Embracing the Cross: A Challenge to the LDS Church’s Symbolic Reluctance.

The crucified Jesus is Christians’ central symbol of redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life. However, the stark contrast between the brutality of the crucifixion and the message of redemption it represents raises a compelling question.

Since early Christianity, the Church has grappled with this seeming contradiction. The adoption of the cross, the instrument of Jesus’ death, as a symbol of faith might seem counterintuitive. Moreover, the evolution of the crucifixion scene, initially a depiction of suffering and death, into a powerful symbol of faith over time is a remarkable transformation. Despite portraying a man subjected to extreme cruelty, the image evokes profound feelings of love, finality, and the fulfilled promise of redemption in believers. Our own efforts, no matter how devout or charitable, can never surpass the sufficiency of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross to make us worthy of Heaven.

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the pivotal event in Christian theology, signifying the fulfillment of God’s covenant with humanity. In this act of supreme sacrifice, Jesus, as both fully divine and fully human, took upon himself the sins of the world, offering a path to redemption and reconciliation with God. His death on the cross is not merely a historical event but an eternal act of love, bridging the chasm between God and humanity. This sacrifice transcends time and space, offering salvation to all who believe.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ further solidifies this doctrine, confirming his victory over sin and death, and establishing a new covenant based on grace and forgiveness. The eternal significance lies in the promise of everlasting life for believers, a testament to God’s unwavering love and commitment to humanity’s salvation.

Columbia International University: It Is Finished. (A Look at the Greek)

On the cross Jesus utters the powerful words “It is finished”; words that ring throughout history as the sign that man’s sin is forever defeated and the power of death broken. However, much of the significance of this statement is actually lost when the Greek is translated into English. When Jesus cries out “it is finished” on the cross, the Greek word used is “tetelestai” which means to bring to a close, to complete, to fulfill.

The combination of these two tenses in the perfect tense as used in John 19:30 is of overwhelming significance to the Christian. When Jesus says “It is finished” (or completed) what he is actually saying is “It is finished and will continue to be finished.”

What makes this exclamation truly unique however, is the Greek tense that Jesus used. (Verb tenses are the most important and most communicative part of the Greek language. This also is sometimes necessarily lost in translation.) Jesus speaks in the perfect tense, which is very rare in the New Testament and has no English equivalent. The perfect tense is a combination of two Greek tenses: the Present tense, and the Aorist tense. The Aorist tense is punctiliar: meaning something that happens at a specific point in time; a moment. The Present tense is linear: meaning something that continues on into the future and has ongoing results/implications.

In Jesus’ statement “It is finished” we have a declaration of salvation that is both momentary and eternal, Aorist and Present, linear and punctiliar. We are saved at a specific point in time, “it is finished”, our debt is paid, we are ransomed from the kingdom of darkness, and then we confidently rest in the reality that “it will continue to be finished” because we are in a position of grace and stand justified for all time before God. One Greek word, tetelestai, spoken in the perfect tense, by Jesus on the cross, and it was finished at that moment, and for all time. (1 John 19:30)

The Daily Beast: New Evidence of How Romans Would Have Crucified Jesus.

When it comes to Jesus of Nazareth, one of the few things that scholars agree on is that the man Christians call the Messiah was crucified in first-century Jerusalem. But when it comes to the specifics of his death and burial, there’s considerable controversy about what actually happened. The Romans executed most criminals by tying them to the wooden crosses, so it is highly unusual that Jesus was nailed. Some have even questioned whether it actually happened. But a new archaeological discovery in Italy adds weight to the Biblical claims about the death of Jesus.

In a recently published article in the Journal of Archaeological and Anthropologica Sciences, a team of scientists led by Emanuela Gualdi and Ursula Thun Hohenstein of the University of Ferrara revealed that they had excavated a 2,000-year-old corpse from an isolated tomb in Gavello, near Venice, in Northern Italy, that showed signs of having been crucified. The heel of the skeleton has a hole through it consistent with the kind of injury that would have been sustained during crucifixion.

