Mormon Terms:Potential Terms

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These are suggested words for inclusion in Mormon Terms. Just because the word is on this list does NOT NECESSARILY mean that it should be included! Please review our inclusion criteria if you have any doubt!!

The definitions given below came from outside sources and are sometimes rude or snarky. Please define the terms neutrally and properly on the appropriate page and eliminate the definition here when you have finished.



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Source Word Lists

A

B

  • baby area -- missionary slang for initial area a missionary serves in
  • baby blessing
  • Babylon A term symbolic of worldliness.
  • backslider -- member who tries to follow commandments, but falls short
  • baker's hat -- part of temple clothing
  • Bandlo (aka Bandalo) - a band of felt worn around the neck by primary children (ages 9 - 11) on which were affixed symbols made of felt, plastic or glass, which represented achievements in the primary program. The work may have been inspired by "bandoleer" or perhaps "bandanna" (see http://www.keepapitchinin.org/archives/a-bundle-of-bandlos/ or http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2011/01/21/bandlos-old-post-new-illustrations/)
  • baptism by fire
  • Baptism by Immersion
  • Baptism by proxy
  • Baptism for the dead - The Mormons believe that it is possible to perform valid baptisms even after death. This does NOT mean that they actually deal with corpses, instead it means that baptisms are performed on behalf of the dead. Mormons believe that the dead have the ability to accept or reject any such baptism done on their behalf.
  • Baptism of Fire and the Holy Ghost
  • Baptism:* "Baptism by immersion under the hands of a legal administrator, one empowered to bind on earth and seal in heaven, is the initiatory ordinance into the Church on earth and the celestial kingdom in the world to come (D. & C. 20:68-74; 2 Ne. 9:23-24). Baptism is the formally appointed means and ordinance which the Lord has provided so that man can signify his personal acceptance of all of the terms and conditions of the eternal gospel covenant. Thus in baptism, which as part of the gospel is itself a new and an everlasting covenant (D. & C. 22), man covenants to abide by all of the laws and requirements of the whole gospel."
  • Baptismal
  • Baptismal candidate
  • Baptismal certificate
  • Baptismal challenge
  • Baptismal covenant
  • Baptismal font
  • Baptismal prayer
  • Baptismal service
  • baptize
  • baptized
  • Barge:* Jaredite
  • Barrow pit: * Something found only in Utah--a ditch alongside the road.
  • BC - Bishop's Court
  • Beacons — This was a short-lived title for 8-year-olds in the primary, starting in 1953.
  • Bear - In Mormon parlance, a verb invariably used with the word "testimony" to refer to the process of relating one's personal conviction of the truthfulness of certain religious precepts. This curious usage of the word is probably derived from the phrase "to bear witness." See also fast-and-testimony meeting, testimony meeting.
  • Bear the priesthood To possess or hold duly conferred priesthood authority.
  • Bear testimony To express one's personal convictions of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. - Telling others about the feelings, events, personal enlightenment, etc that lead a person to their belief that the church is true.
  • bear with me
  • Beard
  • Beard Card
  • Bearing a testimony
  • Bearing testimony
  • Beatitudes
  • beauty
  • Bedlamite - a noisy person, especially a child (popularized by Elder Holland in April 2011 Conference)
  • Beehive - 1) An LDS symbol of industry. 2) Young women's class.
  • Beehive clothing
  • Beehive house
  • Beehive Symbol* A logo representing industry and harmony, appearing frequently on objects associated with the LDS Church and Utah.
  • Beer
  • befriend
  • Belief
  • Believe
  • Beloved
  • Benediction
  • best two years of my life, the - A phrase sometimes employed by returned missionaries to describe their mission experience.
  • Bethlehem
  • Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt
  • beyond the veil A metaphorical expression for the spirit world or for life after death.
  • Bible
  • Bible Dictionary
  • BIC:* Born in the Covenant
  • Big 15 -- slang for First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve
  • Big Mormon Wagon
  • bind
  • bind on earth, bind in heaven Through the priesthood sealing power, to make an ordinance performed on earth valid throughout eternity.
  • Birth
  • Birth, Spiritual
  • birthday pennies
  • Bishop:* heads a ward [300 to 500 members] who is also ordained a High Priest in their Melchizedek priesthood. They are largely unpaid and perform marriages and funerals and conduct services.
  • Bishop's councilor
  • Bishop's court - A term used until recent years to indicate a disciplinary council conducted by a Bishop - This term has been replaced by Disciplinary Council. See Disciplinary Council.
  • Bishop Interview
  • Bishop's office
  • Bishop's storehouse
  • Bishopric - In the L.D.S. ecclesiastical hierarchy, the presiding body of a ward, consisting of a bishop and his two counselors. See also first counselor.
  • Black
  • Blasphemy
  • Blazer - name of the 9-year-old boy primary classes from 1920s to the 1970s. Since the 1970s, this name refers to 10 and 11 year old boy primary class.
  • Bless
  • bless sacrament
  • Blessed
  • blessing - This term can be used generically to refer to most any prayer, particularly prayers before meals, meetings, activities, etc. The term is often used specifically, however, to refer to an ordinance of the priesthood whereby hands are laid on a supplicant's head and a pronouncement of health, comfort, counsel, or christening is made. Though the syntactical structure of the blessing is similar to that of a regular prayer, the words are directed to the recipient rather than to God, often with instructions such as "be healed" or "live worthily" or "remember that your Father in Heaven is mindful of you." The giver of a blessing of this sort must be a worthy priesthood holder, and he is directed to keep his mind open and not speak his own thoughts or wishes, but rather to listen for the promptings of the Holy Ghost in knowing what instructions and/or promises to pass along to the recipient. When giving a blessing, the spokesman may be assisted by one or more other priesthood holders, who stand shoulder to shoulder and also place hands on the recipient's head.
  • Blessing on Food
