News
Feb 24, 2001 Los Angelas Times
Church Is Seeking To End Use Of LDS

In a new move to identify their faith as Christian, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will soon issue a formal statement dropping the terms "LDS Church" and "LDS" as shorthand names.

While the full name of the church - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - will remain unchanged, leaders of the church will say that from now on the preferred shorthand or second reference should be simply "the church," or "the Church of Jesus Christ."

Authorities in the 11 million member church will issue the statement within a week to 10 days, church spokesman Dale Bills said Friday.

For years, the church's detractors have charged that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a Christian body because it claims to be the only true and "restored" church of Jesus Christ. It also has its own Scriptures, including the Book of Mormon, in addition to the New Testament.

To counter such criticism, the church has taken a series of steps to re-emphasize its Christian roots. Several years ago it began to discourage the use of the name, "Mormon Church." In 1995, it changed its logo to place the words "Jesus Christ" in larger letters than the rest of its full name.

Despite the new shorthand references to the church, the names of some of the church's books and institutions will remain unchanged, including the "Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ," and the "Mormon Tabernacle Choir."