Crucifixion is arguably the best known form of ancient execution. The Romans, who utilized it regularly when punishing slaves and those guilty of sedition, adopted the practiced from the ancient Carthaginians (modern-day Tunisia). Crucifixion was fairly broadly practiced in the ancient world, but the Romans used this particularly brutal form of execution as a means of producing social conformity. It was, the Roman politician Cicero says, the “most cruel and hideous of tortures.”

In the first chapter of his book, The Cross of Christ, John Stott, a British Anglican priest and theologian, traces the historical development of the cross as a symbol within Christianity.

The Pre-Raphaelites have a reputation for sentimentality. Yet they were serious and sincere artists, and Holman Hunt himself was determined, as he put it, to ‘do battle with the frivolous art of the day’, its superficial treatment of trite themes. So he spent 1870-73 in the Holy Land, and painted ‘The Shadow of Death’ in Jerusalem, as he sat on the roof of his house.’ Though the idea is historically fictitious, it is also theologically true. From Jesus’ youth, indeed even from his birth, the cross cast its shadow ahead of him. His death was central to his mission.

A universally acceptable Christian emblem would obviously need to speak of Jesus Christ, but there was a wide range of possibilities. Christians might have chosen the crib or manger in which the baby Jesus was laid, or the carpenter’s bench at which he worked as a young man in Nazareth, dignifying manual labour, or the boat from which he taught the crowds in Galilee, or the apron he wore when washing the apostles’ feet, which would have spoken of his spirit of humble service. Then there was the stone which, having been rolled from the mouth of Joseph’s tomb, would have proclaimed his resurrection. Other possibilities were the throne, symbol of divine sovereignty, which John in his vision of, saw that Jesus was sharing, or the dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven on the Day of Pentecost. Any of these seven symbols would have been suitable as a pointer to some aspect of the ministry of the Lord. But instead the chosen symbol came to be a simple cross.

Wikipedia: Christian cross.

The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the crucifixion of Jesus on a large wooden cross, is a symbol of Christianity. It is related to the crucifix (a cross that includes a corpus, usually a three-dimensional with representation of Jesus’ body) and to the more general family of cross symbols, the term cross itself being detached from the original specifically Christian meaning in modern English (as in many other western languages).

Jehovah’s Witnesses do not use the symbol of the cross in their worship, which they believe constitutes idolatry. They believe that Jesus died on a single upright torture stake rather than a two-beam cross, arguing that the Greek term stauros indicated a single upright pole. Although early Watch Tower Society publications associated with the Bible Student movement taught that Christ was executed on a cross, it no longer appeared on Watch Tower Society publications after the name Jehovah’s witnesses was adopted in 1931, and use of the cross was officially abandoned in 1936.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that Jesus died on a cross; however, their prophet Gordon B. Hinckley stated that “for us the cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the living Christ.” When asked what was the symbol of his religion, Hinckley replied “the lives of our people must become the only meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship.” Prophet Howard W. Hunter encouraged Latter-day Saints “to look to the temple of the Lord as the great symbol of your membership.” Images of LDS temples and the Angel Moroni (who is found in statue on most temples) are commonly used to symbolize the faith of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

ChurchSource.com: Why did Jesus Die on a Cross?

Every detail in Jesus’ crucifixion connects to undoing the Fall. His hands were pierced because our hands stole from the tree. His feet were pierced to fulfill the promise of Genesis 3:15 that the heel of the messianic Seed would crush the serpent’s head. His pierced side made atonement for Eve’s sin, the one taken from man’s side, who led Adam into temptation.

