Mormons is the name commonly given to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are so called because of their belief in the Book of Mormon. They claim that the Church as established by Christ did not survive in its original form, and was restored in modern times by divine means through a modern prophet, Joseph Smith. Thus, they believe their church is the true and complete church of Jesus Christ restored on earth. Mormons are more correctly called Latter-day Saints, using the word "saint" in its Biblical sense to mean any member of Christ's church.
The church has about 12 million members. About 6 million members live in the United States. The remainder live in countries throughout the world. Church headquarters are in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Several other churches accept the Book of Mormon, but are not associated with the church described in this article. The largest of these is the Community of Christ (formerly called the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), which has headquarters in Independence, Missouri.
