The Mormon Land newsletter is The Salt Lake Tribune’s weekly highlight reel of news in and about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join us on Patreon and receive the full newsletter, podcast transcripts and access to all of our religion content.
Will it come to pass?
A couple of weeks ago, we asked our newsletter readers to come up with a new title for the church’s signature scripture, the Book of Mormon, that removes that dreaded M-word (although, to be clear, the faith appears perfectly satisfied with the text’s present name).
Among the usual litany of, frankly, anti-Mormon offerings, there were some fun, sincere or at least legitimate suggestions. Check these out:
• The Golden Plates on White Paper.
• Golden Treasure: Words to Live By.
• Bible: Part 2.
• American Bible.
• The Pride Cycle.
• The Book at Temple Square.
• The Book of He Who Must Not Be Named.
• America’s Witness of Christ.
• The Resurrected Jesus in America.
• The Third Testament.
A couple endorsed some of the promptings we originally put forth, including The Stick of Joseph and The Son Also Rises in the New World.
The most popular and, perhaps, plausible idea was simply to drop the Book of Mormon name and go with the current subtitle: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
Others advised paring that back to one word: Testament.
Said one commenter: “I love the simplicity and understated elegant ring of finality.”
Bryce’s brew
(Matt Slocum | AP) Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper celebrates after a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023. The all-star slugger has a favorite iced latte recipe.
Phillies superstar Bryce Harper, the highest paid Latter-day Saint athlete ever, is a fan — or should that be “phan”? — of cold coffee.
The baseball slugger and two-time MVP recently shared his recipe for an iced vanilla latte on TikTok.
“Is he even allowed to drink coffee?” The Philadelphia Inquirer asked. “The answer is yes, sort of. Mormon doctrine advises against ‘hot drinks,’ which prevents them from drinking hot coffee and tea. But it doesn’t technically include drinks like iced coffee or iced tea — even though it’s often interpreted that way by followers.”
In 2019, the church’s website did advise members that “drinks with names that include café or caffé, mocha, latte, espresso, or anything ending in -ccino are coffee and are against the Word of Wisdom.”
The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: Immigration angst
A Latter-day Saint immigrant and a Latter-day Saint law professor discuss the fear sweeping congregations and steps church leaders could undertake to respond to the Trump administration’s crackdown.
Listen to the podcast.
Andy Reid’s top reads
(Matt York | AP) Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid participates during Super Bowl 59 Opening Night on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in New Orleans, ahead of Sunday's game. During the appearance, he touted Latter-day Saint scriptures.
With three Super Bowl championships already under his belt, Andy Reid could be labeled the NFL’s current “Lord of the Rings,” but J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy classic isn’t his favorite trilogy.
Instead, Reid, the winningest Latter-day Saint coach in league history whose quest for a fourth ring takes place Sunday, reserves that honor for the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price.
“I like ‘em all,” he said of his faith’s scriptures at a news conference this week.
Temples and taxes
As Americans receive their W-2 forms in advance of the April 15 deadline, here is a timely reading companion for Latter-day Saints: “Between the Temple and the Tax Collector: The Intersection of Mormonism and the State.”
Author Sam Brunson, a Latter-day Saint tax law professor at Loyola University Chicago, traces the church’s relationship with various tax systems from founder Joseph Smith’s early life until well into the 21st century.
“I worked really hard,” Brunson writes on By Common Consent, “to ensure that people who are familiar with Mormonism but not taxes could understand it, people familiar with taxes but not Mormonism could, and that it worked for people who aren’t familiar with either.”
He even tossed in some tantalizing tidbits, including the part Joseph’s dog played in Nauvoo’s taxes.
From The Tribune
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) International flags, representing the global Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, line the plaza north of the Church Administration Building in Salt Lake City on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. Church leaders are spelling out guidelines on immigration.
• As immigration tensions rise across the United States, the church tiptoed into the debate, issuing a news release that emphasizes love, law and family unity.
• The governing First Presidency also ruled out using chapels to provide sanctuary to immigrants lacking permanent legal status in its guidelines to local lay leaders.
• See Tribune columnist Gordon Monson’s take on the church’s immigration response.
• In a unanimous ruling, a federal appeals court provided the church with a significant victory, tossing out James Huntsman’s tithing lawsuit, which accused Latter-day Saint leaders of fraud in their handling of the faith’s finances.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) James Huntsman, shown in 2023, had his tithing lawsuit thrown out by a federal appeals court.
• A temple fight once thought resolved is back, and now the church plans to sue a Texas town.
• Tribune guest columnist Natalie Brown wonders why the “plan of happiness” doesn’t always bring happiness.
• Why do vulgar anti-Latter-day Saint chants keep popping up at BYU road games?
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU fans cheer during a Big 12 basketball game between the Cougars and the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Marriott Center in Provo in January 2025. Anti-Latter-day Saint chants have sometimes occurred from fans when BYU appears in road games.