Jesus’ experience on the cross reversed the four aspects of exile caused by the Fall. The result of exile is disconnection and distance that ultimately results in death. Adam and Eve were separated from God. They were, in effect, in exile. Jesus on the cross reversed the exile:

1. Jesus reversed the spiritual aspect of exile by allowing Himself to be nailed to a tree, the means of our spiritual exile.
2. Jesus reversed the emotional aspect of exile by allowing Himself to experience the psychological and emotional pain of being mocked by men and feeling abandoned by God (Mark 15:33–34).
3. Jesus reversed the relational aspect of exile by experiencing rejection and betrayal, and even while being mocked on the cross, He chose to extend forgiveness (Luke 23:34).
4. Jesus reversed the physical aspect of exile by physically suffering on the cross. The crown of thorns, the physical sign of the curse of creation, conveyed that the second Adam, the new representative head of creation, was reversing the exile and restoring the blessing by allowing the cursing of creation to fall on his head.

Significance of the Cross of Jesus. The Greeks and Romans reasoned that God’s Chosen One would never be treated as a rebellious slave on anything as utterly offensive and undignified as a cross!

In a strange twist of irony, the church now views this former symbol of humility and shame as the path to life and salvation. God designed His amazing plan of redemption so the cross was the principal prop used in the drama that established the Christian faith.

LDS: The Meaning of the Cross for Latter-day Saints.
By Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer
Of the Seventy

All of us have passed by churches that have a cross on their steeples or cupolas, and we’ve all seen people wearing a necklace with a cross, indicating they are Christian or a member of a certain Christian denomination. Some of our new members may even continue to wear a cross, feeling that it connects them with their past or other religious traditions.

We may wonder why we Latter-day Saints don’t place a cross on our churches or wear a cross to show that we are Christians, thereby making it easier for others to identify in whom we believe. Is the cross important to our faith?

The answer is an unequivocal yes! The Redeemer’s suffering on the cross is vitally important to us and is an inseparable part of the Atonement, through which He suffered and died for our sins and thereby provided us with a clear path to salvation and exaltation.

The Savior was clear when He stated that in following Him we should take upon ourselves a cross — not the Roman cross that was the instrument of death but our own cross, whereby we present a sacrifice to the Lord of our own heart to be obedient to His commandments.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul indicated that the “preaching of the cross … is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). We understand through this scripture that the meaning of the cross is much deeper than just a symbol or outward sign, especially for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the preaching of what happened on the cross that is more important than the symbol of the cross.

While Elder Schwitzer correctly emphasizes the importance of the cross’s deeper meaning within the Atonement and our personal sacrifices, his argument against the cross as a symbol overlooks its powerful unifying potential. The cross is not merely an outward sign; it’s a universally recognized symbol of Christianity, instantly communicating a shared faith and belonging. For anyone transitioning into faith, the cross can serve as a familiar bridge, easing their integration and fostering a sense of connection to their Christian heritage.

Furthermore, his interpretation of taking up our “own cross” as purely metaphorical might be limiting. While personal sacrifice is undoubtedly crucial, the physical cross can serve as a tangible reminder of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, inspiring devotion and strengthening faith. Displaying the cross in our churches could act as a beacon, inviting others to learn about our beliefs and fostering a sense of community among all Christians.

While the preaching of the cross is undeniably essential, dismissing the symbol altogether neglects its potential to unite, inspire, and invite. By embracing the cross alongside our understanding of its deeper significance, we can enrich our faith and create a more welcoming environment for all who seek to follow Christ.

An interesting observation about Mormon symbols…

Mormonism Research Ministry: Why No Crosses?

You may have noticed that Mormon temples are normally adorned with a golden angel rather than a cross. The fact is, crosses are never used on any Mormon buildings. Strangely enough, Mormon leaders have often pointed to the Garden of Gethsemane as the place where Christ’s atonement took place.

In the April 2005 issue of the official LDS Ensign magazine, Mormon President Gordon Hinckley told the story of a question he received from a Protestant minister who was invited to attend the open house of the newly renovated Mesa (AZ) temple. “I’ve been all though this building, this temple which carries on its face the name of Jesus Christ,” the minister said, “but nowhere have I seen any representation of the cross, the symbol of Christianity. I have noted your building elsewhere and likewise find an absence of the cross. Why is this when you say you believe in Jesus Christ?”

