Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
A bit more on those weird Mormon middle initials

A bit more on those weird Mormon middle initials

Last updated on: February 23, 2018 at 6:36 pm by Dan Peterson

A bit more on those weird Mormon middle initials 2018-02-23T18:36:42-07:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Christopher A. Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is a focus of controversy these days — presumably because his name lacks a middle initial. (U.S. government public domain photo)

A few days ago, I posted an item that, among other things, poked some gentle fun at one of the odder criticisms of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that I encounter from time to time: Mormon leaders are, so the criticism goes, uniquely obsessed with middle initials:

“Mitt Romney, Multiple Worlds, Middle Initials, and Me”

My comments were noticed.

“Hah!” harrumphs one of the more literate and consistently contemptuous contributors to the predominantly ex-Mormon atheist message board on which I most recently noticed the complaint. “This proves that, despite his denials, Peterson does look in on our site!”

I’m not sure where he got the idea that I deny paying any attention to his message board. I’ve never denied doing so. On the contrary, probably at least a dozen times I’ve said here on this very blog that I look in on it several times a week because I find it oddly fascinating, a kind of oddball social-psychological Petri dish. I like to watch what’s agitating the hive, to see what the latest excitements and newest fads are among the most obsessive critics of Mormonism.

But back to the matter at issue.

In response, and apparently in rebuttal to me, this same critic notes that all of the middle-initial-deploying American presidents and others that I had mentioned in that earlier blog entry are dead — which is true, but which seems to reflect something of a failure of imagination in a world that also includes such (unmentioned) living persons as George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and the proprietor of http://www.donaldjtrump.com.

Use of a middle initial is, says the message board’s learned savant, an archaic onomastic fossil. Few politicians or businesspeople or military leaders use middle initials.

Here, for your reference, are the current Joint Chiefs of Staff:

General Joseph F. Dunford (USMC), Chairman

General Paul J. Selva (USAF), Vice Chairman

General Mark A. Milley (USA), Chief of Staff of the Army

General Robert B. Neiler (USMC), Commandant of the Marine Corps

Admiral John M. Richardson (USN), Chief of Naval Operations

General David L. Goldfein (USAF), Chief of Staff of the Air Force

General Joseph L. Lengyel (USAF), Chief of the National Guard Bureau

Nope! Not a single middle initial to be seen!

Here are a couple of other lists, chosen at random:

The Best Ophthalmologists in the United States (first ten names on the list):

Dr. Robert G. Starr

Dr. Ming X. Wang

Dr. Erin A. Doe

Dr. Dalia O. Girgis

Dr. James E. Lang

Dr. Anthony O. Roberts

Dr. Michelle E. Akler

Dr. Brent W. Bellotte

Dr. Jason M. Jacobs

Dr. Francis J. Clark

A Selection of Winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry over the Past Two Decades:

Bernard L. Feringa (2016), Stephen W. Hell and William E. Moerner (2014), Robert J. Lefkowitz and Brian K. Kobilka (2012), Richard Heck (2010), Thomas A. Steitz and Ada E. Yonath (2009), Roger Y. Tsien (2008), Roger T. Kornbert (2006), Robert H. Grubbs and Richard R. Schrock (2005), John B. Fenn (2002), William S. Knowles (2001), Alan J. Heeger and Alan G. MacDiarmid (2000), Ahmed H. Zewali (1999), John A. Pool (1998), Paul D. Boyer and John E. Walker and Jens C. Skou (1997)

From the First Few Names Listed Under “A” at the Nation’s Largest Law Firm, Latham & Watkins:

Manuel A. Abascal

Brett M. Ackerman

David I. Adams

Among the Eight Presidents of Schools in the Ivy League:

Lee C. Bollinger (Columbia University)

Richard C. Levin (Yale University)

Shirley M. Tilghman (Princeton University)

Drew Gilpin Faust (Harvard University)

David J. Skorton (Cornell University)

Jim Yong Kim (Dartmouth College)

Ruth J. Simmons (Brown University)

Now, it’s true that current fashion among politicians and elite CEOs is to go with down-home names like Joe Biden, Jimmy Carter, Mike Pence, Bernie Sanders, and Bill Clinton. The reasons for this are fairly obvious: Corporate CEOs are under fairly intense and steady fire for their extraordinarily high rates of compensation, often quite uncorrelated with the performance of the companies they lead. It’s in their interest as a class to downplay their status as a privileged caste living like Renaissance princes and earning salaries and compensation vastly larger than the wages of their employees. Likewise, in today’s populist mood, no politician wants to seem too remote from his or her constituents.

But the notion that using middle initials is somehow peculiarly Mormon and quite weird is . . . well, extraordinarily peculiar, indisputably weird, and demonstrably false.

So is the message board sage’s parting disclosure that, while General Authorities use middle initials, lesser Mormon fry like bishops and stake presidents don’t.

I’ve known plenty of bishops and stake presidents who, on more or less formal situations, use their middle initials, and I’m aware of no study or data indicating that they don’t.

It’s a silly complaint, and those who’re doubling down on it merely make themselves look doubly silly. Which is perfectly fine with me.

Previous Post

February 23, 2018

Joseph Smith, and a truly remarkable find relating to Isaiah

Next Post

February 23, 2018 On the limits of archaeology and the limits of conspiracy theories

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What island was John on when he wrote Revelation?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Cyprus Patmos Crete Malta