A Latter-day Saint is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The British spelling "Latter-day Saint" with the hyphen originated in 1852 when the LDS Church was incorporated in Salt Lake City, Utah, but asimilar term "Latter Day Saint" was used in reference to members of the church from its conception in 1830. Some have used the term "Latter Day Saint" to refer to any members of any of the churches involved in the movement of Mormonism which began in the 1830s and had small groups break away from the main body of saints, but such usage is much less common. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest church in the United States. They are sometimes referred to as Mormons, although a few other groups which stem from the same movement also refer to themselves as Mormons, a term that began as a nickname in reference to their belief in a book of scripture called the "Book of Mormon." Due to a large number of incidents in which misidentification has been made in regard to LDS Church, confusing the church with its much smaller schisms, the church strongly prefers

There are more than 12 million Latter-day Saints in the world today (roughly 4-5 million are active members), the majority of which reside outside the United States (approximately 45 percent reside within the US). According to Time and Newsweek, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the fastest growing religions in the world today, having more than doubled in membership since 1982. It is the most far reaching world religion originating in the United States.

The most doctrinally accurate description of their beliefs can be found on the official Church-run websites via links listed on this page.

See also

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Latter Day Saint
• Mormon
• List of cults
• Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Gordon B. Hinckley

Official country sites

Unofficial websites

• - In-depth FAQ on LDS Church-related issues

Further Reading

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