Mormons, about symbols and crosses and iconography? Do you simply just not use them or?

Question

do you have an actual objection to them? If so what is the objection?

In my church we use that stuff a lot and many people misunderstand and believe that the focus is on the objects when really its on God and the people and events these items represent

Answer 1

We don't have an official symbol for our church, while there is symbology within the temple, of which I am not yet familiar with since I am 17 and will not have my endowments done until another couple of months, I would say we use this symbology as a symbol of covenants with God.



I have heard one reason we don't use crosses is because we focus on the living Christ, not that He died. We also wouldn't focus on just one aspect of his atonement, rather all of it, including what occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane. Some also say it is odd for someone to wear the means of execution of the Son of God around your neck or have it on your church.

Answer 2

i have heard there are two reasons why there are no crosses on the mormon church.

one idea is that the cross is symbolic icon of adultery.

yet, temples have statues of the angel moroni.

there are huge amounts of symbology in the temple.



God has said that he hates it when people speak in signs. and jesus said it is an adulterous generation that seeks after signs.

however, signs will follow those that believe.

then again, it says in the book of revelation, the devil will come with signs and wonder, even fire coming down from heaven.



many protestants agree that statues of catholic saints is either direct idolatry or not allowed in scripture. the bible says we shouldnt worship the queen of heaven, even if it was a cultic sect in ancient israel, it still holds some paralel commandment today, and yet many people actuall worship Mary. this by itself is a form of idolatry.

so, yes, in most public worship, there are not idols and symbols that would represent some idolatry or apostacy. then again, the lord commanded moses to lift up the brazen statue of the serpent. the reason are found in the scripture that justify it.

Answer 3

The cross has no meaning without the resurrection. Also, the cross is one of the most heinous, inhumane forms of torture and death.



We do not need statues or icons to focus our prayers. We pray to Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ. Statues and icons could be construed as graven images.



There is symbolism in certain areas of our church, but in our chapels, where we have our Sacrament meetings (some churches call it the sanctuary), we have nothing that would distract one from the talks given or whatever.

Answer 4

In Mormon doctrine, the bulk of the atonement took place in the Garden of Gethsemane where Christ took upon him the weight of the sins of the world. There just is not much focus on the death of Christ in Mormonism, though Christ's crucifiction is symbolic of other principles in Mormonism. Christ's suffering was much greater than hanging on the cross. Remember that others also died on the cross so this is not the incident that made Christ special. However, the resurrection of Christ is a really big deal.

Answer 5

We don't really use that stuff because it's kind of like idol worship, although we don't generally criticize the use of crosses and iconography in other religions.



If you are brought up with it then it does probably seem strange that a religion that calls itself Christian wouldn't have any crosses. I don't like to dwell on physical pain and suffering, even in movies I generally cringe when someone it tortured and don't like watching movies like "Saw". In the LDS Church we (thankfully) only discuss the torturous death of Jesus on easter, and the rest of the year we discuss His teachings, His life, His love for humanity. There is certainly a place and a time to learn and discuss His death, but it's not something we dwell on every sunday.

Answer 6

Symbolism is used in ordinances in the LDS Church, but we're not into icons or crosses. We don't view them as necessary and don't use them in our religion, but our religion is rich in symbolism. A few I can think of are:



White is a important color that symbolizes purity. At baptism, temple marriage, and for all other temple ordinances everyone participating wears all white. Those who have gone through the temple wear white underclothing The priesthood holders who administer the Sacrament on Sunday wear white shirts.



Every Sunday we take the sacrament where we renew our baptismal covenants; the bread represents the body of Christ, and the water represents the blood of Christ.



I personally do not object to crosses or iconography. I don't view them as evil and I understand that they are important symbols of worship in other religions, but not in my religion. You use crosses and icons in a similar way in which we use white, to help us focus on God.

Answer 7

My friend Paul told me the reason the mormon's didn't like to use the Cross was because they believe the focus of to many is on the death of Christ and not the whole process

of his death and Resurrection.

Answer 8

Mormons don't use the cross because they don't celebrate when Jesus was crucified and killed. They celebrate when he rose from the dead on the third day. Would you rather symbolize his death or him coming back to life. But we don't object them. We just don't talk about it. I have seen mormons wearing a cross before.

Answer 9

a great question and different LDS have responded it properly. i've got faith that the LDS persist with the Bible simpler than anybody else. that's an significant portion of their scriptural canon. Your connection with Revelations has been quoted many circumstances by potential of those thinking that the e book of Mormon is an "addition" to the bible. many don't comprehend that Revelations substitute into not written chronological with the aid of fact the final e book of the bible. apart from there's a scripture in Deuteronomy 4:2 that announces a similar component: "Ye shall not upload unto the be conscious which I command you,, neither shall ye shrink ought from it, that ye could save the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." Taken a similar substitute into as you do Revelations 22:18-19, it may mean that each thing AFTER Deuteronomy interior the Bible is fake with the aid of fact it substitute into "further" unto the Bible. As you're conscious that the Bible is a selection of dissimilar "books," i've got faith that the final interpretation of Revelations 22:18-19 is that no possible upload something to the e book of REVELATIONS, and that scripture applies just to that e book. that's is clever in comparison to the Deut scripture. one greater remark. Mormons have faith that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the international, and that no you may reutne to God yet by potential of Christ. by using his grace, the atonement is made obtainable to mankind. that's basically becasue of Christ that we are saved. The bypass symbolizes Chrsit's dying. Christ hismelf reperesents his stay and resurrection. Mormons worship the resurrected Christ, and don't use the emblem of his dying to be something we worship. We concentration on Christ himself in our worship, and don't concentration on the bypass. We bleive interior the living Christ. i'm a Mormon and have been for all of my existence..

Answer 10

When I grew up LDS several decades ago, there was a constant teaching against symbols, especially anything Catholic-like. I'd look around people's houses, which were full of pictures of our temples, the angel Moroni, church presidents, Joseph Smith. I'd see the symbols sewn into my parents' underwear.



It made no sense. The church was full of symbols and icons. Still is.

Answer 11

No objection. None whatsoever. You have freedom of religion.

Freedom of religion is an important right. Those who don't want to

allow freedom of religion are enemies to mankind.



Freedom of religion is a very very (very) important right.



Latter Day Saints will never take your crosses away.

Instead Latter Day Saints seek to be a symbol of the cross themselves

by lifting up their cross and following Jesus Christ who gave commandments...



and those commandments lead back to Jesus Christ to those who keep

those commandments, because they love Jesus Christ.



Jesus Christ said, if you love Me, keep My commandments.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1VClBF0dT4



http://Mormon.org Chat.





God bless.

Answer 12

The only thing that bothers me is when the icon depicts a mostly-naked, bleeding and suffering Jesus. I find that this is disrespectful towards our Saviour.



Other than this, use whatever reminds you of our Saviour and Heavenly Father. If it's a cross, so be it.

Answer 13

They use symbols from freemasons since Joe Smith was a freemason. The secret passwords and handshake are also stolen from freemasonary. Yet they insist that the Christian cross is evil for some reason.

Answer 14

Mormons use a great deal of symbols, most of which were taken from Freemasonry.