Latter-day Saints - Definition and Overview

A Latter-day Saint is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and should not to be confused with the different, though similar term "Latter Day Saint." The term "Latter-day Saint", as spelled with a hyphen and a lower-case "d," has a different meaning than the older and more general term "Latter Day Saint," which applies to all sects that derive their religious heritage from Joseph Smith, Jr. The British spelling "Latter-day Saint" originated in 1852 when the LDS Church was incorporated in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Latter-day Saints are by far the largest group of Latter Day Saints. They prefer the term Latter-day Saints, but are commonly known as Mormons, although numerous other Latter Day Saint groups also refer to themselves as Mormons, a term that began as a nickname in reference to the "Book of Mormon." There are over 12 million Latter-day Saints in the world today, just under 46% of which reside in the United States.

See also

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Latter Day Saint
• Mormon

External links

Official Church Websites

• Basic Beliefs (http://www.mormon.org/)
• BeSmart (Church Education) (http://www.besmart.com/)
• Church History (http://lds.org/churchhistory/0,15478,4154-1,00.html)
• Church Music (http://lds.org/churchmusic/)
• FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org/)
• Global Internet Site (LDS.org) (http://www.lds.org/)
• Home and Family (http://lds.org/hf/welcome/0,16744,5-1,00.html)
• LDS Catalog (Order Church Materials) (http://www.ldscatalog.com/)
• LDS Foundation (http://lds.org/ldsfoundation/welcome/0,6892,407-1,00.html)
• News Room (http://lds.org/newsroom/0,15239,181-1,00.html)
• Provident Living (http://www.providentliving.org/)
• Scriptures (http://www.scriptures.lds.org/)
• Serving in the Church (http://lds.org/pa/welcome/0,17827,5235-1,00.html)
• Stake and Ward Websites (http://lds.org/units/find/0,12831,2311-1,00.html)

Official Country Sites

Unofficial Church Sites

• FARMS - Foundation for Ancient Religion and Mormon Studies (http://farms.byu.edu)
• FAIR - Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (http://fair-lds.org/)
• LDS Living (http://www.ldsliving.com)
• LDS Resources (http://www.ldsresources.net/)
• LDS Weddings (http://www.ldsweddings.com/)
• Mormon Answers: LDSFAQ (http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/)

Further Reading

• Articles of Faith, by James E. Talmage, Signature Books 2003, ISBN 1560851678
• Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1981, ISBN 0967686563
• Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Doubleday 2004, ISBN 038551316X
• Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission, by James E. Talmage, Deseret Book Co. 1982, ISBN 0877479038
• Marvelous Work and a Wonder, by Le Grand Richards, Deseret Book Co. 1984, ISBN 0877471614