World Faiths & Religions

Mormons have other canonical books besides the Bible. One of these is called the Book of Mormon, the story of several small groups from the ancient Middle East that came to the Americas. Their records were passed down over hundreds of years, until they came to a prophet who edited and compiled them onto lasting metal tablets (often called the "golden plates") c. 400 AD. This man's name was Mormon, and the book bears his name. As with the word Christian, the term Mormon was originally somewhat of a pejorative term applied to believers by their opponents. Though the full name is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or LDS Church), Mormons have now co-opted the term.