As part of the continued effort to “correct” the religion’s title, the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced last week the church would be stripping the name “Mormon” from its well-known Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
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The famous group will now be called the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, according to The Associated Press.
In August, church president Russell M. Nelson, 94, requested people stop using “Mormon” or “LDS” as substitutes for the religion’s full name. The only acceptable shorthand, he said at the time, is “Latter-day Saints.”
We have a new name: The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. The change was made to better align with our sponsor, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and reflects the heritage of the Choir’s home in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square. https://t.co/cq1pZPSXnf pic.twitter.com/MhnTbVAAcA
— The Tabernacle Choir (@TheTabChoir) October 5, 2018
Nelson said the “Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name he has revealed for his church.” He went on to say the church’s name is “not negotiable,” recognizing, though, that it will be a “challenge to undo tradition of more than 100 years.”
“We just want to correct an error, that’s all,” Nelson said. “[I]t’s not Mormon’s church, it’s not Moses’ church; it’s the church of Jesus Christ.”
Nelson has claimed repeatedly that the shift is not a “rebranding,” but is instead a “correction.”
The announcement regarding the Tabernacle Choir’s name change came at the same time the religion’s leaders said they are shortening Sunday church services from three hours to two hours, according to United Press International.
The shift, which will take place in January, is part of an effort to place greater emphasis on the responsibility of parents to teach the Gospel message to their children.