what do mormons have against crosses?

Question

i saw on a website some stories of people who wore crosses as jewelry when they were mormon. the adult mormons at their church were disgusted when they saw it. has this happened to you? do mormons not want to recognize the ressurection of jesus? whats the deal?

i said the cross is a symbol of the ressurection because its EMPTY. second of all, how is the cross and idol? i dont worship it, its just a symbol.

but an empty tomb is not where jesus' blood was shed, which was the point of the crucifixion.

Answer 1

I don't know about mormon, but my viewpoint is this:
More than likely it was not actually a cross, but just a pole. Also... thousands of people died on those things, so it isn't anything special.
And I don't need a symbol of any kind to remind me of, or help me reflect on what happened. No one should need that, in my opinion.

Answer 2

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (what many people refer to as "Mormons" because the Church uses the Book of Mormon along with the Bible) views the cross as a symbol of Christ's death. The faith worships Jesus Christ and recognizes his resurrection. Here is a quote from Gordon B. Hinckley, current president of the Church from an article in 1975:

“I do not wish to give offense to any of my Christian brethren who use the cross on the steeples of their cathedrals and at the altars of their chapels, who wear it on their vestments, and imprint it on their books and other literature. But for us, the cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the living Christ.”

Answer 3

Latter-day Saints do not use the symbol of the cross in their architecture or in their chapels. They, like the earliest Christians, are reluctant to display the cross because they view the "good news" of the gospel as Christ's resurrection more than his crucifixion.

The LDS conception of the Plan of Salvation is comprehensive. It encompasses a Council in Heaven; Jehovah's (Jesus') acceptance of his role as Savior; the virgin birth; Jesus' life and ministry; his saving suffering, beginning in Gethsemane and ending with his death at Golgotha; his burial; his preaching to the spirits of the righteous dead; his physical resurrection; and his exaltation to the right hand of the Father. No one symbol is sufficient to convey all this. Moreover, the cross, with its focus on the death of Christ, does not symbolize the message of a living, risen, exalted Lord who changes the lives of his followers. Thus, President Gordon B. Hinckley, counselor in the First Presidency, stated that the lives of people must become a "meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship" (p. 92). (See Taking the Name of Christ)

While the symbol of the cross is not visually displayed among the Latter-day Saints, the centrality of the Atonement is ever present in their observance of baptism, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper (see Sacrament Prayers), and the temple ordinances, and in their hymns and testimonies. Without the Atonement of Jesus Christ, there is no hope for the human family. Scripture is replete with the admonition that disciples of Christ must "take up their cross," yielding themselves in humility to their Heavenly Father (D&C 56:2, 14-16; 112:14-15), releasing themselves from the ties of worldliness (3 Ne. 12:20), and submitting themselves to persecution and even martyrdom for the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Ne. 9:18; Jacob 1:8).

Answer 4

Because, the atonement didnt happen on the cross. It happened in the Garden of gethsemany. Chirst pain on the cross was so minor as compared with his pain and suffering in the Garden of gethsemany. This is why the cross is un-important to LDS. It didnt matter where or how he died. as long as he did the atonement in the Garden of Gethsemany and then died so he could be ressurected. And remember the Romans didnt kill Christ. He gave his life willingly. He could have stayed on the cross forever and not died. Or he could have come down and continued on with his life but then non of us would be ressurected like Christ in the end. So it's the atonement and ressurection that is important not the means of death, just so long as he did died so he could be ressurected.

Answer 5

"do mormons not want to recognize the ressurection of jesus" actually, it's the opposite. we want to focus on the RESURRECTION instead of his DEATH.

my dad put it this way: if Christ had been killed by a firing squad, would you wear a necklace in the shape of a gun?


I think that if you want to wear jewelry to remind you of christ's resurrection, a charm in the shape of the empty tomb would be better.

Answer 6

Why is the cross recognizing the resurrection? I would think it is more a symbol of His death...
We do concentrate more on the Atonement and the Resurrection. He Himself said, " I am the resurrection and the life." not "I died on a cross so use it to symbolize me"
We just don't use crosses as symbols.

Answer 7

Mormons don't worship idols.

The cross & crucifix are idols.

See how simple that is?

What do you think an idol is if not a symbol?

Answer 8

We do recognize the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but the empty tomb is more representative of that than the instrument of His death.

Answer 9

Not a mormon, but maybe they see a cross as the instrument of Jesus's death.

Answer 10

I am not Mormon, aka LDS, (I'm sure there will be one along soon to give you their thoughts), but I have asked this of friends and their missionaries. What they have told me was: "That's an instrument of execution, filled with shame. If He had been killed in an electric chair would you wear that?" (I don't wear crosses, but, if I did, yes I would.)

It strikes me that it has more to do with their understanding of just what happened on the cross.
The cross reminds us of the price that was paid (His innocent blood) for our redemption.