Many years ago, my maternal grandmother told me she “used to be a Mormon.” She rejected all invitations (most of which were high-pressure) to rejoin the church, and her siblings did the same.
I have issues with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, due to the shabby treatment my grandmother received after she left, and the rigid beliefs regarding members’ and outsiders’ personal lives. The religion obviously isn’t for everyone, and any member whose personal traits are outside the loop — such as an individual in the LGBT population — can be made miserable. Gentiles, as that church refers to the rest of us, were affected by the church’s support of Proposition 8, which temporarily halted same-sex marriage ceremonies in California. Religion can definitely spill over into secular life.
Church President Russell M. Nelson has announced that a revelation from God has directed him to ask — or maybe order — everyone to stop using the word Mormon. If you decide to use the formal and more accepted name, be grateful Twitter now allows more characters and telegrams are obsolete.
Seriously, I try to be respectful with every segment of the population. Not every segment of the population has been tolerant of the fact that I’m bisexual, though, and I’m also a clumsy typist. This adjustment isn’t going to be easy.
If you’re considerate enough to attempt a vocabulary with a non-Mormon future, please remember that the word “day” in the church’s name begins with a lowercase letter, and the hyphen must be used. Otherwise, the printed name will refer to a separate religious sect and cause confusion.
Here’s a link to Julia Jacobs’ article in The New York Times:
