Mormons and the Crucifix

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This topic has probably been presented many times here. I want to present it again if you don’t mind.
I showed my LDS sister some of the crosses I have been making here in Northern Utah.
One of them has the Scriptures about it and its message.

When she saw those scriptures on the Crucifix she said “oh all the scriptures on the death of Christ. why do you present that?”

Discernment told me not to go there with her, at least not on that day for many reasons. But at the same time I have many brothers and sisters who may want to go there.

I feel as if the Cross, the Crucifix is the greatest tool we can put forth to the LDS when they come knocking on our doors. Yes its great to meditate on the Resurrected Christ but the pain and suffering to get to it needs to also be meditated on, it needs to be discussed well.

I hope this turns out to be a good discussion. Lately it has become front and center to me.

When this thread is close to 100 replies, if it makes it past 1 post at least… I will give a free Crucifix to one who deserves it…about a $100 dollar value if you can place a monetary price on it. More like Billions, and that would still be to shallow.
I will need the Address of your Church or Ward to mail it if you want to remain anonymous

God Bless
Rich
www.utahmission@aol.com
www.chooseyourcross.com
 
catholic-rcia said:
This topic has probably been presented many times here. I want to present it again if you don’t mind.
I showed my LDS sister some of the crosses I have been making here in Northern Utah.
One of them has the Scriptures about it and its message.

When she saw those scriptures on the Crucifix she said “oh all the scriptures on the death of Christ. why do you present that?”

Discernment told me not to go there with her, at least not on that day for many reasons. But at the same time I have many brothers and sisters who may want to go there.

I feel as if the Cross, the Crucifix is the greatest tool we can put forth to the LDS when they come knocking on our doors. Yes its great to meditate on the Resurrected Christ but the pain and suffering to get to it needs to also be meditated on, it needs to be discussed well.

I hope this turns out to be a good discussion. Lately it has become front and center to me.

When this thread is close to 100 replies, if it makes it past 1 post at least… I will give a free Crucifix to one who deserves it…about a $100 dollar value if you can place a monetary price on it. More like Billions, and that would still be to shallow.
I will need the Address of your Church or Ward to mail it if you want to remain anonymous

God Bless
Rich
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Is there a symbolic difference between a cross and a crucifix to the Catholic Church?

Personally when I see a crucifix, I immediately identify it with the Catholic Church (although I’m pretty sure Lutherans and Anglicans use it too).
 
Xavierlives said:
Is there a symbolic difference between a cross and a crucifix to the Catholic Church?

Personally when I see a crucifix, I immediately identify it with the Catholic Church (although I’m pretty sure Lutherans and Anglicans use it too).
Click to expand...
A cross is usually and empty cross…a Crucifix has a His corpus depicted
 
Hiyas:)

The crucifix reminds us of the Passion of Christ Jesus.
 
Marie5890 said:
A cross is usually and empty cross…a Crucifix has a His corpus depicted
Click to expand...
I knew I should have clarified. I know the difference in the appearance between them I meant, does the Catholic Church have different use for them?
 
catholic-rcia said:
This topic has probably been presented many times here. I want to present it again if you don’t mind.
I showed my LDS sister some of the crosses I have been making here in Northern Utah.
One of them has the Scriptures about it and its message.

When she saw those scriptures on the Crucifix she said “oh all the scriptures on the death of Christ. why do you present that?”

Discernment told me not to go there with her, at least not on that day for many reasons. But at the same time I have many brothers and sisters who may want to go there.

I feel as if the Cross, the Crucifix is the greatest tool we can put forth to the LDS when they come knocking on our doors. Yes its great to meditate on the Resurrected Christ but the pain and suffering to get to it needs to also be meditated on, it needs to be discussed well.

I hope this turns out to be a good discussion. Lately it has become front and center to me.

