They're not Mormons? Really?

Our copy editor Ward Triplett caught this correction on the LAT-Washington Post wire service Friday:

A Los Angeles Times (story) about the HBO series “Big Love” referred to the character of Bill Henrickson as “a semi-closeted Mormon entrepreneur” with three wives. The Henricksons are not Mormons. Their faith is based on “the Principle of Plural Marriage” and has led them to become inactive with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My first thought was that this was the work of a PR official for the LDS Church, who persuaded a non-churchgoing wire editor to run a correction, kind of like the people who take out ads in journalism magazines to remind you that unless it's actual Kleenex, please call it something else.

Then again, it may have just been a reader, like this one who wrote in to the Concord (N.H.) Monitor when the same story ran in its pages last week:

When referring to people or organizations that practice polygamy, the terms Mormons, Mormon fundamentalist, (and) Mormon dissidents, are incorrect. The Associated Press Stylebook notes: "The term Mormon is not properly applied to the other churches that resulted from the split after (Joseph) Smith's death."

The question of how to correctly use the term Mormon was addressed in a 2006 Church Public Affairs commentary piece, "Use of the Word Mormon in News Reports." The following is an excerpt from the article:

"In the public mind, the word Mormon has come to mean something very specific. It conjures up images of Mormon missionaries on bikes, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Mormon temples. It has become a synonym for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. Consequently, when Mormon is used the describe polygamist groups, it causes great confusion about our beliefs among the general public and frustration to our members, which number over 12 million worldwide."

At the very least, though, the LDS hierarchy deserves at least an assist for this widely-published correction. After all, the church's marketing arm has spent decades producing pro-family TV ads with the same tagline ("THE MORMONS") laying claim, more or less of the exclusive kind, to the M-word.

In fact, however, there are splinter groups, including the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that also call themselves "Mormons." Most of these groups are in Utah and their members at least believe in polygamy, even if they choose not to practice it. Both daily newspapers in Salt Lake City ran a story about a recent census of these groups, and both papers flouted AP style and referred to them as "fundamentalist Mormons." At least one web site refers to fundamentalism as "true Mormonism" -- a claim that will ring true to every mainline Protestant who knows anything about fundamentalists in their own branch of Christianity.

Of course, there are only 37,000 of these Mormons at last count, most of them live quietly away from urban areas (Juniper Creek, perhaps?), and they don't appear to have a public relations office.

Anyway, the "Big Love" season finale is tonight on HBO.

Comments

[Brent Hartman]

Dave,

Most fundamentalist Mormons don't feel threatened by "Big Love". Many LDS do feel threatened by "Big Love". The LDS people are very concerned about how the world perceives them. They wouldn't want anyone to think that they might be peculiar. Hence, their big public relations department.

Obviously, they exaggerate the lives of the fundamentalist Mormons for TV, as a show on the typical fundamentalist family would be pretty boring. Just like the lives of the average Americian family are pretty boring.

[daveescaped]

I was having this very same discussion with a few LDS friends recently (I am LDS myself). We nearly agreed that it is preposterous for the LDS to try to claim that polygamists aren't Mormons in any sense. They seem to have as much right to claim that title as anyone. That this presents problems for people like myself and my favorite Pres. candidate (Romney) is frustrating and inconvenient but not reason enough to attempt to lay exclusive claim to the word Mormon.

I think it makes us look embarassed of something that is an obvious part of our culture and history. While I don't condone polygamy, it is undeniable that it features prominently in my faiths history.

I think we look petty at times as we try to parse away this footnote. Perhaps this is easier for me to say then some since I joined the faith almost 100 years after the end of polygamy.

So are polygamists Mormons like me? Well, not like me but Mormons nonetheless.

[Aaron]

Hey, Brent -- shoot me an email. I'm very pleased to have you commenting on this thread and I want to stay in touch for next season. Link's at the top of the page.

[katt]

Seems like it wasn't so long ago that THE CHURCH issued a press statement that it was no longer to be referred to by its complete name, not the LDS church, or the Church of Jesus Christ if necessary. Or The Church Formerly Known As...

I wish the GA's or their press handlers or whoever would knock it off! Well, actually I don't because their clumsy attempts to avoid embarrassment are so amusing. Why are they so ashamed of being portrayed "warts and all"? Why do TBMs call trivialize what their ancestors went through by crying out "Persecution!" about that PBS show, which was really fairly balanced? Does the world really see "Big Love" as representative of the religion as a whole? "The Compound" is portrayed as being separated from the mainstream, isn't it? Maybe it will promote discussion by which members can share the "Real Mormon" life with their friends and neighbors...(now that's a scary thought).