If you want to refer to them "properly," you're going to have to learn a pretty long name.
The religious people you used to call "Mormons" no longer want you to call them that.
At least that was what the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell M. Nelson, said in a statement released Thursday on the organization's website.
"In recent weeks, various Church leaders and departments have begun to take the necessary steps (to move away from the term 'Mormon')," the leader wrote. "In the coming months there will be additional information on this important matter."
But where does the word "Mormon" come from and why do those hitherto called Mormons want to get rid of this name?
Prophet
Devotees of the faith - known as Mormon - follow a text called "Book of Mormon", which according to this American church is "another testament of Jesus Christ" complementary to the Bible.
"The Bible details the events of the Eastern Hemisphere, the Book of Mormon documents the lives of the inhabitants of the ancient Americas (...) The book was written by many ancient prophets (...) Its words (...) were abridged by a prophet and historian named Mormon," says the organization's website.
One of the beliefs of this congregation is that after being resurrected, Jesus Christ visited and evangelized the pre-Columbian settlers of America.
Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon into English in 1830 and became the founder of this church, which is headquartered in the state of Utah, USA.
The term "Mormon" then comes from the prophet Mormon, so it can be used to refer to him and his book.
Official name
To make sure the leader's wish is met, the church has updated its "style guide."
The manual makes it clear that "Mormon Church" is not an authorized name. Instead you can say "the Church", the "Church of Jesus Christ" or the "Restored Church of Jesus Christ".
The reason is that the official name of the Church, the one "revealed by God to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1838," is "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
Nelson underscores this idea in his Thursday statement: "The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name he has revealed for his Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have work ahead of us to bring us into harmony with His will," he says.
For the faithful, who ask to no longer be called "Mormons," the Church prefers the terms "members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" or "Latter-day Saints," according to the new guidance.