  • Blessing on the Sick
  • Blessings
  • Blind
  • blind obedience
  • Block of meetings
  • block schedule
  • blood
  • Blood Atonement Some Mormons historically believed that some sins are so serious that they are outside of the blood of Christ. They believed it would be in the best interest of the offending person to have their own blood shed so they can have a hope that they will eventually be released from hell into the lowest kingdom in their afterlife. Some underground militia like fundamentalists feel they would be doing certain apostates a favor by shedding their blood.
  • Bluebird -- name of 10-year-old girls primary class from the 1920s through 1959; These were 10- and 11-year-old girls, starting in the 1926 Primary organization. Later, they were just the 10-year-olds.
  • BMW:* Big Mormon Wagon.
  • board (general, auxiliary) A small group of Church members called to help leaders of Church auxiliary organizations, such as Relief Society or Sunday School, at both the stake and the general Church administrative levels.
  • body
  • BoA - Book of Abraham
  • b.o.m. - Book of Mormon.
  • BOM:* Book of Mormon.
  • BonCom -- Bonneville Communications
  • Bone
  • Bonneville Communications
  • Book
  • Book of Abraham* Writings of Abraham, revealed to Joseph Smith. The Book of Abraham is one of the books in the Pearl of Great Price.
  • Book of Commandments* The earliest published collection of revelations to Joseph Smith; a predecessor to the Doctrine and Covenants.
  • Book of Enoch
  • Book of Life
  • Book of Mormon - A collection of writings ascribed to various prophets who lived in undetermined regions of the American continents between 600 B.C. and A.D. 421. Another testament of Jesus Christ, and the keystone of the L.D.S. faith. The Book of Mormon tells the story of the prophet Lehi, who fled Jerusalem with his family after having been warned in a dream of the city's impending destruction by the Babylonians. They built a ship and sailed to America, where his son Nephi, also a prophet, began to keep a record of their proceedings on engraved metal plates. Subsequent prophets and kings continued this practice. Nearly a thousand years later, a prophet named Mormon abridged the records kept by his predecessors onto engraved plates of gold. These he gave into the keeping of his son Moroni -- you guessed it, another prophet -- who added a few chapters and then buried the record in a hill in what would later become the state of New York. In the early 1800s, a resurrected Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith, Jr., and led him to the site where the record was buried. Young Smith, aided by the Urim and Thummim, translated the engravings from the Reformed Egyptian into an English reminiscent of King James and soon thereafter published the work as the Book of Mormon -- so named in honor of its prime abridger. An account of ancient inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere, recorded on gold plates and translated by Joseph Smith. The record contains both a history of the people and the fulness of the everlasting gospel as revealed by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants.
  • Book of Mormon Stories
  • Book of Moses* A record from the creation of the world and mankind to the flood at Noah's time, revealed to Joseph Smith while he was translating the Bible. Selections from the Book of Moses are now part of the Pearl of Great Price.
  • Book of Remembrance (1) A record begun by Adam and his immediate posterity; (2) a personal book containing genealogy and significant family history.
  • born
  • Born Again
  • Born in the Covenant All children born to a couple after they have been married (sealed) in a temple. - A child that was born of two parents sealed in the temple.
  • Born of God
  • born of goodly parents
  • bosom
  • bosom burning
  • BP - Branch President
  • Branch - In areas where members are quite spread out, the Church will sometimes have units smaller than a ward. These are called "Branches".
  • Branch Clerk
  • Branch Conference
  • Branch Presidency
  • Branch President
  • branch relief society president
  • branch relief society presidency
  • branch sunday school president
  • branch sunday school presidency
  • branch young men president
  • branch young men presidency
  • branch young women president
  • branch young women presidency
  • Brass Plates - A record spoken of in the Book of Mormon, which was similar to the Old Testament, written on plates of brass, containing many writings of the prophets (1 Ne. 5:10-16); brought by Lehi and his family to the Western Hemisphere.
  • bread
  • break bread
  • break the sabbath
  • Brethren - (1) All male members of the Church; (2) "The Brethren," a designation of the General Authorities of the Church.
  • Bridge
  • Bridle your passions
  • Brigham Tea or Brigham Weed:* See Mormon tea [DAW].
  • Brigham Young Cocktail:* [DAW] Moonshine, especially firewater or Indian whiskey.
  • Brigham Young University - A Church-owned University. Its policies are different from most universities, intending to reflect Mormon values.
  • Brighamite:* A follower of Brigham Young in the schism following Joseph Smith's death.
  • Bright
  • Bring 'em Young
  • Bring forth
  • broken heart
  • Brother of Jared
  • Brother
  • Brotherhood
  • BRT - missionary slang for "build relationships of trust"
  • bucket - Calgary Canada Mission slang for a lazy missionary who habitually breaks the rules. Derivation uncertain. See also kicker.
  • buckfart - A flakism roughly equivalent to such words as "joker," "clown," "scumbag," and "stoopnagle."
  • Buffetings of Satan
  • build
  • build relationships of trust
  • Building Program
  • building up
  • buildings
  • Bulletin
  • burden
  • Burial
  • burn
  • burning in the bosom A metaphorical description of the feeling that sometimes attends the enveloping Spirit of the Lord, particularly when one understands God's words through the influence of the Holy Ghost (Luke 24:32; D&C 9:3-8).
  • Burnings, Everlasting
  • bury - (in the water)
  • BYC Bishop's Youth Committee. A monthly meeting of the bishopric with the youth leaders of Aaronic Priesthood quorums and Young Women classes and their adult advisers.
  • BYD-This term stands for Bishop Youth Discussion. This is usually a Sunday evening meeting that youth 12 to 18 are asked to attend. At the meeting the Bishop gives a lesson on a specific topic, then the youth are able to ask him questions at the end.
  • BYU
  • BYU Radio
  • BYU-TV
  • BYU Motto:* Enter to serve, go forth to learn. The campus is our world.
  • BYU-Idaho

