One of my friends posted a Facebook status that said she wasn’t wearing her cross. While this might not be odd to some of you, the fact that she is LDS is what generated the most attention. After almost 20 responses to her status regarding whether it was ok to wear a cross and be LDS, she wrote this blog. I found that although it was written from a Mormon point of view, there was a lot of similarities between the issue at hand and a lot of the minutae that is argued about, sometimes in great length, in religion. People get too caught up in the little things and forget the big picture.
The following is my response to her blog, the people who read it, and anybody that finds themselves losing focus of what is really important about true Christianity.
I thought I would interject my viewpoint on this topic.
First a little back story on me. I was born and raised Baptist, and currently attend a non-denominational church called “The Pursuit” in Boise, ID. I was married to an LDS lady for the better part of 10 years before she decided she didn’t want to be a part of the relationship anymore. I believe this gives me insight into the LDS beliefs that not a lot of non-Mormons have. Obviously I have my own opinions on what Mormons believe; however, I plan to stay close to the subject matter that was brought up since that is the only thing being discussed.
As for Noel’s decision to wear a cross, it’s her decision and hers alone. I’m sure if it was in violation of anything the LDS church taught, she wouldn’t, but as most have pointed out, and I will affirm from what I know, there is nothing that states it isn’t allowed. Noel isn’t somebody that takes her beliefs or the direction of her church leadership lightly. We’ve had many discussions about our respective beliefs and I’ve found her to have nothing but the utmost respect for the tenets of her faith and the people that lead and guide her church.
I also have a different view concerning the opinion that the cross is a symbol of suffering and death and therefore should not be something to dwell on. To me, there are 3 points of view, two of them, the LDS and Catholic, have been covered here already. I’ve never been a fan of the Catholic crucifix, for the simple reason that it still shows Jesus on the cross, suffering, bleeding, and half dead. While this was the pivotal moment in Christian history, I would rather remember that He is not in that state anymore.
When I look at a “protestant” cross with no Jesus hanging on it, it is a reminder to me that though Jesus did suffer and die on that cross, He isn’t there anymore. He’s not subject to an imperfect body that can be tortured and killed anymore. I like to remember that the cross is empty. I like to remember that Jesus beat death that day on the cross. It wasn’t done until He died, and He died on the cross. Therefore, for me, and many of my non-Mormon, non-catholic Christian friends, the cross isn’t a symbol of torture and death; it is a symbol of ultimate victory.
Now this isn’t to say that we elevate the symbol of the cross above the deity of God. Far from it actually. Just because this is a symbol that is known worldwide for being associated with the Christian church as a whole, it is just that, a symbol. To elevate it beyond such would be akin to building a golden calf. We don’t worship the cross; we use it as a symbol for the reasons outlined in the previous paragraph, and by doing so, make ourselves identifiable throughout the world.
The interesting thing to me is that the LDS have something that I would consider to be similar to the cross in its association. I had to verify this with Noel, but I was fairly certain that there was a statue of the angel Moroni on every LDS temple. She confirmed this, with the exception of the temples that have to meet certain building codes. Now if the argument is that the cross is a symbol of non-LDS Christianity, I could certainly press the issue that the statue is the symbol of the LDS religion. However, that would be just as incorrect as the assumption about the cross. The statue of Moroni adorns your temples for the same reasons the cross adorns my church buildings, etc. It’s not to glorify that particular symbol, but rather to serve as a reminder when it is seen of an important occurrence in whatever belief system you hold to.
While I could go on and on about things like this, just ask Noel, I will end on this note. There are many issues in every religion that can be debated fiercely but should not divide people who hold to the same beliefs. The example of Noels cross is a good one. While some LDS people think that you should not wear one, some think it’s perfectly fine. Their reasons are their own and as long as their decision doesn’t violate any of the church’s standing tenets, it shouldn’t be a big deal.
