We Are Not Mormons – Latter-Day Saints Clarifies

The president of the Africa West Area of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has pleaded with the general public to desist from referring to its members as Mormons.

Marcus Bell Nash explained that the name was a nickname given to the founder of the Church, Joseph Smith, in 1830, in the United States of America because he wrote the Book of Mormon.

He said this while answering questions from the press after a media soiree at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints headquarters in Accra recently.

“When referring to church members, the term ‘members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Latter-day Saints’ are preferred. We ask that the term Mormons not be used to refer to us.

“Our fundamental belief is in Jesus Christ our saviour and anything in addition to it is just an appendix. We believe in prophets just like Moses and Isaiah, who tells us about the will of God and his path that we are supposed to follow,” Mr Nash added.

“The Church he said believes in God, Jesus Christ, and the faith that people will be punished for their sins and not for the sins of Adam and Eve,” he added.
He emphasised that the Church also believed in repentance, Baptism, the laying of hands for the gifts of Holy Ghost and resurrection for a reunion with God in heaven.

Mr Nash also explained that the Church is not for a special group of people as people think but for everybody like all other churches.

On the issue of whether members of the church are barred from marrying non-members of the church, he said the church is pro-life and believes family is the most important unit in a society does not prevent people from marrying whoever they love.

“We are admonished to make our choice and love whom we want. We love to marry but it is encouraged that we marry within the faith but we do not restrict any member on whom to marry.

“We believe marriage can be eternal and the only way to make it so is when we marry in the right place [the Holy Temple of the church], by the right authority and at the right time,” he added.