C

D

  • D
  • d.a. - See dinner appointment.
  • D&C - See Doctrine and Covenants.
  • Dating Fast -- to take a break from dating
  • damnation* (1) The opposite of salvation; (2) to be stopped in one's spiritual progress; (3) the suffering of various degrees of penalty at the final judgment by those who have not accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ and repented of their sins.
  • DAMU:* Disaffected Mormon Underground.
  • Danites* A small and briefly organized band of Mormon militia men in 1838 who became the source for anti-Mormon legends.
  • Darkness:* The total lack of any light for three days, where even the sun could not light up the clouds during the day, and no one could light a fire with dry wood for three days. Mormons easily accept this claim in Third Nephi, Chapter 8 without any question or doubt whatsoever, and that has to be real "spiritual darkness!"
  • Daughters of the Whore:* LDS scriptural name for Protestant churches, the whore being the Roman Catholic Church.
  • DC - Disciplinary Council
  • Deacon:* Worthy boys age 12 to 14 are "ordained" into the Aaronic priesthood of which the office of deacon is the first held. Deacons pass the sacrament in LDS church services.
  • Deacon Dance -- A derogatory label given to adolescent males who dance tensely and are somewhat afraid of girls.
  • Deaconitis -- A derogatory term used on adolescent boys to indicate that they made a mistake in their Sunday dress.
  • Deacon's Collar -- see Deaconitis
  • Deacons Quorum
  • Deacons Quorum Counselor
  • Deacons Quorum President
  • Deacons Quorum Presidency
  • Deacons Quorum Secretary
  • dead
  • deaf
  • Dear Jane - A gender-reversed "Dear John" letter.
  • Dear John - A letter to a missionary from his significant other, informing him that she has failed to successfully wait. Often accompanied by a wedding announcement linking the significant other with one of the missionary's former companions. See also "Dear Jane."
  • death
  • deceased
  • declare
  • Dedication
  • deed
  • deep
  • deep doctrine
  • Degrees of Glory* The celestial, terrestrial, and telestial kingdoms in heaven.
  • delight
  • demands of justice
  • deny
  • deny the power
  • denying the Holy Ghost d (1) In general terms, rejecting a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost; (2) another term for blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which is an unpardonable sin.
  • department head
  • descendants
  • Deseret* A Book of Mormon word meaning "honey bee," often used in titles of LDS institutions or by businesses in areas with concentrated LDS populations. A territory marked out by Brigham Young and his followers, originally comprising all of Utah, most of Nevada & Arizona, and parts of the states of California, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon and Wyoming. The word comes from the BoM where it is glossed as "Bee". - When the Mormon Pioneers first arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, they gave the region the name "Deseret" (Des-er-et). The name was changed to "Utah" during the attempt to make the area a state. The name "Deseret" comes from a word in the Book of Mormon (meaning "honeybee'), not from the word desert.
  • Deseret Alphabet
  • Deseret Book
  • Deseret Club -- club for LDS students at higher educational institutions.
  • Deseret Industries
  • Deseret Management
  • Deseret Mutual Benefit Association
  • Deseret News
  • Deseret Sunday School Union — Original name of the church's Sunday School program.
  • Desert Tea:* See Mormon Tea [DAW].
  • desire
  • determine the relationship -- missionary term
  • devil
  • devotional
  • dh
  • DHC - Documentary History of the Church
  • Dialogue
  • die - In mission parlance, to be released from one's mission and return home; e.g., "I hope I die here in Babylonville, Elder. I'd hate to have to adjust to a whole new area before going home." Derived by analogy with the process in Mormon theology whereby spirits leave their premortal existence, are born physically and die on earth, then return to the spirit realm to await resurrection and judgment.
  • diligently
  • dinner appointment - An occasion when a member family invites the local missionaries over for dinner. The Church encourages this activity because a) it gives the missionaries a chance to remind the members that they should be introducing non-members of their acquaintance to the Restored Gospel, and b) it assures the missionaries of nutritious hot meals on occasion.
  • direct (music)
  • direction
  • director of temporal affairs
  • disbelief
  • Discernment, Gift of
  • disciple
  • Disciples of Christ
  • Discipleship
  • Disciplinary Council - Internal conflicts are handled by the Church's own court system. The Bishop of a ward generally is responsible for these. Appeals of decisions can be made to the Stake, and failing that to the President of the Church. The verdict is public information, but the details are not. (Similar to what happens in US courts when you have records sealed.) A Disciplinary Council is usually done in a ward, arranged by the Bishop, but may be convened by higher offices depending on the rank of the charged, and the situation (For example, if the accused is a Bishop himself, or not attached to a specific ward).
