Wanting to be recognized as THE church of Jesus Christ, the Mormon church has disavowed use of the names “Mormon” and “LDS.” This is the sort of thing a marketer does to claim its brand. But the problem the Mormon church faces isn’t the brand but the behavior.
Jesus was a nonconformist. If the church wanted to be like Jesus, it would welcome heretics. Jesus was an advocate for the poor. If the Mormon church wanted to be like Jesus, it would spend its billions not on ritzy shopping malls but on homeless shelters. Jesus didn’t particularly care about sexual morality. His only words on the subject were, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” If the Mormon church wanted to be like Jesus, it would end its war on homosexuals, porn users and polygamists.
If the Mormon church wants to be known as the one church uniquely qualified to bear Jesus’ name, then it should act in ways that typify Jesus, not Jesus Inc. Until it does, branding is wasted. In fact, the focus on branding makes the Mormon church look ridiculous, like Donald Trump on parade.
Ed Firmage Jr., Salt Lake City