Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Mormonism)

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Contents 1 Articles affected 2 Guiding principles 3 Guidelines 3.1 Naming articles about Mormonism 3.2 Naming unidenominational articles 3.3 Guidelines for article text 4 Redirects 5 External links

Articles affected

This article summarizes the naming conventions for articles related to the following subjects:

• The Latter Day Saint movement
• Mormonism
• Mormon
• Latter Day Saint
• Latter-day Saint
• "LDS"
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS Church" see also Mormon) (the The in the Church's title should always be capitalized)
• Community of Christ (if an article precedes Community of Christ it should not be capatalized, the use of articles should be avoided when possible)
• any of the various smaller Latter Day Saint sects or churches

Guiding principles

Listed in relative priority

1. Use accurate titles and terms.
2. Present titles and terms in a neutral point of view; avoid "endorsing" or "opposing" the views of any church.
3. Make it easy for readers to find articles relating to Mormonism and its various sects, their members, and their theology.
4. Avoid disrespect without sacrificing NPOV policy. (See the media guide of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for terms it deems acceptable to use, but note that this is the Church's POV, and not necessarily the POV of other denominations or the media.)
5. Prefer shorter titles and terms over longer ones.
6. Prefer general Christianity and Mormonism articles (such as "Priesthood" or "Priesthood (Mormonism)") over more specific unidenominational articles, unless there is a significant amount of unidenominational material.

Guidelines

Naming articles about Mormonism

Articles about the religion, doctrines, belief systems, and cultures of Mormonism, and that could apply to more than one Latter Day Saint denomination, should use the word "Mormonism". For example:

• Mormonism
• Mormonism and Christianity
• Mormonism and Judaism
• Mormonism and Freemasonry

When referring to the Latter Day Saint movement as an institution or historical movement, or to all Latter Day Saint churches as a body, but not to their religion, doctrines, belief systems, or cultures, it may be appropriate to use the phrase "Latter Day Saint movement" in the title. For example:

• History of the Latter Day Saint movement

If necessary for disambiguation, articles that could apply to more than one Latter Day Saint denomination should contain the parenthetical "(Mormonism)". For example:

• Restoration (Mormonism)
• Sacrament (Mormonism)
• Godhead (Mormonism)

Naming unidenominational articles

Articles about only one Latter Day Saint denomination should use the full name of the denomination as it exists on the denomination's Wikipedia page. For example:

• History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (there is currently discussion, but lack of clear consensus, as to whether to capitalize the word the in similar Wikipedia names)
• History of the Community of Christ
• Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Although the practice is discouraged, if it is absolutely necessary for disambiguation, articles that apply in the context of only one Latter Day Saint denomination should contain the following parentheticals:

CHURCH	REFERENCE IN TITLE
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints	Latter-day Saint
Community of Christ	Community of Christ
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)	Strangite
Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite)	Cutlerite
Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)	Bickertonite
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints	FLDS Church
Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints	PLDS Church
Others	full name of denomination

Unidenominational articles should never be used when sects of Mormonism generally agree, or where differences between the sects can be explained briefly in a multidenominational article. If there is sufficient justification for a separate unidenominational article it should refer to any more general "(Mormonism)" article, and to any general article concerning Christianity as a whole. To avoid redundancy, the unidenominational article should focus on the material unique to that denomination, or to the differences between that denomination and other Mormon denominations.

Guidelines for article text

The following guidelines should be used when referring to Mormonism or any of its denominations within the text of an article:

• The word Mormonism should refer to the religion, doctrines, belief systems, or cultures of Latter Day Saint peoples.
• The phrase Latter Day Saint movement should refer to the historical movement leading to Mormonism.
• Reference The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by full name first reference (there is currently a lack of consensus as to whether to capitalize The in the title), and "the church" or "LDS Church" thereafter. The format should be something like: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS Church"; see also Mormon)". Avoid referring to the "Mormon Church".
• For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Latter-day Saints", "members of the church", "LDS Church members", or simply "church members" in context is preferred. Use "LDS" as a second reference.
• Use of the terms Latter Day Saints or Latter-day Saints is preferred over the less-specific term "Mormons".
• As with any wikipedia article, specify the source of specific doctrines or claims. For example:

In 1979, President Spencer W. Kimball explained that [x].

In his book 1959 book, Except They be Agreed, Elder Mark E. Petersen opined that [y].

Doctrine and Covenants section 76 verse 86 states: [z].

• "Mormonism" and "Mormon theology" are appropriate terms for referring to Latter Day Saint doctrine, practice and culture.

Redirects

• There should be separate articles for:
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
  • Latter-day Saint
  • Latter Day Saint
  • Latter Day Saint movement
  • Mormon
  • Mormonism
  • each of the various Mormon groups or Latter Day Saint churches, listed by their official name, with disambiguating parentheticals, as necessary
• Articles containing "LDS", "LDs", "lds", "LdS", or similar acronyms should redirect to pages containing either "Latter Day Saint" (if applicable to Latter Day Saints in general) or "Latter-day Saint" (if applicable only to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• "LDS Church", "Mormon Church", and similar phrases should redirect to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

External links

• Writer's Style Guide (from the Church website.)