  • Disciplinary Procedures* The process of bringing a Church member before a priesthood officer or disciplinary council to account for alleged transgressions against Church standards and to take necessary steps toward repentance.
  • discuss
  • discussion - A lesson taught by missionaries to an investigator. So named, I believe, so as to minimize in investigators the feeling of being taught a rote catechetical sermon by inviting dialogue and greater back-and-forth participation. The current curriculum for prospective members includes six discussions, each about an hour in length, which cover the very most basic tenets of the Restored Gospel. Each discussion consists of several principles, which the missionaries are free to put across in their own words, adapting to the necessities of the situation. Companions usually take turns teaching principles. Most discussions end with an invitation to baptism. Most invitations to baptism end with a shake of the head. See also discussions, the.
  • discussions, the - A term applied broadly to the set of six missionary discussions, or to the process of teaching them to an investigator. A structured lesson on basic gospel principles presented to interested nonmembers.
  • disfellowship - A punishment by a disciplinary council that is milder than excommunication but harsher than probation.
  • disfellowshipment* A disciplinary action against a Church member that severely restricts participation in Church activity but falls short of excommunication.
  • disobedience
  • disobey
  • Dispensation A period of time in which priesthood authority and keys are established among mankind. The present dispensation, the last before the second coming of Christ, is called the "fulness of times."
  • Dispensation of the Fulness of Times - Pt:Dispensação da Plenitude dos Tempos
  • Dispensations of the Gospel
  • Distribution Center* Centrally located outlets from which Church publications and other supplies are distributed.
  • District* (1) An ecclesiastical unit consisting of several branches of the Church in a geographic area where stakes are not organized; (2) a unit of organization in missions, consisting of missionaries and presided over by an experienced missionary called the district leader. A geographical area consisting usually of two to four companionships, encompassing from four to eight missionaries and supervised by a district leader. See also zone.
  • district activity - A recreational activity designed to strengthen bonds of friendship, community, and purpose between the members of a district. Also, an excuse for goofing around. Contrast district meeting. See also zone activity.
  • District Clerk
  • District Conference
  • District Council
  • District Executive Secretary
  • District Leader - A missionary assigned to supervise usually two to four companionships, encompassing from four to eight other missionaries. Often shortened to d.l. See also zone leader.
  • district meeting - A weekly meeting at which the members of a district convene to report on their achievements of the past week, set performance goals for the next week, practice their teaching skills, and decide on someplace cool to go for lunch. Also, an excuse for goofing around. Contrast district activity.
  • District President
  • District Presidency
  • district relief society president
  • district relief society presidency
  • district sunday school president
  • district sunday school presidency
  • district young men president
  • district young men presidency
  • district young women president
  • district young women presidency
  • divine
  • Divinity
  • divorce
  • dixie
  • DL - District Leader
  • do it
  • doctrine
  • Doctrine and Covenants:* A volume of Latter-day Saint scripture containing selected revelations given to Joseph Smith and his successors in the presidency of the Church. A collection of revelations received primarily by Joseph Smith, though other latter-day prophets are also represented. One of the four canonized works of Mormon scripture. Often shortened to D & C
  • dogma
  • donation
  • double-digit midget - Mission slang for a missionary with less than a hundred days of service remaining.
  • doubt
  • doubt your doubts
  • Dove, Sign of the
  • dream
  • Dry Mormon -- An individual who acts and thinks like a Mormon, but does not belong to the Church.
  • DTR - missionary slang for "determine the relationship"
  • Dugout:* [DAW] Type of early Mormon log cabin.
  • dunk - Mission parlance for baptism. Can be used as either a noun or a verb; e.g., "How many dunks have you scored this month, Elder? Are you going to dunk anyone else before the month is over?" So derived because Mormons baptize by total immersion.
  • dust -- reference to ancient records; I.e., the come "from the dust" or " out of the dust"; v. to dust feet
  • duty
  • Duty to God
  • dwell

