THE CROSS

Reason 18

I think this is my favorite reason so far! The Bible tells us to Glory in the Cross!

     Matthew 10:38
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
     Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
     Mark 8:34
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
     Mark 10:21
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."
     Luke 9:23
Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
          *Therefore, the cross symbolizes the way we, as Christians, should live.
     Luke 14:27
And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
     1 Corinthians 1:17-18
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
     Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
          *There is nothing else that deserves boasting except the Cross.
     Ephesians 2:16
and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
     Hebrews 12:2
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Bible points to the Cross as the place where Jesus atoned for our sins. The symbol of the Cross is central in Christianity and has been central since the first century.

I missed my Cross more than anything else when I was LDS. I was told over and over that the reason they did not Glory in the Cross was because it was a reminder of His Death instead of His Life. My disagreement with this is...the Cross is a remembrance of His Sacrifice. However, the Crucifix is a remembrance of His Death. And as a Christian, I do not Glory in the Crucifix; I Glory in the Cross!

Mormons do not Glory in the Cross. They have no crosses anywhere; not in their homes; not on their body; not in their temples; not in their books; nowhere.
     From mormonwiki.org/Cross
Mormons typically do not want anything to do with the symbol of the cross, stating such things as, "If they had shot Jesus with a firing squad, would they hang a gun on the church?"
"Latter-day Saints object to the use of a cross on their buildings and the wearing of the cross. They view the symbolism of the cross as having a pagan origin and that it symbolizes Christ's torture and death, not his resurrection." (utlm.org)
This is a precarious position Mormons take, as they have no problem with various pentagrams on Mormon buildings.

• The sectarian world falsely suppose that the climax of his (Christ's) torture and suffering was on the cross...-a view which they keep ever before them by the constant use of the cross as a religious symbol. The fact is that intense and severe as the suffering was on the cross, yet the great pains were endured in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 555)
• Many who join the [Mormon] Church who come from a Catholic or Protestant background while trying their utmost to live the gospel, and rid themselves of past, unconsciously bring some of the customs of their former environment with them. One of these is the wearing of the crucifix on a necklace, bracelet, or in some other form. The teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seem to indicate that this is improper because we do not hold any special reverence for the cross as such, nor do we have crosses in our chapels or homes or wear a crucifix as jewelry." LDS "Prophet" Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 4, p. 16.
• To many [Mormons]...such a custom is repugnant and contrary to the true worship of our Redeemer. Why should we bow down before a cross or use it as a symbol? Because our Savior died on the cross, the wearing of crosses is to most Latter-day Saints in very poor taste and inconsistent to our worship. Of all the ways ever invented for taking life and the execution of individuals, among the most cruel is likely the cross. This was a favorite method among the Romans who excelled in torture. We may be definitely sure that if our Lord had been killed with a dagger or with a sword, it would have been very strange indeed if religious people of this day would have graced such a weapon by wearing it and adoring it because it was by such a means that our Lord was put to death." LDS "Prophet" Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 4, pp. 17-18.

Since the LDS church believes Christ's greatest suffering took place in the Garden, it minimizes the importance of the cross. Simply because Jesus lives forever more is no reason to minimize the means by which He paid for our sins. The Bible does not teach that the atonement began in the garden; it teaches that the atonement happened on the Cross.

     1 Peter 2:24

who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed.

I have been unable to grasp why the LDS church considers the Cross to be a graven image. However, they do not consider their monuments and statues honoring prophets and other figures to be graven images. Why is it okay to Glory in these idols, but it is not okay to Glory in the Cross? I disagree with this.

I have been asked several times...if Christ had died in a burning building, would you wear that around your neck or hang that on your wall. My answer is, YES, absolutely! Since He loves me enough to have died for me, then I love Him enough to Glory in Him! My Crosses are my security. The Cross reminds me of the Savior's Life, His Love for me, what He has done for me, and why He did what He did for me! I have a new infatuation with Crosses, and they are extremely comforting to me!

My unanswered question was:

Why does the LDS church glory in other things, but they do not Glory in the Cross as the Bible tells us we should?

I was initially devastated when I received this answer that I cannot be a part of an organization that chooses to not Glory in the Cross, yet overjoyed to find the truth that as Christians we are to Glory in the Cross, and I would be lost without The Cross!