Mormon Tabernacle Choir Changes Its Name

As part of a larger church effort to discontinue the use of nicknames for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will no longer have “Mormon” in its name. The Associated Press reports that the well-known gospel singing group will now be called “The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square,” which references the choir’s home for the last 150 years in downtown Salt Lake City. Church President Russell M. Nelson reportedly announced guidelines in August requesting that people stop using nicknames like “Mormon” or “LDS,” and use “Latter-day Saints” for shorthand instead. “We’re not changing names. We’re correcting a name,” Nelson said in a speech after the announcement. “Some marketers change names hoping to be more successful—that’s not our point. We’re correcting an error that’s crept in over the ages.” The church believes its full name was given in a “revelation” from God to founder Joseph Smith in 1838. The term “Mormon” is derived from the faith’s “signature scripture,” The Book of Mormon.