What is a mormon?

I did a google search to see what people say a Mormon is. It is interesting to see the variety of definitions available. Who better to ask than a Mormon herself? That is why I made this blog :)

I am currently trying to get some of the "definitions" I found updated to include more accurate information. Here is an example of what I wrote a Mormon is:

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Mormon:

A term which most often refers to a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest denomination originating from the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr.

Joseph Smith declared that an angel of God had led him to a set of ancient golden plates which describes a history of the peoples of the American continents. The translation of these plates is known as "The Book of Mormon." Mormons believe that The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, in addition to the bible. The term "Mormon" is a nickname that refers to those who believe in The Book of Mormon.

Some early Mormons practiced polygamy, a practice that the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially abolished in 1890. Mormons believe in a living prophet and apostles of Jesus Christ, who give spiritual direction to church members.

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Why is there so much confusion?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church that was established by Joseph Smith Jr. It has over 13 million members worldwide. The members of this church have been known as "mormons". The definition of these members is what I gave above. This is the people who make "Mormon Temples", and have "Mormon Missionaries" which walk around in pairs with white shirts and ties.


Now, some confusion results from this:

Recently, there have been people trying to be called "mormon" just from their belief in the book of mormon (most of these people come from religions which are small offshoots of the mormon church). The problem is, these people represent a minority of the believers in the book of mormon, and they are vastly different than mormons. They have many practices which mormons do not believe (including the continued practice of polygamy), and even have beliefs which contradict the book of mormon. (If you would like to read more about this, please follow this link: more

So, what is the answer?

If you want a definition of what a Mormon is, what you probably mean is, "What is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?"