All About Mormons

Although some members believe that their aversion of the cross is due to their emphasis of the life (rather than the death) of Christ, and that the atonement in the garden of Gethsemane was also (in addition to his crucifixion) a place where Jesus atoned for sin... These are post-hoc rationalizations that don't really explain the actual basis of the no-cross protocol. The first argument is undermined by the fact that the communion (sacrament) commemorates the death of Christ every Sunday in LDS church services. And both the first and second arguments are challenged by the temple endowment (can't be specific here) which utilizes symbols of Christ's death on the cross, and also LDS scripture which repetitively employs the cross as an all-encompassing literary symbol of Christ's atonement. Today's mormons and their critics may be surprised to learn that the cross taboo was a late development in the LDS church's history, first starting as an aversion at the grass roots level around the turn of the twentieth century, and then as official protocol from the church presidency in the 1950s under the direction of David O. Mckay. Prior to this time several saints had used and promoted the symbol of the cross. Not only was literary symbolism fairly popular among LDS, but the material depiction was common place in LDS funeral floral arrangements. I have also gathered dozens of additional examples of the cross being used by prominent saints. Cross necklaces (and even a few rosaries) were worn by several LDS women in the church (including Brigham Young's wife Amelia Folsom Young), the official church brand was a cross, crosses were sewn into quilts, divine manifestations of crosses were envisioned, crosses were drawn as notation symbols, and many church buildings were constructed in cruciform designs. In 1916 the church had even petitioned the SLC council to erect a cross monument on ensign peak, to honor of the pioneers and to make the statement to the world, "You see... We are Christian too!" Granted, the petition eventually failed due to several factors, including public protest that the monument's design was in violation of the separation of church and state (since the location was public property)... But the church's proposal shows clearly that the no-cross protocol hadn't yet come to fruition. Again... The official protocol wasn't born until the 1950s under the direction of president David O. Mckay, and the reason that he gave was that wearing and displaying the cross was purely a "Catholic form of worship." So essentially, the protocol came about primarily because the church's desire to disassociate themselves from the Catholic Church. This unfortunately was a time of great tension between the saints and Catholics in the state of Utah. About me: I am a graduate student who is nearly finished with writing my ma thesis on "the development of the LDS church's no-cross protocol." I believe I will be the first to ever write and publish an in-depth analysis, explaining how and why the cross aversion came about. My thesis will also (if all remains as planned) argue that the current protocol may not be in the best interest of the church, as it breads interfaith tension, and interferes with the church's assimilative efforts to be perceived as Christian by the mainstream.

Webmaster: Very interesting, Mike! I think your research will make a great contribution. You should know that "aversion" is not the word you want to use. You're using "aversion" to mean "indifference to." In fact, aversion means "antipathy" or "a feeling of intense dislike." Mormons do not have an "aversion" for the cross. In fact, Mormon chaplains do use the cross to identify themselves as Christian. Most modern Mormons simply use other symbols to represent their faith, but they certainly don't hate the cross!

For me personally, it has to do with remembrance. How do I want to remember those I love? A friend of mine died in a car accident while we were in university, yet I don't keep a portion of her car in my home to remember to the way she died. I don't keep hospital equipment or the medication bottles that would remind me of how my grandfather died. I don't keep photos of the truck that killed my adopted daughter to remind me how she died. Instead, I keep photos and mementoes that remind me how they lived and how much I love them. Likewise, I don't keep a cross in my home to remind me of Christ's death, also my friend and a beloved family member. Instead, I keep representations of his life and resurrection, including books, magazines, dvds, scriptures, and sayings, to remind me of how he lived, and thus, how I should live.

A statue of Jesus Christ at temple square in Salt Lake City.

My dear friend, we as LDS don't have a cross cause of our Savior is alive. He died on the cross for us and he arose again and was taken back to heaven with his Father. Our goal in life is too know that he is alive and will return back to this earth one of these days that is unknown to any of us. One of our purpose in life is to live as well as he did on this earth as he never sin, as we do and the we can ask for forgiveness. We should be working towards being like our Father in Heaven so that we can return back to him and be able to walk and talk with our savior Jesus Christ.

Hi friend. Mormons certainly recognize that Jesus Christ died for our sins. As Christians, we see Christ as the divine Son of God, He through whom salvation is made possible. We honor His sacrifice and death through which He cleanses us of our sins. Like a few other Christian denominations, we choose not to use the cross as a symbol of our faith. Mormons prefer to focus instead on Christ's glorious resurrection, by which He overcame death. We are profoundly grateful for His sacrificial death, but we are even more grateful that He conquered death and sin. Many have died-many have been crucified-but only One has conquered death.

I should like to add that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has broader view of the atonement than most other Christian churches. We believe that Christ's sacrifice began in the garden of Gethsemane where He took upon the sins every person in a very real way. His sacrifice was accepted by the Father while he was upon the cross and exclaimed, "It is finished." His time in the garden was not just a preparation for what was to come, but the very moment he personally experienced the full sin, pain, guilt, heartache, etc. of every person in the world. This burden He carried with him to the cross certainly would be significantly more difficult to bear than the physical burden of the cross itself.

The cross became popular as a Christian symbol in the fifth century A. D. As Mike points out, members of the church of Jesus Christ (LDS) prefer to use Christ's resurrection as their proper Christian symbol, not his crucifixion on the cross. Many Mormon chapels feature paintings of the resurrected Christ or his second coming. Furthermore, members of the church believe the major part of Christ's atonement occurred in the garden of Gethsemane as Christ took upon him the sins of all mankind.

"Q&A: Questions and Answers," New Era, Sep 1996, 17 answers this question. As well, "cross" in the topical guide found at lds.org states "Because the Savior lives, we do not use the symbol of his death as the symbol of our faith."