When this thread is close to 100 replies, if it makes it past 1 post at least… I will give a free Crucifix to one who deserves it…about a $100 dollar value if you can place a monetary price on it. More like Billions, and that would still be to shallow.
I will need the Address of your Church or Ward to mail it if you want to remain anonymous

God Bless
Rich
www.utahmission@aol.com
www.chooseyourcross.com
Click to expand...
I never understood peoples’ objections to the Crucifix, unless they object to Christ. That is the peak of what He came here for… and the most important event during His life.

Why do they have a problem with it?
 
Xavierlives said:
I knew I should have clarified. I know the difference in the appearance between them I meant, does the Catholic Church have different use for them?
Click to expand...
During Easter Vigil it’s a Cross on Easter Sunday and rest of the year it’s the Crucifix
 
ljubim said:
I never understood peoples’ objections to the Crucifix, unless they object to Christ. That is the peak of what He came here for… and the most important event during His life.

Why do they have a problem with it?
Click to expand...
I think LDS have a problem…because Joseph Smith said he did more than Jesus
 
ljubim said:
I never understood peoples’ objections to the Crucifix, unless they object to Christ. That is the peak of what He came here for… and the most important event during His life.

Why do they have a problem with it?
Click to expand...
This is an edit, after I posted below I went and read that article. That was good. Thanks

They are taught that it is nothing but a murder weapon, why would you want to focus on the cross? It would be like putting your child who was in a wreck in a car on your wall. This is where they are coming from, this is a learned perception. We all have those…

I am not LDS although I did attend up until about 12 years old. Was baptized Catholic 11 years ago in Uath. One of the questions I get from Mormons during our tours of our church. Keep in mind we really help them to be comfortable, that its ok to ask anything and we mean it. They commonly ask: It seems that Catholics focus more on the death of Christ than on His resurrection is that true? What we tell them is that we focus on His whole life equally, from the prophesies regarding Him, His birth, His teachings, His Passion, His death on the Cross, to Easter…His Glorious resurrection. “I say No, we try to focus on it all”

For a Mormon, they are taught to focus on the Resurrection not on the Crucifixion. More on the good parts of humankind than the bad such as our sin. Of course we all want everything in our lives to be safe and good, we all want happiness. Its hard to focus on the Passion of Christ, on sin, on death and so forth. But for us Catholics its in going down that we arrive at the top. I will let the LDS take it from here.
 
catholic-rcia said:
They are taught that it is nothing but a murder weapon, why would you want to focus on the cross? It would be like putting your child who was in a wreck in a car on your wall. This is where they are coming from, this is a learned perception. We all have those…

I am not LDS although I did attend up until about 12 years old. Was baptized Catholic 11 years ago in Uath. One of the questions I get from Mormons during our tours of our church. Keep in mind we really help them to be comfortable, that its ok to ask anything and we mean it. They commonly ask: It seems that Catholics focus more on the death of Christ than on His resurrection is that true? What we tell them is that we focus on His whole life equally, from the prophesies regarding Him, His birth, His teachings, His Passion, His death on the Cross, to Easter…His Glorious resurrection. “I say No, we try to focus on it all”

For a Mormon, they are taught to focus on the Resurrection not on the Crucifixion. More on the good parts of humankind than the bad such as our sin. Of course we all want everything in our lives to be safe and good, we all want happiness. Its hard to focus on the Passion of Christ, on sin, on death and so forth. But for us Catholics its in going down that we arrive at the top. I will let the LDS take it from here.
Click to expand...
That was pretty much the attitude I recall when I was LDS. Very few women even felt comfortable with wearing a piece of jewlry in the form of one. You could see one on occasion but it tended to raise an eyebrow by others.

I cant help but wonder if there is an subconscious idea of it being a symbol of all other denominations, both Catholic and Prodestant, all “not the true church” so it was a form of rejecting all others??

