Why Don't Mormons Use Crosses? Latter-day Saints and the Cross

The cross is a prevalent symbol today for many Christian religions. Yet Mormon meetinghouses and Mormon jewelry don’t bear crosses. Perhaps the history of the symbol of the cross will shed light on some of the reasons why.

Crosses Predate Christianity

Ancient pottery and artwork predating Christianity features cross symbols. In some instances, they are merely decorative. In others, they are used to symbolize various pagan gods or goddesses. Crosses didn’t become a Christian symbol until a few hundred years after the death of Christ.

Crosses Were a Tool for Execution

During New Testament times, crucifixion on a cross was a commonly used method of public execution for the Romans. Christ’s death by crucifixion was gruesome, but it wasn’t unheard of. In fact, when Jesus hung on the cross he was flanked by two thieves who were also suffering the same form of capital punishment.

After Christ’s death, crucifixion continued to be practiced until the fourth century A.D. Therefore, early Christians saw the cross as an emblem of a particularly gruesome method of public execution and avoided using it. Instead, they favored the fish symbol known as the ‘ichthys’ to express their Christianity. Once execution by crucifixion was banned by the Emperor Constantine, crosses slowly filtered into Christian iconography.

Crosses Weren’t Used by Christ

Jesus Christ himself didn’t use the cross as a symbol of his ministry during his life. In the New Testament when Jesus referred to “taking up your cross” or “bearing your cross,” he probably meant ‘cross’ as a euphemism for ‘burden.’ People who chose to follow him in later centuries adopted the symbol and gave it religious meaning, but there is nothing inherently Christian about the sign of the cross.

Crosses Symbolize Death

The gospel topics section of the church’s official website explains that “the cross is used in many Christian churches as a symbol of the Savior's death and Resurrection and as a sincere expression of faith… we also remember with reverence the suffering of the Savior. But because the Savior lives, we do not use the symbol of His death as the symbol of our faith.”

Church president Gordon B. Hinckley reiterated this sentiment in a 2005 message entitled “The Symbol of Our Faith” by saying, “I do not wish to give offense to any of my Christian colleagues who use the cross… But for us, the cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the Living Christ.”

Symbols of Mormon Faith

Though the church has no official symbol, Latter-day Saints express their faith in a number of ways. Artwork featuring Christ is found in the homes of many Latter-day Saints. Mormon jewelry may often feature images of the temple or the letters “CTR” inscribed in a shield formation. The acronym stands for “Choose the Right” and can be compared to the WWJD bracelets that were popular in the 1990s. President Hinckley states that “the lives of our people must become the most meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship.”

Whereas most Mormons understand and respect the widespread use of the symbol of the cross in Christianity, they do not choose to represent their own faith with that particular symbol. Rather than focus on Christ’s death, they choose to focus on his resurrection and his invitation in Matthew 11:28 to "come unto me."

Oct 16, 2008 1:21 PM

Guest :

Recent LDS leaders have given reasons like "because we do not celebrate Christ's death, but his life" or "the true symbol of Mormonism is its people" and stuff like that.

But the real reason is much more simple.

Crosses were not used by MOST Protestants in early 1800s American (the time period Joseph Smith started the religion). Most Protestants rejected use of the cross as a symbol of "popery" (basically rebellion against the authority of Rome). Baptists for instance did not use the cross in the early 1800s.

Joseph Smith simply copied what everyone else around him was doing.

Eventually, Protestant churches re-adopted the cross, but made sure to point out that their cross was "empty" symbolizing the risen Lord.

However, Mormonism missed this development in Christian practice, since, by the time the cross was being reinstated in Protestantism, the Mormons had already packed up and isolated themselves in Utah. After that, the mere need to distinguish themselves from other American churches did the rest.

Simple enough.

Seth R.

Nov 13, 2008 4:33 PM

Guest :

Only one problem. The cross is a symbol: like the Eye of Horus and the pentagrams on the Temple. The cross is a symbol of the Tree of Life.

Nov 17, 2008 12:42 PM

Guest :

Ive been looking for Moron i and nephi in the bible, but cant seem to find it, can someone please tell me where to read about them??? I cant seem to find the sections. thanks much.

Nov 26, 2008 9:15 AM

Guest :

I am a graduate student from CSU Sacramento who is writing my MA thesis on The Development of the LDS Church’s No-Cross Protocol. It is nearly finished at 115+ pages long, and a draft is presently being reviewed by my thesis committee. My thesis will be the first in-depth analysis of this subject ever published; explaining how and why the LDS cross aversion came about. Most readers (whether Mormon or Mormon-critic) will be surprised to learn that the cross aversion was a very late development in the LDS Church’s history, first starting at the grassroots level around the turn of the 20th century, and then became institutionalized as church-protocol in the 1950s under the direction of President David O. McKay. Prior to the protocol, several prominent Saints (including Joseph Smith Jr.) embraced the Christian symbol.

Although many LDS apologists have claimed that early Christians didn't embrace the cross until Constantine... this isn't really true. It is correct that early Christians had reservations about depicting the symbol materially (to avoid persecution, and because of their strict interpretation of the 2nd commandment), but the cross remained a sacred symbol, and they got around those reservations by looking for its natural manifestation around them. Brfore Constantine, Christians actively searched for the cross and found it in the sail of a ship, posture of prayer, the anchor, the tau/tav, in the Old Testament, greek mythology, etc. Christians also traced the symbol on their foreheads, and regularly used it as a literary symbol.

It also isn't true that Mormons avoid using the cross because it is a symbol of death and torture. Latter-day Saints are quite accustomed to death symbolism, whether it be the sacrament (1 Cor 11:26), the endowment (Isaiah 22:23), the glorification of martyrdom (Carthage Jail is treated as sacred space), or literary symbolism in scripture. Besides, symbols by their nature can take on multiple layers of meaning, and don’t have to be limited to one. The refusal to interpret a symbol more abstractly says less about the symbol itself, and more about the individual (or group of people) interpreting the symbol. In all due respect... the apologetic you suggest is a post-hoc rationalization, invented to pacify the critic/questioner, having no real basis in fact, reason, or revelation. The apologetic you note was in fact borrowed from 19th century American Protestant Iconoclasts.