Mormon

The term Mormon is a colloquial name referring to Latter Day Saints, derived in the 1830s from the Book of Mormon, one of their books of scripture, whose compiler was called the prophet Mormon. It is also an adjective referring to various aspects of Mormonism. Most often, the term refers to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the largest and most well-known denomination within the Latter Day Saint movement, who are also commonly called Latter-day Saints or LDS.

Mormons in popular culture

Mormons, when they appear in movies and television shows are often presented as Caucasian and blond-haired, having large families, and very religious. They are viewed as knowledgeable about genealogy. The latter is not surprising given the immense importance genealogical research has in Mormon culture, including, in particular, as a point of outreach/contact with non-Mormons. They are frequently objects of ridicule in popular media -- including the Tonight Show, South Park and other shows and sitcoms - usually making fun of the LDS Church's history and doctrines, including polygamy. Often their door-to-door missionary work is compared with that of the Jehovah's Witnesses, but the two religions have few other similarities.

Related Topics:
Tonight Show - South Park - Polygamy - Jehovah's Witnesses

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Mormons have been active in producing general and Mormon-targeted plays, books and cinema. Many films aimed at Mormon audiences have been produced in the last decade, as alternatives to movies that Mormons view as hostile to their culture. (See "LDS fiction" and "LDS cinema".)

Related Topics:
LDS fiction - LDS cinema

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