If you’re new here, read more about the More Good Foundation. We help members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon church) share their beliefs on the Internet. Learn more about what Mormons believe or talk with Mormons at LDS.net.
This morning I received an email about one of our sites, referring me to the Church’s style guide:
I was surprised to find numerous references to “the Mormon Church” on your website, seeing as the Church discourages the use of that term.
This is a fair question. Why wouldn’t we more closely follow the Church’s media style guide in referring to the Church?
We see it like the story of Ammon with King Lamoni. The missionary Ammon asked King Lamoni if he believed in God. When Lamoni didn’t understand, Ammon changed his vocabulary to “Great Spirit,” a term that he would understand.
24 And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?
25 And he answered, and said unto him: I do not know what that meaneth.
26 And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit?
27 And he said, Yea.
28 And Ammon said: This is God. …
Alma 18:24-28
If the King Lamonis of today are typing “Great Spirit” into Google, we need to create websites and blog posts that mention the “Great Spirit”. Later we can explain that “this is God.”
Instead of requiring the handcart companies to arrive in the Salt Lake valley alone, Brigham Young said “go and bring in those people now on the plains.”
For an interesting comparison, search “Mormon church” and “LDS church” on Google. You’re certain to get better results for “LDS church”, but Overture stats suggest that “Mormon church” is searched almost 3 times more than “LDS church”. Are we doing what we can to “bring in those people”?
