-day Saints commonly called ‘Mormons,’ are Christians in the truest and fullest sense of the term, and that this Church is world-wide in its comprehensiveness, in organization, and in its blessing and salvation of the human family. As true Christianity should and as it did in the days of the Savior, ‘Mormonism’ com­bines the essential elements in the teachings of Israel’s prophets, priests and sages; and in accepting the Jehovah of the Old Testa­ment as the Savior of mankind, it fulfils the noblest aspirations of the Hebrew race, thereby indicating a world-wide scope so far as Israel’s people and Israel’s God are concerned”
(David O. McKay, “Conference Reports”, April 1927, pp.104-105)

“To us, and to all the world to whom ‘Mormonism’ has been pro­claimed, has come the law by which the people of the world are to be judged. I want to say to the world to whom ‘Mormonism’ has come, or may come in the future, that it is unto them the savour of life unto life, or of death unto death, according as they receive it and live it, or as they reject it”
(George F. Richards, “Conference Reports”, April 1908, p.40)

“Mormonism is Christianity; Christianity is Mormonism; they are one and the same, and they are not to be distinguished from each other in the minutest detail”
(Bruce R. McConkie, “Mormon Doc­trine”, 1966, p.513)

“Mormonism is the wonder of this world, and the great leveling machine of creeds, constitutions, kingdoms, countries, divisions, notions, notorieties and novelties; and praise it, talk about it, lie about it, exalt it, degrade it, blow at it, sneer at it, fear it, love it, hate it, persecute it, or laugh at it, still it is Mormonism, true as heaven, powerful as Jesus, eternal as element, going on conquer­ing and to conquer!”
(W.W. Phelps, “Times and Seasons”, 5:758)

‘Mormonism’ is not exclu­sive. It does not claim that all who have failed to accept and obey the gospel of eternal life shall be eternally and forever damned”
(James E. Talmage, “Articles of Faith”, 1984, p.468)

“You might as well deny ‘Mormonism,’ and turn away from it, as to oppose the plurality of wives. Let the Presidency of this Church, and the Twelve Apostles, and all the authorities unite and say with one voice that they will oppose that doctrine, and the whole of them would be damned”
(Heber C. Kimball, October 12, 1856, “Journal of Discourses”, 5:203)

“…Mormonism be it true or false, holds out to men the greatest inducements that the human mind can grasp…It teaches that the worlds on high, the stars that glitter in the blue vault of heaven, are kingdoms of God, that they were once earths like this, that they have been redeemed and glorified by the same laws, the same principles that are applied to this planet, and by which it will ascend to a perfected and glorified state. It teaches that these worlds are peopled with human beings, God’s sons and daughters, and that every husband and father, may become an Adam, and every wife and mother an Eve, to some future planet”
(Orson F. Whitney, June 9, 1895, “Collected Discourses”, 4:336. Ellipses mine)

“There is no predestination in Mormon theology. Free agency is a sacred gift, divinely bestowed. Here is the answer to the old question, ‘If God loves his children, why does he permit war and strife and kindred evils?’ Because he holds inviolable the right given man to choose his own way, between good and evil, between life and destruction. (What of the Mormons? pamphlet, 1982, pp.6-7.)”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, “Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley”, p.55)

“Well done for Mor­monism; one hundred and forty four thousand GODS, among the tribes of Israel, and, two living Gods and the Holy Ghost, for this world! Such knowledge is too wonderful for men, unless they pos­sess the spirit of Gods”
(John Taylor, “The Gospel Kingdom”, p.29)

“Oppose it in this way, and teach your children to do the same, and if you do not become as dark as midnight their is no truth in Mormonism”
(Orson Pratt, October 7, 1874, “Journal of Discourses”, 17:225. Ellipses mine)

“They [Mormons] are generally classed as Protestants, since they are not Catholic. Actually they are no closer to Protestantism than they are to Catholicism. Neither historically nor on the basis of modern association, theology, or practice can they be grouped with either. …Suffice it to say that its theology, its organization, and its practices are in many respects entirely unique among today’s Christian denominations”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, What of the Mormons? a non-paginated tract, 1976. Brackets and ellipses mine. Bracketed word choice derived from context.)