E

F

  • F&M -- Fast and Testimony Meeting
  • FAIR
  • faith
  • Faith in Every Footstep
  • Faith in Jesus Christ
  • Faith promoting
  • Faith promoting rumor:* Something that didn't happen or isn't true that we pretend did happen or is true, because it makes us feel good. Mormon urban legend.
  • faithful
  • faithfully
  • faithfulness
  • Fall, The
  • Fall of Adam
  • Fall of Adam and Eve
  • Fallen Angel
  • Fallible
  • false
  • false doctrine
  • family
  • family-centered
  • family-centered activity
  • Families are forever
  • Families Can Be Together Forever
  • Family, The: A Proclamation to the World
  • Family Group Sheet
  • Family History - Activity in the LDS Church that involves tracing one's lineage and composing ancestral histories.
  • Family History Center
  • Family History Library* The Church's repository of genealogical and historical data, the largest of its kind in the world, with branch libraries in more than 1,400 stake centers.
  • Family Home Evening:* FHE. A program in which families gather (usually on Monday evening) for family-centered spiritual training and social activities. - A day set aside for families to be together, and used to study scripture, etc. Usually Monday evenings.
  • Family is forever
  • Family Organizations
  • Family Prayer
  • Family Preparedness
  • Family Registry(TM) A service provided by the Family History Department of the Church to help people who are doing research on the same family lines to cooperate and share results.
  • Family Reunion
  • Family Services -- aka LDS Family Services (current name for LDS Social Services)
  • Family Tree
  • FamilySearch An automated computer system designed to simplify the task of family history research.
  • Family Ward
  • farewell - See mission farewell.
  • FARMS
  • Fast - To go without food for a specific purpose. In L.D.S. circles, this means skipping usually one or two meals in an act of discipline designed to tame the bodily appetites and bring a person more in tune with spiritual things. Fasting is normally coupled with prayer, and very often people fast when they are in need of a special sort of help from God, as a way to make their prayers more effective. It may also facilitate the sort of kinesthetic hallucinations which many people interpret as spiritual visitations. See also fast-and-testimony meeting, fast offering, Fast Sunday.
  • fast-and-testimony meeting - A testimony meeting held on Fast Sundays in place of the normal sacrament meeting, where the time normally given over to sermons is devoted to allowing volunteers from the congregation to bear their testimonies. Suffering hungry through a fast-and-testimony meeting is one of the most agonizing ordeals that Mormons are required to undergo.
  • Fast Day
  • Fast Offering* Donation of at least the value of meals not eaten on fast Sunday, given to the bishop for the relief of the needy. - In L.D.S. culture, a necessary accompaniment to fasting in which the faster donates to the Church an amount of money equal to or greater than the cost of the skipped meals. The money is earmarked directly for assistance to the poor (not a bad idea, actually). Think of it as "guilt money." On Fast Sundays, deacons are sent from house to house to troll for fast offerings from inactive members.
  • Fast Sunday - In the L.D.S. Church, the one Sunday set aside per month when all members who are physcially able to fast are expected to do so. See also fast-and-testimony meeting, fast offering. - Usually the first Sunday of each month, on which Church members refrain from food or drink for two meals and donate the equivalent cost to the Church to assist the poor and needy. The sacrament meeting on each fast Sunday, called fast and testimony meeting, is devoted to the voluntary bearing of testimony by members. - A Sunday during which members fast. The Fasting is supposed to also be a spiritual time. This is usually the first Sunday of the month. Traditionally the money that would have been used for food is made as a contribution to the hungry (Called a Fast Offering.). Participation is left to people's judgement, so that people with medical conditions, and children, may participate in a lesser degree (or not at all). This was originally Thursdays, but the British moved it to Sunday in the British isles to avoid having laborers have to do hard work without food on a workday. The body of the Church later followed suit.
  • Fasting
  • Father
  • Father and Sons Campout
  • Father in Heaven
  • Father in Israel
  • Father in Zion
  • Father's Blessing
  • Fear of God
  • feeble knees
  • feel the spirit
  • feelings
  • fellowship
  • Fellowshipping Members* The activity of encouraging established Church members to help new or inactive members to participate in Church practices.
  • Fellowshipping
  • fence sitter
  • Fetch:* Mormon exclamation meaning to "mess up". Slang for the F word. See also: Flip. A word used by Mormon missionaries the world over as an all-purpose substitute for the F word. Synonymous with "flip."
  • FHC - Family History Center
  • FHE - Family Home Evening
  • FIH - Father in Heaven
  • field - See mission field.
  • fill
  • filling the canteen = a boy trying to kiss as many girls as he can before he leaves for his mission
  • Final Judgment
