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Letter: What next, a new name for Joseph Smith?

(Courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) President Russell M. Nelson speaks to Latter-day Saints in Hamilton, Ontario, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018.

My response to President Russell M. Nelson's latest crusade to eliminate "Mormon" and "LDS" monikers:

It's interesting that God let this thing go for so long. He seemed to like the monikers "Mormon" and "LDS" just fine for most of the past 191 years.

This new directive is not going to change the simple nicknames that allowed both clarity and brevity when talking and writing about the church. Falling into the same league as allowing blacks the priesthood, changing temple garments to make them more compatible with modern styles, and claiming that becoming gods isn't really part of Mormon doctrine, the new edict is simply a way of facilitating a more complete masquerade of Mormonism as a traditional Christian denomination. It is an attempt to distance the church from both its old teachings and its curious and questionable roots.

One can only surmise that the next revelations will likely address name changes for Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, since they are the targets of most of Mormonism's detractors. Yes, folks, pretty soon you'll be hearing stories about how Wilbert Humphrey went into the Palmyra woods to pray and was visited by God and Jesus, and how William Godsend, a passionate advocate for sacred monogamy, led the Mormons to the Great Salt Lake Valley. Believe me, it's coming.

Michael Robinson, Riverton

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