Hinckley’s answer was not at all unlike answers I have heard from Mormons for years. “For us,” Hinckley responded, “the cross is a symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the living Christ.”

Anybody who has visited Salt Lake City will quickly notice that Mormon symbols are found throughout the downtown area. Probably its best known symbol is the angel Moroni. Ironically, this trumpet-blowing effigy stands in the same place a Christian cross would probably stand if LDS temples were Christian churches.

Beehives, moonstones, sunstones, the all-seeing eye, and Masonic “grips” are in abundance on the temple in Salt Lake City, and while Mormons are quick to distance themselves from the cross, they have no problem defending the numerous five-pointed pentagrams used as decorations on both the Salt Lake City and Nauvoo temple.

Guess what Mormons … you’re in good company, but in fairness, not for the same reasons.

Jehovah’s Witnesses: The Cross Is of Pagan Origin.

If you belong to one of Christendom’s churches, did the church ever tell you that the cross is a pagan symbol? If it did not, it withheld the truth from you. It has encouraged you to hold in reverence an admittedly pagan symbol.

And let’s not forget the United Church of God…

United Church of God: Why We Don’t Use the Symbol of the Cross?

God wants us to direct our worship and prayers to Him, not to any physical object. Christ explained this principle in John 4:24: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Following the biblical instruction, the United Church of God does not use the figure or image of a cross in its worship services. Neither do members wear crosses as symbols of devotion. We refer to the cross in the way that the Scripture refers to it — that is, as a figure of speech to explain Christ’s atoning death for us.

The Institute for Religious Research (IRR) is a Christian organization that focuses on defending the Bible and traditional Christian beliefs. They provide research-based responses to challenges raised by skeptics and other religious groups. In the case of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the IRR points out that their doctrines contradict the Bible, which they have allegedly mistranslated. The IRR also highlights the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ history of failed end-time predictions and cover-ups of abuse within their organization.

Is the cross a pagan symbol?
Institute for Religious Research
Answers to Jehovah’s Witnesses #13

Summary of the Evidence

From these varied lines of evidence from geographically diverse locations22 and coming from different types of sources (both literary and archaeological) we may confidently draw the following conclusions:

(1) The Romans did indeed crucify people in the time of Jesus using crossbeams.
(2) Both Christians and non-Christians from at least the early second century agreed that Jesus had been crucified in that manner.
(3) Christians did not borrow the idea of a cross from paganism. Rather, it was a form of execution used by the pagan Romans. Christians would certainly not have invented the idea that Jesus was crucified.
(4) Although the cross became a prominent, public symbol of Christianity after Constantine, its use as a Christian symbol goes back to within a century or so of the time of Christ.

Sadly, the Watchtower’s polemic against the cross obscures the very heart of the gospel.

The argument that the Christian cross is derived from pagan symbols due to the existence of similar shapes in ancient paganism is a logical fallacy. Here’s why:

Function over Form: The primary function of the cross in Christianity is as a symbol of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, a specific method of Roman execution. While similar shapes might exist in other cultures, their meaning and context are vastly different. The Christian cross is not defined by its shape alone, but by the event it represents.

Historical Context: The Romans used crucifixion as a common method of execution, and the cross shape naturally resulted from this practice. This historical context is crucial in understanding the origin of the Christian cross, and it predates the widespread use of similar symbols in various pagan religions.

Symbolic Evolution: Even if a cross-like symbol existed in paganism before Christianity, it doesn’t invalidate the Christian cross’s symbolism. Symbols can evolve and take on new meanings over time. The Christian cross transformed the symbol of a brutal execution into a representation of sacrifice, redemption, and hope.

Universality of Basic Shapes: The cross is a simple geometric shape, and it’s not surprising that similar shapes appear in various cultures throughout history. This doesn’t imply a direct connection or shared meaning between these symbols. To claim that the Christian cross is inherently pagan based on shape alone is an oversimplification that ignores historical and cultural context.