  • Financial Clerk
  • Firelights -- name give to the 10-year-old girl primary class from 1959 to the 1970s; In 1960, this was the 10-year-old Primary girls.
  • Firesides* Informal gatherings of Church members and friends, often in homes and usually on Sundays, that feature a speaker or program of a spiritual theme. Occasionally Churchwide firesides are held under the direction of the First Presidency. An evening Church service in which a touchie-feelie speaker addresses a group of Latter-day Saints on a gospel-related topic. The earliest firesides were held in people's homes -- thus the name -- and while some still are, the term has broadened to include any evening address, whether it be in a family room or in a chapel or via satellite from Salt Lake City.
  • firm
  • Firm Foundation
  • First Contact:* The first meeting when the missionaries meet their investigator.
  • First Counselor - In the Mormon ecclesiastical hierarchy, the first of usually two assistants called to aid a bishop, a stake president, etc., in the administration of his assigned jurisdiction, i.e., ward, stake, and so forth. See also bishopric, First Presidency, stake presidency.
  • First Elder
  • First Estate
  • First Hour
  • First Ministry of Jesus Christ
  • First Presidency of the Church
  • First Presidency, the - The supreme governing body of the L.D.S. Church, consisting of a president (or prophet) and an unspecified number of counselors, usually two.
  • First Presidency* The President of the Church and his counselors; the highest ranking quorum in the Church.
  • first principles and ordinances of the gospel* Faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion in water for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
  • First Principles of the Gospel
  • First Quorum of the Seventy, the - A governing body of the L.D.S. Church subordinate only to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
  • First Vision* The initial appearance of God the Father and Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith in the spring of 1820 near Palmyra, New York, marking the beginning of the restoration of the gospel.
  • Firstborn of God
  • FIS - Financial Information System. Name of old DOS-based software for local unit financial management.
  • Five Points of Fellowship
  • the 500 -- the Mormon Batallion
  • FKAM -- Formerly Known as Mormon
  • FLDS
  • Flaming Sword
  • flesh
  • flesh and bone
  • Flip:* Mormon exclamation meaning to "mess up". Slang for many common curse words. See also: Fetch. A word used by Mormon missionaries the world over as an all-purpose substitute for the s word. Synonymous with "fetch."
  • FM Group - Facilities Management Group
  • follow
  • Follow the Brethren* Heeding the counsel of local and general leaders of the Church.
  • Follow the Prophet
  • following
  • FoMo:* Formerly Mormon.
  • font
  • Food Storage - Organic substances which promote good health among the brethren, not by consumption, but through a rigorous weightlifting program. A supply of food necessary to sustain life for a year. Church leaders encourage members, where possible, to store food, clothing, fuel, and other items in preparation for emergencies.
  • for the strength of the hills
  • For time
  • For time and all eternity
  • forbidden
  • Foreknowledge of God
  • Foreordination* The doctrine that individuals were called and set apart in the premortal existence to perform certain roles in mortal life, should they so choose.
  • forever
  • forgive
  • forgiven
  • forgiveness
  • forgotten
  • form
  • form of godliness
  • Former Mormon
  • foundation
  • foyer
  • Foyer Mormon
  • FP - First Presidency
  • FPM -- Faith Promoting Rumor
  • Freaking:* Mormon acceptable alternative to the f word. See also "Friggin."
  • free
  • Free Agency - The L.D.S. belief in every person's absolute right to choose his or her own beliefs and actions.
  • Freedom
  • fresh courage take
  • Frick or Frickin':* A word used by contemporary mormons as a surrogate for the f word.
  • Friday Nighters -- Ogden-based post-WWII Singles program
  • Friend, The* Since 1971, the Church periodical for children.
  • friendship
  • Frigging (or freaking):* A euphemism for the "F" word.
  • from eternity to eternity
  • fruitcake = at BYU spaz, fruity, and fruitcake mean crazy and not gay.
  • fruity = at BYU spaz, fruity, and fruitcake mean crazy and not gay.
  • FS -- Fast Sunday
  • FTM -- Fast and testimony meeting
  • fulfill
  • full-time
  • fullness
  • Fullness of the Gospel* The doctrine, ordinances, authority, and organization necessary to enable individuals to attain salvation.
  • fullness of times
  • Fundamental Principles
  • Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, The
  • Fundamentalist Mormons:* these both practice and believe in plural marriages and hold to very fundamental teachings taught by early church leaders like Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and John Taylor.
  • Fundamentalists:* Fundies. People who still actually practice historical Mormon doctrine. - Sects of Mormonism that continued to support polygamy after revelation removed the principle from the church. Sometimes used to mean any sects that split off to refuse to follow newer revelations.
  • funeral
  • funeral potatoes

G

  • g.a. - See general authority. 2. Nickname used by missionaries for the Catholic Church: “The reason we don’t baptize much here is because everybody belongs to the G.A.” (See great and abominable church.)
  • g's - Slang for garments.
  • g-line
  • GA's - See general authority.
  • Gabriel A person spoken of in Daniel 8:16 and Luke 1:11-19, identified as Noah by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
  • Gadianton
  • Gadianton Robbers
  • Gambling
  • garden
  • Garden of Eden
  • Garden of Gethsemane
  • Garment
  • Garment of the Priesthood
  • Garments - The sacred underclothing worn by many Mormons as a reminder of the covenants undertaken in the Temple as part of the endowment ceremony. The garments are to be worn at all times -- except during bathing, sports, and certain other activities -- and are not to be shown to or handled by non-members. Despite apocryphal claims that Mormons killed in various types of accidents have suffered no injury on the parts of their bodies covered by the garments, the Church teaches that the garments offer only spiritual and not physical protection.
  • garmies -- Slang term for garments
  • Gathering, The
  • Gathering of Israel
  • gator - slang for "investigator."
  • Gaynotes -- name given to the 9-year-old girls primary classes from 1959 until the 1970s; The 9-year-old Primary girls in 1959 used this title, as part of the revised Liahonas (Little Homemakers) girls program.
  • Gazelem
  • GEDCOM
  • gem -- i.e., sacrament gems, gems of thought, etc.
  • Genealogical Work:* Mormons have been taught that they must research out their relatives. They fill out family group sheets and pedigree charts to establish links to the past. They present these records to the Mormon temple so that people can be baptized by proxy for the dead, then later adult "temple Mormons" will go through an endowment session by proxy for the relative. Later others will go into a sealing room and by proxy have entire families sealed together so they can be together in the Celestial Kingdom.
  • Genealogy
  • General Authority - Catch-all term for a member of any of the governing bodies of the L.D.S. Church, including the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric. Also applies to the Patriarch of the Church. Often shortened to g.a.
  • general auxiliary presidents
  • general auxiliary presidencies
  • General Board
  • General Conference General assemblies of Church members in Salt Lake City, regularly convened every April and October.
  • General Conference Reports:* Chloroform in print. Statistics only making sense when viewed with your "spiritual eyes."
  • General Conference Talks
  • General Handbook of Instructions - A regularly updated "policy and procedures" manual for Church leaders. Replaced by the "Church Handbook of Instructions."
  • General Priesthood Broadcast
  • General Relief Society Broadcast
  • General Relief Society Presidency
  • General Relief Society Presidents
  • Gentile - An individual who is not a Mormon - yet. - Used to refer to any non-Mormon. This is a non-stigmatic term, as opposed to "heathen." - According to the context in which it is used, the following meanings are possible for Latter-day Saints: (1) one not of the lineage of Israel; (2) a non-Latter-day Saint; (3) one who is not Jewish; (4) one who is not a Lamanite. - Originally meant non-Jewish. Later someone not Jewish and not Mormon. Sometimes used to mean non-Mormon, although this may not be officially condoned.
  • GEO Codes - The codes set up and used by local units to group members into geographic areas, usually to analyze how a unit might be divided.
  • Gethsemane
  • GHI - General Handbook of Instructions
  • Gideon
  • Gift of the Holy Ghost
  • Gift of Tongues
  • Gifts of the Spirit
  • Gilead. Balm of
  • Gilgal
  • girl's camp
  • give
  • give a talk
  • give said the little stream
  • Gleaners -- Young women department in the church's MIA program, for ages 17-23, that began in 1921.
  • glorified
  • glorified body of flesh and bones
  • glory
  • glory of God is intelligence
  • go and do
  • goal
  • God the Father
  • God:* an exalted man who once lived on a planet like ours and proved obedient. He received "priesthood" and went through a temple having his family sealed to him. He and his wives are having spiritual babies for other planets as his kingdom eternally expands "eternal progression." Mormons believe in a trinity of purpose not substance. Doctrine & Covenants 130:3 reads "the appearance of the Father and Son in that verse [Jn 14:23], is a personal appearance; and the idea that the Father and Son dwell in a man's heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false." Later in the same section in verse 22 Smith wrote "the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us." In the current temple endowment, as in the past, God the Father is introduced as being "Elohim," God the Son is introduced as "Jehovah," and the "Michael" is introduced as the third major person among the gods of creation. Many Mormons believe Michael was Adam's premortal name.
  • God-given
  • God's Plan
  • God's Will
  • Godhead:* "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us." Doctrine and Covenants 130:22 "I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this text for that express purpose. I wish to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preach on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the Elders for fifteen years."
  • Godhood
  • Godly sorrow
  • Gold Plates* The anciently engraved metal plates from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon.
  • Golden - A term applied to investigators who are primed and ready to join the Church, often before even meeting the missionaries, and for whom taking the discussions is merely a formality before baptism.
  • Golden Bible:* see Mormon Bible.
  • Golden Contact
  • Golden Gleaner
  • Golden Opportunity
  • Golden Plates, the - The engraved record delivered by the angel Moroni to the prophet Joseph Smith, from which the Book of Mormon was purportedly translated. The plates were seen by only a few select witnesses, whose testimony can be found in the front of current editions of the Book of Mormon. Shortly after the work of translation was complete, Moroni returned and took the plates back to whatever dimension he originally came from. - The original documents from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon.
  • Golden Questions
  • goodly parents
  • Gospel* The "good news" of redemption through Jesus Christ; the principles and ordinances of the plan of salvation.
  • Gospel Doctrine
  • Gospel Doctrine Class
  • Gospel Essentials Class
  • Gospel Geek
  • Gospel of Abraham
  • Gospel of Jesus Christ
  • Gospel Principles
  • gospel standards
  • Grace:* Divine help given through the mercy of Jesus Christ. It is an enabling power that allows men and women to receive eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.
  • grave
  • graven image
  • Great and Abominable Church* All assemblies, congregations, or associations of people not authorized by God and that fight against God and his purposes
  • Great and Spacious Building
  • Great Apostasy
  • Green meal -- slang for first dinner appointment a new missionary attends.
  • Greenie - A term applied to new missionaries based on the metaphor of un-ripened fruit. Because, unlike other missionaries, they are not yet sweet, round and soft in the middle. - Greenhorn. A missionary new to the field, freshly arrived from the M.T.C. Butt of jokes and victim of mostly harmless initiation rites.
  • greenie area - slang for first area a missionary works in.
  • grief
  • grove of trees
  • guardian of virtue
  • guide - name give to 11-year-old class in primary from the 1920s to the 1970s.
  • Guilt

