Defining History
One of the difficult challenges faced by modern historians is defining history in terms of a church name that is shared by many different organizations. Several of these churches have experienced the consequences of a confused public who hear about television programs, law suits, and politicians who are all referred to as .Mormons.. In an attempt to resolve this confusion, many historians of Mormonism have begun to use a common terminology to describe the movement and its diverse expressions.Chief among these terms is the phrase, .Latter Day Saint movement. (big-D, no hyphen), which describes all aspects of the restored church and its branches. This phrase is distinct from the phrase .Latter-day Saint. (small-d, hyphen) which refers exclusively to the largest church within the movement, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The chart shown on the facing page identifies the Latter Day Saint movement by the encompassing outer box. Several of the significant organizations within the movement are identified by interior boxes, but many, many others have been omitted due to space constraints.
The Mormon History Association (MHA) and the John Whitmer Historical Association (JWHA) are sister associations promoting research into the history of the Latter Day Saint movement by holding conferences, publishing scholarly journals, and presenting awards and scholarships to students and researchers. Although both associations study the early church, for the history following 1844 MHA.s focus is primarily on the LDS church while JWHA.s focus is on the rest of the movement.
The standard terms presented here will prove a valuable tool as historians, public relations representatives, church leaders, and church members from all the churches step forward to help the general public understand who we are.
Terms Used by Historians to Describe the Broad Latter Day Saint Movement
Click on the image for a larger view. ©John Whitmer Historical Association. Used with permission.
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