Who Gets to Say ‘Mormon’? Depends Who You Ask
Summary
Radio West examines the LDS Church’s trademark lawsuit against Mormon Stories creator John DeLynn, exploring the contested history of the word "Mormon." Historian Benjamin Park and scholar Lindsay Hansen Park discuss how the term evolved from a slur to a cultural identifier, analyzing the tension between institutional control and public usage. The episode argues that despite legal efforts, the word has escaped the Church’s grasp, now defining a broad heritage that includes diverse voices like those on *Secret Lives of Mormon Wives*.
Topics discussed
Sponsor message and introduction to the Dillon lawsuit
Legal arguments: First Amendment vs. trademark rights
Russell M. Nelson's 1990 address on the church's name
Diverging views on the utility of the nickname Mormon
Origins of the name: The Book of Mormon and early missionaries
From Mormonite to Mormon: Evolution of the public nickname
Mormon as a slur and Joseph Smith's 'more good' redefinition
Internal adoption of the term by early Latter-day Saints
Tension between distinctiveness and assimilation in LDS identity
Russell M. Nelson's strategy to strip down the faith's basics
Break and sponsor message
Legal ownership vs. cultural inheritance of the word Mormon
Gatekeeping and the struggle to define who is Mormon
Correlation, dissent, and the loss of institutional control
Trademark law comparisons and the limits of owning a word
The 'I'm a Mormon' campaign and efforts to normalize the image
Public perception, legal risks, and the complexity of the label
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and the expansion of Mormon identity
Redefining pioneers and the future of institutional control
Conclusion: The unsustainability of controlling the word Mormon
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