Mormon? What’s a Mormon?
“Mormon? What’s a Mormon?” I have been asked that question many times throughout my life. When I was younger, I could never quite think of what to say, so I’d stumble over the answers: “Well, we don’t drink coffee, tea or alcohol. We don’t smoke. We don’t use foul language. We believe in the Book of Mormon…” I’d like to say that as an adult I’m much better, but I am not sure that’s true. The short answer is that a Mormon is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes called the Mormon Church because we believe in a book of scripture called the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and a companion to the Bible.
The long answer, like most long answers, is more complex. Often people would comment that our faith is very restrictive…a sentiment probably aided and abetted by my statements. The truth is just the opposite. Being a Mormon is all about choices, and learning how and why to make the right ones.
LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson said, “ I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for His gift of agency, or the right to choose. President David O. McKay, ninth President of the Church, said, ‘Next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct that life is God’s greatest gift to man’” (President Thomas S. Monson, “The 3 Rs of Choice,” October 2010 General Conference). (more…)
Following the announcement there was a surge in the number of missionary applications from 700 per week to 4,000, according to the article. More than half of these applicants were women, whereas before the announcement only 15% of Mormon missionaries were women. The number of applicants is still double what it was before the announcement, and the total number of men and women who have applied for missionary service since October is now equal, according to the article. 
Over several months, the three of us visited several churches and literally sought after what my mom called “the true Gospel.” My parents discussed attending The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and soon after, the Mormon missionaries began visiting our home.
Hatch would like people to use the full name of the church instead of the nickname. The full name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which makes clear the fundamental belief in Jesus Christ. It is inappropriate to call the church the Mormon Church. In the Book of Mormon, which Mormons use as a compliment to the Bible, contains an account of Jesus talking to a group of people he visited on the American continent after His death. They wanted to know what to name the church He was helping them organize. He told them that if a church is named after a man, it is that man’s church. Mormon was a prophet in ancient times—his story is told in the Book of Mormon. To call the church the Mormon Church would mean, according to Jesus Christ, that it was Mormon’s church, and it is not. It is the Savior’s Church, and so His name is central to the name as it is to the Church. 