If you were to ask a Church member why our churches don't have crosses, they would likely say, “Because we worship the living Christ,” echoing a statement made by President Gordon B. Hinckley in 1975.
Mormons are often asked why they don't wear crosses since they consider themselves Christian. Mormons don't find it offensive that other Christians use crosses as a symbol, but they choose not to use it as their own symbol. Crosses aren't found on Mormon church buildings and Mormons do not wear them.
Mormons view wearing or displaying the symbol of Jesus's death as taboo, which is why the steeples in Salt Lake City are topped with spires instead of crosses. It was an agonizing Savior, not a crucified Savior, who atoned for sin. Mormons believe it was an agonizing Savior, not a crucified Savior, who atoned for sin.
It is especially important in the Catholic Church, and is also used in the Eastern Orthodox Church, most Oriental Orthodox Churches except the Armenian & Syriac Church, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism.
There's not a true invocation of the Trinity because the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, according to the LDS, are not the three persons in which subsist the one Godhead, but three gods who form one divinity. This is an important claim that Christianity is monotheistic.
From this viewpoint, Mormonism can be seen to diverge from traditional Christianity in four areas: its views on scripture, the nature of God and the deification of believers; the deity of Christ and the trinity, and finally, salvation.
Mormons believe Jesus is Redeemer, God, and Savior. He is endless and eternal, the only begotten son of the Father. Through Jesus, the Heavenly Father has provided a way for people to be like him and to live with him forever.
The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes what happened on the cross, but this message and meaning is within each of us and requires no external symbol to manifest our faith.
There's more, however, to Protestantism's aversion to the crucifix than misconceptions about why Catholics love it. Although not explicitly stated as a tenet of faith, in many Protestant denominations the work and suffering of the crucifixion are seen as being fixed in the past.
Instead we serve a living Savior Who will come for us someday. An empty cross speaks of these realities. We also avoid crucifixes because of their association with the Mass. The religion that celebrates the Mass has always stressed that Christ is re-sacrificed over and over again in that service.
But even when the use of the cross is divorced from anti-Catholicism, Mormons, as a whole, still do not generally use the cross as an outward symbol of their faith. In 1975, President Gordon B. Hinckley, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, spoke in general conference about the symbol of the cross.
Just as you might never see a cross in a Latter-day Saint home or on one of our temples, there is a good chance you will see a replica of the Christus statue of the resurrected Jesus by Bertel Thorvaldsen. As a Church, it was adopted due to the focus on the Living nature of Christ as a symbol of our faith.
The easy answer is that no, Mormons don't officially believe that Jesus was married. In fact, there is no official Church doctrine on this issue. Individual members are free to believe as they wish concerning this matter. (Some believe that He was married; others believe He wasn't.
Scores of passages in the Book of Mormon and modern scripture speak of the vital need for Christ's suffering and death. That is to say, it was not just his suffering but also his death—on the cruel cross of Calvary—that was an indispensable element of the atoning sacrifice.
Visitors are always asked just to wear their Sunday best—and if jeans are the best you have, they are acceptable for the visit. For Mormons, dressing nicely doesn't mean we think God won't love us or listen to us if we're not dressed nicely.
Of course, it's important to look your best as a representative of Christ, take care of your body, and be healthy. And it's OK to wear makeup. When used in moderation, it can enhance natural beauty. But the Lord wants you to focus on the genuine beauty inside you.
The Bible forbids the use of physical icons to worship and represent the true God. The Second Commandment plainly states: “You shall not make for yourself any carved image” (Exodus 20:4). God did not intend for His people to use physical icons, pictures or images to represent Him.
The European Court agreed that wearing a cross was a legitimate manifestation of the Christian faith. Wearing a cross is protected by the European Convention on Human Rights, which gives the right to freedom of religion.
The one religion that does offer a specific view on the matter is Islam, which explicitly denies that Jesus died on the cross (see other answer on this question for the reference). So the answer to the question is: Islam is the religion that denies that Jesus died on the cross. Only Islam!!
There is no official stance. Most LDS members don't use the cross as religious iconography since we prefer to think of a resurrected Christ. We focus on a living Christ, not a dead one. So, few LDS members wear a cross or have one in their homes. But there is no prohibition on it.
The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve have declared that we discourage tattoos and also "the piercing of the body for other than medical purposes." We do not, however, take any position "on the minimal piercing of the ears by women for one pair of earrings"--one pair.
Mormonism categorizes itself within Christianity, and nearly all Mormons self-identify as Christian. For some who define Christianity within the doctrines of Catholicism, Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, the Churches of the East, and Protestantism, Mormonism's differences place it outside the umbrella of Christianity.
The practice of polygamy in the early Mormon church was highly controversial. The spread of Mormonism even led to legal battles with the US government, culminating in the federal criminalization of polygamy in 1882. However, polygamy is not widely practiced among Mormons today.
Mormons believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again so that all humankind could be resurrected and one day return to live with a loving Heavenly Father. As the only person who has ever lived a completely sinless life, the Savior was a perfect sacrifice, a lamb without blemish.
Mormons celebrate the holiday like most other Christians—reading from the nativity account in Luke, exchanging presents, and spending time with family and friends. Santa Claus, decorated trees, and the redemptive story of Ebenezer Scrooge all are staples of the winter holiday for Mormons in the United States (fig.