“Mormons are true Christians; their worship is the pure, unadul­terated Christianity authored by Christ and accepted by Peter, James, and John and all the ancient saints”
(Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p.513)

“The Mormons believe that all men were born in the spirit world of the union of the sexes, having a literal father and a literal moth­er before coming to this world, that the spirits are just the same in appearance as the body, that God is a married Being, has a wife at least, as Jeremiah said the angels were offering incense to the queen of heaven. The Latter-day Saints believe that God is an ex­alted Man, and that we are the offspring of Him and His wife.
(George Q. Cannon, “Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of Presi­dent George Q. Cannon”, 1:129)

“Mormonism does not tend to debase God to the level of man, but to exalt man to the perfection of God”
(Charles Penrose, cited in “The Gospel Through the Ages”, p.107)

“How did this state of things called Mormonism originate? We read that an angel came down and revealed himself to Joseph Smith and manifested unto him in vision the true position of the world in a religious point of view”
(John Taylor, “The Gospel King­dom”, p.6)

“The Mormons believe that all men were born in the spirit world of the union of the sexes, having a literal father and a literal moth­er before coming to this world… The Latter-day Saints believe that God is an exalted Man, and that we are the offspring of Him and His wife.
(George Q. Cannon, “Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon”, 1:129)

“All men, regardless of the degree of their guilt or innocence, will be resurrected from the dead, and this belief also becomes a foun­dation stone in the structure of the Mormon Church. But in ad­dition to this general salvation through the atonement, every soul that lives in mortality to the age of responsibility may place himself within the reach of divine mercy and may obtain a remission of sin”
(Hugh B. Brown, “Conference Reports”, April 1965, p.43)

“We Latter-day Saints have that new revelation. We have a new prophet and new scriptures also, which, added to the Bible, now point the way. This new revelation brought with it the true under­standing of the nature of God and a restoration of primitive Chris­tianity. That restoration is Mormonism. It came about through the ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jun. He saw God and com­muned with him, even as did Moses”
(Mark E. Petersen, “Conference Reports”, April 1964, p.19)

“What the world calls ‘Mormonism’ will rule every nation. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young will be the head. God has decreed it, and his own right arm will accomplish it”
(Orson Hyde, “Journal of Discourses”, 7:53)

Man’s destiny is a God-like one. We do not worry about evolution. We have the true doctrine. The ‘Mormon’ Prophet set forth the eter­nal law of progression”
(John A. Widtsoe, “The Divine Mission of Joseph Smith”, “Handbook of the Restoration: A Selection of Gospel Themes Discussed by Various Authors”, pp.35-36)

“Members of the Church do not resent being referred to as Mormons, nor does the Church resent being referred to as the Mormon church. As we have said, however, it is not the correct name of the Church. Its correct name is, as we have already explained, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (D&C 115:4).”
(Marion G. Romney, “We, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”, General Conference, April 1979)

“The term Mormon can be appropriately used in some contexts to refer to members of the Church, such as Mormon pioneers, or to institutions, such as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Church members are widely known as Mormons, and in interactions with those not of our faith, we may fittingly refer to ourselves as Mormons, provided we couple this with the full name of the Church.”
(M. Russell Ballard, “Following Up,” General Conference, April 2014)

“CHRISTIANITY WILL BEAR HONEST INVESTIGATION.— We call ourselves Christians, that is, we Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians and Mormons, we all call ourselves Christians. Well, perhaps we are, and then, perhaps we are not”
(John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p.75, caps in original)

“The Latter-day Saints, so commonly called “Mormons,” have no animosity towards the Negro. Neither have they described him as belonging to an ‘inferior race’”
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions 4:170)

“Enemies of the Church, or stupid people, reading also that Adam is ‘our father and our God’ have heralded far and wide that the Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of Adam”
(John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p.56)

(The author would like to thank the “Preaching From an Asbestos Suit: Reasoning With Mormons on the Internet” Facebook group for their assistance in helping me research and harvest the historical quotes used in this article) 

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