The Importance of a Name

Character Creation Screen

As you come to the character creation screen in World of Warcraft you are presented with a few options. Here you chose the race, class, and features of your character. By now you probably know what class it is you want to play, and what race either looks the coolest, or has the best racials.  But now you have to chose its name, knowing that your character (and thus you) will be known by it throughout all your adventures in Azeroth. Similarly when you were named, your parents probably put a good amount of thought into your name. Thus we can see the importance of a name.


A lot of people know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as the Mormons. The nickname Mormon stems from our belief in The Book of Mormon, which is another testament (witness) of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I don't take offense to being called a Mormon, and most of the time its easy to clarify who we are by saying we are Mormons, but the real name of the Church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Christ in the Americas

In the Book of Mormon, Christ visits a group of people living on the American continent known as the Nephites. He teaches and administers to them for a season, establishes his Church, and calls twelve disciples to carry on his Church. Upon leaving there is some dispute among them as to what this Church should be named. Then in  3 Nephi chapter 27, Christ returns and makes it clear that the Church must be called in his name:

8. And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

Throughout time, God has always called prophets to establish his Church, and these Churches have all been known by the name of Christ. Today obedient to revelation from Christ himself we are also known by the name of Christ. Found in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 115:4, Christ states:  "For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." I know that God has once again established his Church on the earth today, and that any honest seeker of this truth can read from the Book of Mormon, and pray to know if both it and this Church are true. I know that Christ lives and that he leads and directs his Church through a prophet today, whose name is Thomas S. Monson.

Read or watch M. Russell Ballard's (an Apostle's) Talk on "The Importance of a Name"