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

  • Quad - A bound volume containing all four of the standard works.
  • QuadCom -- Quad
  • qualify (for the spirit)
  • quarterly conference
  • quest, the
  • Question
  • Quorum
  • Quorum of the Twelve
  • Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the - The collection of apostles which stands second only to the First Presidency as a governing body of the L.D.S. Church. Sometimes also referred to as the Quorum of the Twelve, the Council of the Twelve, or simply the Twelve. - The body of twelve men who, under the direction of the First Presidency, constitute the second-highest presiding quorum of the Church.
  • Quorums of the Seventy General Authorities organized in bodies of up to seventy members. Under supervision of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, they direct missionary and other administrative activities of the Church.

R


S

T

U

  • Udaho
  • Underwear
  • Unit - A congregation or other function in the Church that is responsible for its budget. Wards, Stakes, Branches, Districts, Family History Centers, etc., are all examples of Units.
  • United Effort Plan
  • United order * Social and economic orders in which Church members, in an act of consecration, deed their property to a bishop, who allots stewardships and resources according to need. It is not currently being practiced in the Church.
  • Unity
  • University of Deseret
  • Unpardonable Sin* The sin against the Holy Ghost.
  • Unrighteous Dominion
  • Uplifted Hand
  • Urim and Thummim * Two stones set in "silver bows," and often associated with a breastplate, given to Joseph Smith to aid in the translation of the Book of Mormon and in receiving other revelations.
  • Ushers
  • Utah
  • Utah Mormon - A disparaging term used by Saints from outside of Utah to indicate a usually hypocritical Mormon who feels smug and superior in his spirituality due to his proximity to Church headquarters. Non-Utah Mormons feel that, living amongst so many gentiles, they have more opportunities for spiritual challenges and growth-promoting experiences -- which, of course, makes them better than Utah Mormons.
  • Utard - mildly derogatory term referring to Utahns.

V

  • vain repetition
  • valiant -- synonym for faithful; class in primary
  • valley tan
  • vanguard -- teacher-aged boys between scouts and explorers; Part of the YMMIA program for boys, ages 15-16, from 1928 to 1933, until the Boy Scouts began an Explorers program and the church adopted that.
  • Veil, The
  • Veil of forgetfulness: 1) The veil we go through from pre-existence that prevents us remembering it.
  • Veil Worker
  • Vicarious Work
  • virtue
  • vision
  • Visit
  • Visiting Teacher - Women in the ward are paired up and given three to four women in the ward that they are supposed to meet with monthly. Usually they spend time talking, then they give a thought from the visiting teaching message for the month. This system is set up to help the ward be aware of families needs. It is another way for the Church to help take care of its members. - Generally a Priesthood Leaders assign a home teacher (male) to every family in a ward, and the Relief Society President assigns a Visiting teacher (female) to each family in the ward that has an adult female in residence. These people visit once a month, and bring a spiritual message, and help out with problems. (For example they've been known to help families move, assist the sick, etc.)
  • Visiting Teaching * A Church program in which members of the Relief Society are assigned to visit regularly other sisters to give brief instruction and support.
  • Visitors Centers* Reception centers of the Church, at temples and historic sites, to introduce visitors to the history and doctrine of the Church.
  • VT - Visiting Teacher
  • Voice of Warning

W

X

Y

Z

  • Zarahemla
  • ZCMI
  • Zeebees -- nickname for Zion's Boys
  • Zeegees -- nickname for Zion's Girls
  • Zelph
  • Ziff
  • Zion * A word meaning the "pure in heart"; also a geographic location where the righteous are gathered by obedience to the gospel.
  • Zion Corridor
  • Zion Curtain -- 1) wall or barrier separating the dining section from the liquor serving area in Utah restaurants required by law. 2) border between majority Mormon areas and majority non-Mormon areas.
  • Zion’s Boys -- Primary class for 7- and 8-year-olds, from 1928 to about 1950; These were the 7- and 8-year-olds starting in 1928. also known as Zeebees
  • Zion's Camp
  • Zion’s Girls -- Primary class for 7- and 8-year-olds, from 1928 to about 1950; These were the 7- and 8-year-olds starting in 1928.
  • Zionism
  • Zone
  • Zone Activity
  • Zone Conference
  • Zone Leader
  • Zoobie
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