In conclusion, the existence of cross-like symbols in ancient paganism does not negate the historical and theological significance of the Christian cross. The Christian cross is firmly rooted in the historical reality of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, and its meaning transcends any superficial similarities to other symbols.

LDSDaily.com
(Not an official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
The History of the Cross in Latter-day Saint Symbolism.

So, what changed? How did Latter-day Saints come to be so firmly against the cross as a symbol?

Latter-day Saint leaders continued to experience tension with the Catholic Church, stemming from prejudice that existed amongst multiple sects in Joseph Smith’s time. The Catholic Church had become linked in the minds of some Latter-day Saints with the “great and abominable church of all the earth” as referenced in 1 Nephi 14, though this was never publicly expressed by leaders. Privately, disdain brewed and eventually led to the rejection of the cross as an accepted personal symbol for members. This firm line in the sand took hold during the presidency of David O. McKay, the ninth president of the Church.

One of the first public teachings against wearing or displaying crosses in the private lives of members occurred just a few short years after this conflict erupted. As author Michael G. Reed relates in his book, Banishing the Cross: The Emergence of a Mormon Taboo, President McKay spoke publicly about wearing crosses in 1957 after a jewelry store advertised cross necklaces for girls. Joseph L. Wirthlin, the Presiding Bishop, saw the advertisement, contacted President McKay, and asked if it was appropriate.

President McKay responded and said crosses were “purely Catholic and Latter-day Saint girls should not purchase and wear them…Our worship should be in our hearts.” While Latter-day Saints had never used the cross as an official symbol, this statement helped codify the idea that members should not embrace the cross as a private symbol of their faith.

In 1975, President Gordon B. Hinckley talked in General Conference about the symbols of Christ and what symbols best represented the Church. President Hinckley shared the following response he gave to a Protestant minister who toured a temple and wondered why no crosses were displayed:

“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.”

He went on to say, “And so, because our Savior lives, we do not use the symbol of his death as the symbol of our faith. But what shall we use?

No sign, no work of art, no representation of form is adequate to express the glory and the wonder of the Living Christ.

He told us what that symbol should be when he said, ‘If ye love me, keep my commandments.’”

So much for the other prophet’s statement: “No sign, no work of art, no representation of form is adequate to express the glory and the wonder of the Living Christ.”

President Russell M. Nelson: “Previously, I promised that if we would “do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church,” He would “pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen.” I renew that promise today.

To help us remember Him and to identify The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Lord’s Church, we are pleased to introduce a symbol that will signify the central place of Jesus Christ in His Church.

At the center of the symbol is a representation of Thorvaldsen’s marble statue the Christus. It portrays the resurrected, living Lord reaching out to embrace all who will come unto Him.

Symbolically, Jesus Christ is standing under an arch. The arch reminds us of the resurrected Savior emerging from the tomb on the third day following His Crucifixion.

This symbol includes the name of the Church contained within a cornerstone. Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone.

This symbol should feel familiar to many, as we have long identified the restored gospel with the living, resurrected Christ.

The symbol will now be used as a visual identifier for official literature, news, and events of the Church. It will remind all that this is the Savior’s Church and that all we do as members of His Church centers on Jesus Christ and His gospel.”

Here, in NOT-TOO-SUBTLE irony, is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performing Isaac Watts’ hymn, based on Galatians 6:14 – “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (KJV)

“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”

In conclusion, the cross of Jesus Christ, despite its origins in a horrific act of violence, has become a powerful symbol of love, sacrifice, and redemption. In embracing the paradox of the cross, we find the essence of our faith: a love so profound that it transcends the brutality of the crucifixion. The image of the cross serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrificial love that knows no bounds. It beckons us to embrace the transformative power of redemption and to live our lives in the light of this profound truth. As we gaze upon the cross, let us not shy away from its stark reality, but rather let it stir within us a reminder of forgiveness, sacrifice, salvation, and eternal life. And the center of the gospel message is the cross. We should be reminded of the apostle Paul’s convictional declaration, “to preach Christ and Him crucified,” in his first correspondence with the Corinthian church: