List of denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement
list of historical and current Latter Day Saint denominations
An estimated over 400 denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement (sometimes collectively referred to as Mormonism) have sprung from founder Joseph Smith's original movement, according to Benjamin Park. Mormon is an informal term used especially when referring to the largest Latter Day Saint denomination, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and other offshoots in the movement. Some groups opposed to the use of the term Mormon consider it to be connected to the polygamy once practiced by the Utah church, or to pejoratives used against early adherents of the movement.
The Latter Day Saint movement includes:
The original church within this movement, founded in April 1830 in New York by Joseph Smith, was the Church of Christ. It was later named the "Church of the Latter Day Saints". It was renamed the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" in 1838 (stylized as the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" in the United Kingdom), which remained its official name until Smith's death in 1844. This organization subsequently splintered into several different denominations, each of which claims to be the legitimate continuation of this original church. Most of these dispute the right of other denominations within the movement to claim this distinction.
The largest denomination within the contemporary movement is the LDS Church, with over 17 million members. It is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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