Mormon Church

The Mormon Church is an unofficial name used to refer to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called Mormon Church). Mormonism refers to the doctrines taught by Joseph Smith and the succeeding prophets and leaders of the Church, but those doctrines are believed to be eternal and part of the original gospel preached by Jesus Christ.

Mormonism is usually described as a branch of Christianity, encompassing numerous religious denominations, but Mormonism is generally associated with the theology and subculture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Most people who are members of the Mormon Church prefer to be called Latter-Day Saints. Other generally acceptable terms are LDS, Saints, and Mormons. Even though they are widely used terms, a few (but not all) people in the Church view the terms Mormon and Mormonism as offensive.

The term "Mormon" derives from The Book of Mormon, that was published in 1830 and that more recently was subtitled "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" to highlight the importance of the information about the Savior contained in the book. The Book of Mormon is accepted by the Mormon Church as divine scripture, along with the Bible.

See The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more complete information.