Gospel Questions: Why Don't Mormons Use Crosses?

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

12 Nov 2007 09:00 PM

When you enter an LDS church, you won't see any crosses. They do not adorn our temples, we do not wear them around our necks or decorate our homes with them.

Why not? Isn't the cross the universal symbol of a Christian faith? Doesn't this mean that Mormons aren't Christians?

Mormons are most definitely Christians, but we have a specific reason for not using the cross.

We are so deeply, eternally grateful to Jesus Christ for His atoning sacrifice and subsequent crucifixion. We profoundly feel the impact of His saving grace in our lives and we contemplate the pain He endured in our behalf, knowing that we could never do what He did. He was the only One who could accomplish such a mission, because of the depth of His love for us, His overwhelming charity, and His deep desire to see us become exalted in the last day.

However, we also recognize that while He died for us, He also rose again, and that is even more amazing. He set the example for the rest of us, opening the gates so that death need no longer be terrifying. Because He rose again, we can too. We will be reunited with our loved ones on the other side. We will be restored to our former health, or, for those who have never been blessed with good health, we will be healed of all our imperfections.

Additionally, we focus on the Atonement and the fact that we can be forgiven of our sins, that our emotional hurts can be washed away, and that our physical ailments can be eased, all because of what He did for us.

When we see a cross, we immediately think of pain and suffering. Latter-day Saints choose to concentrate on the joy that came after. Thus, we choose to decorate with pictures of Christ, rather than symbols of the implement of His death.

Related Blogs:

The Resurrected Body of Christ

Hope - a Gift from God

I Know That My Redeemer Lives!

Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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livelaughlove (32) 25 Nov 2007 11:04 PM

I really like the way you put this! I have had that question thrown at me 100 times! I am going to read this to my children. My daughter had been given a cross for a necklace by a friend, now it was beautiful but my daughter seemed confussed and didn't know what to say to her friend and their family. I felt bad because I didn't want to hurt their feelings. Thank you for this wonderful blog!

Tristi Pinkston (10839) 25 Nov 2007 11:16 PM

I was given a beautiful cross as a birthday gift by a Catholic friend years ago, and I didn't know how to respond to it -- I was 8 and thought there was something "bad" about crosses. I've since learned better and still find them to be beautiful pieces of jewelry, although I don't choose to wear one. I'm glad you found this blog to be helpful.

MikeReed (6) 11 Jan 2009 02:17 PM

Readers of this blog may be interested to know that I am currently writing my thesis on the development of the LDS cross aversion (which will be completed within this year). The popular LDS claim that Mormons object to the cross because it is a symbol of death and suffering is a post hoc rationalization that has little to no basis in fact (consider that symbols of Jesus' death and torture are central to both the endowment and weekly sacrament). It is also untrue that Mormons object to the cross because they are not Christian. The real basis for the cross aversion cannot be explained as simply as either of these propositions. It turns out that, contrary to what most people (Mormons and their critics) assume, the LDS cross aversion is a late development in Mormon history that first started at the grass roots level at the turn of the 20th century, and became institutionalized under the direction of David O. McKay in the 1950s, saying that the cross was a "Catholic" symbol. Prior to this time, several prominent Latter-day Saints (including Church authorities) promoted the use of the cross, even in its material form. In 1916, for example, the Church had even petitioned the SLC council to erect a cross monument on Ensign Peak. Granted, the petition failed due to public protest and an obelisk was erected instead, but the proposal clearly shows that the cross aversion had not yet become institutionalized yet.

Miriam Caldwell (7836) 12 Jan 2009 08:50 AM

Interesting points. Thanks for sharing.