Dont know. No real dogma that I remember one way or the other.
 
catholic-rcia said:
This is an edit, after I posted below I went and read that article. That was good. Thanks

They are taught that it is nothing but a murder weapon, why would you want to focus on the cross? It would be like putting your child who was in a wreck in a car on your wall. This is where they are coming from, this is a learned perception. We all have those…

I am not LDS although I did attend up until about 12 years old. Was baptized Catholic 11 years ago in Uath. One of the questions I get from Mormons during our tours of our church. Keep in mind we really help them to be comfortable, that its ok to ask anything and we mean it. They commonly ask: It seems that Catholics focus more on the death of Christ than on His resurrection is that true? What we tell them is that we focus on His whole life equally, from the prophesies regarding Him, His birth, His teachings, His Passion, His death on the Cross, to Easter…His Glorious resurrection. “I say No, we try to focus on it all”

For a Mormon, they are taught to focus on the Resurrection not on the Crucifixion. More on the good parts of humankind than the bad such as our sin. Of course we all want everything in our lives to be safe and good, we all want happiness. Its hard to focus on the Passion of Christ, on sin, on death and so forth. But for us Catholics its in going down that we arrive at the top. I will let the LDS take it from here.
Click to expand...
Christ’s suffering and his passion is the very crux of Christianity. How could anyone ignore the crucifix? Jesus suffered and died so that mankind could be saved. I think one of the most beautiful and moving things about the Catholic Church is the stations of the cross, it reminds us what Jesus had to go through. Particularily deep is the Good Friday service where the priest points out each station as we kneel and pray in response.
 
CHRISTINE77 said:
Christ’s suffering and his passion is the very crux of Christianity. How could anyone ignore the crucifix? Jesus suffered and died so that mankind could be saved. I think one of the most beautiful and moving things about the Catholic Church is the stations of the cross, it reminds us what Jesus had to go through. Particularily deep is the Good Friday service where the priest points out each station as we kneel and pray in response.
Click to expand...
I’ve always though an empty tomb would be a better representation of Christianity, but how do you represent that easy?

cO
 
Remember, the Cross by itself did nothing.

What Christ ***DID ***on the cross is everything
 
I’m sure there are as many varied reasons some of us do not use the image of the cross in our meeting houses…or as jewelery. Friends beliieve in the Real Presence of the Risen Christ among us each First Day Meeting. We are joined to his passion through our baptism in fire by the Holy Spirit…it is in this “joining” we are “raised into the Kingdom of His dear Son.”…we do not use a cross as it is an 'outward sign" of an event that was transforming…it is the Work of the cross that is important…not the symbol…but the Reality.

Some of us believe that instead of focusing on a physical symbol, we should seek the Present Reality in our everyday lives. Perhaps the Mormons reasons for not using the cross are similar. I have been in a couple of their meeting houses and there is no imagery in the “chapel”…except at the back entry a painting of Christ or a Book of Mormon scene.
 
twopekinguys said:
And that was Christ! That’s why you don’t see other people shown on the crucifix. 😉
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And this simple symbol shows how so many become divided. Some want to show the death and some want to show the empty cross (and empty grave).

Personally, I don’t think either is necessary. The only important mark is the one on my heart. 🙂
 
kimmielittle said:
I think LDS have a problem…because Joseph Smith said he did more than Jesus
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This is a common assertion, but it’s false. Here’s what the passage, which was a kind of eulogy at his death, actually says:

D&C 135:3: “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.”

You can see it for yourself here: scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/135

Anyone who has read the LDS Doctrine & Covenants knows that Joseph Smith Jr. is repeatedly admonished for his sins, follys, and faults in that book. Joseph Smith admitted his faults on many occasions. In contrast, Mormons regard Jesus as being without sin.

Mormon objection to crosses and crufixes is rooted in the Puritan influence on the early LDS Church. Mormons seem to be sofening a bit on this tradition. In the Mormon endowment ceremony, Jesus’ crucifiction is symbolized, albeit not with a cross or crucifix.
 
Xavierlives said:
Lots of innocent people died on the cross. Only one rose from the grave.
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True but without dying on the cross, Christ would not rise again. He came down from heaven, became incarnate and lived and died as a human. Christ died so that we could be saved. His rising again reveals his divinity. Truly he was the suffering servant, whom men reviled. We always need to remember his cross, and to truly bear our own crosses.
 
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