Wearing a cross as LDS

[SwedishLDS]

wanted to share an experience.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

I tried wearing a cross to work today as an experiment (I go to a lot of different schools right now in Sweden as a substitute teacher), and while the cross is an imperfect symbol it is easily recognizable christian marker

I have had a interesting response from the students. I got to say Im christian and had more conversations than I have had this year. Some LGBT probing from two of them also.

Overall a positive response and it seemed like the christian kids that usually feel a little like outsiders appreciated it. One kid called it beautiful.

Edited April 5, 2022 by SwedishLDS

[Stargazer]

I think it's perfectly OK for a Latter-day Saint to wear a cross. I might even do it myself, some day. Just because we don't use the cross as an official religious symbol, there's no reason we can't treat it with reverence and respect. And no reason why we can't use it to establish commonality with other Christians. I wouldn't expect to see President Nelson wearing a cross, but if he did, well, fine then! 🙂 

[Tacenda]

2 hours ago, Stargazer said:

I think it's perfectly OK for a Latter-day Saint to wear a cross. I might even do it myself, some day. Just because we don't use the cross as an official religious symbol, there's no reason we can't treat it with reverence and respect. And no reason why we can't use it to establish commonality with other Christians. I wouldn't expect to see President Nelson wearing a cross, but if he did, well, fine then! 🙂 

My sister wears a sideways cross, which I like. 

4 hours ago, SwedishLDS said:

wanted to share an experience.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

I tried wearing a cross to work today as an experiment (I go to a lot of different schools right now in Sweden as a substitute teacher), and while the cross is an imperfect symbol it is easily recognizable christian marker

I have had a interesting response from the students. I got to say Im christian and had more conversations than I have had this year. Some LGBT probing from two of them also.

Overall a positive response and it seemed like the christian kids that usually feel a little like outsiders appreciated it. One kid called it beautiful.

I'm a sub too.

Back in my days of struggling in my faith in the LDS church, I wanted to wear a cross. I mentioned it to a ward member who I would walk with because she needed some help with physical therapy. Well, she thought I was practically Satan when I told her I think it would be nice to do. You just don't see it at all in Utah among the LDS.

But now, ever since the problem with our US elections and a certain group of Christians think a particular man is their Savior, won't mention the name, it has tainted the way I view some of them, so when I see a person wearing a cross, it triggers me sadly.

[Saint Bonaventure]

I wear a cross to Protestant Christmas parties. It goes wonderfully with the grape juice they serve.

I've wondered why LDS temples don't have a cross on the top, but do have the angel Moroni. I've also wondered if my LDS family and friends know that there are millions of Catholics who call the angel on the LDS temple the angel "muh-roh-nee" (as in Rice A Roni). 

 

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

45 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

My sister wears a sideways cross, which I like. 

I'm a sub too.

Back in my days of struggling in my faith in the LDS church, I wanted to wear a cross. I mentioned it to a ward member who I would walk with because she needed some help with physical therapy. Well, she thought I was practically Satan when I told her I think it would be nice to do. You just don't see it at all in Utah among the LDS.

But now, ever since the problem with our US elections and a certain group of Christians think a particular man is their Savior, won't mention the name, it has tainted the way I view some of them, so when I see a person wearing a cross, it triggers me sadly.

First of all, wearing a cross is not prohibited, so wear it if you like. Second, there is only one Savior, and his name is Jesus Christ. So, no man is our Savior, and no name attached, unless you are speaking Jesus Christ? Nice how you managed to slip politics into a thread about wearing a cross. 

[MustardSeed]

Wear it if it suits you.    It's a non issue IMO. 

[bluebell]

1 hour ago, Saint Bonaventure said:

I wear a cross to Protestant Christmas parties. It goes wonderfully with the grape juice they serve.

I've wondered why LDS temples don't have a cross on the top, but do have the angel Moroni. I've also wondered if my LDS family and friends know that there are millions of Catholics who call the angel on the LDS temple the angel "muh-roh-nee" (as in Rice A Roni). 

 

Yes, we realize (and we hope that they don't do it as a form of mocking, but if they do that's on them).  Millions of Spanish speaking Latter-day Saints call the angel the same thing, because that's how you pronounce the name in spanish.  

We don't have crosses on the tops of our temples because, generally, that is not a religious symbol that we have adopted to illustrate our faith.    Here's a good explanation about it.

[Calm]

3 hours ago, Tacenda said:

My sister wears a sideways cross, which I like. 

Hadn’t heard of that one, thought you were thinking of the leaning one.  Does she ascribe a particular meaning to it?

https://www.phoenixroze.com/blogs/news/the-meaning-of-the-sideways-cross

There is a traditional sideways cross or two according to wiki.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_cross_variants

As far as not seeing wearing the cross in a positive way, perhaps you should think of all those who wear it who have very little to do with American politics or who are American but not of that political persuasion (Catholics split evenly apparently for example, Black Evangelicals voted mostly opposite White Evangelicals ).  Of all the things that could be associated with him, I think the cross is safely used by so many different Christian groups it should not be linked to or claimed as ‘theirs’ by any one of them or exclusively linked with any man besides Christ himself (and if one just had to link the cross with a specific religion, then Catholics or Orthodox should win out because they were using it long before any Protestant group existed  ). It would be like disliking the American flag because some candidate you dislike flew it at her rallies….practically everyone else does the same.  Or disliking to be labeled Christian when one is a follower of Christ because there are some jerks who are bad Christians ignoring there are plenty of decent ones too.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/september/evangelical-white-black-ethnic-vote-trump-biden-lifeway-sur.html

The cross is a beautiful symbol of faith for many.  Don’t let your pleasure in seeing such expressions be tainted by any who are currently stumbling in their journey for whatever reason.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Calm

[Robert F. Smith]

7 hours ago, SwedishLDS said:

..................

I tried wearing a cross to work today as an experiment (I go to a lot of different schools right now in Sweden as a substitute teacher), and while the cross is an imperfect symbol it is easily recognizable christian marker....................

 

3 hours ago, Tacenda said:

My sister wears a sideways cross, which I like. 

Do you mean the Orthodox Christian cross?

3 hours ago, Tacenda said:

.......................

Back in my days of struggling in my faith in the LDS church, I wanted to wear a cross. I mentioned it to a ward member who I would walk with because she needed some help with physical therapy. Well, she thought I was practically Satan when I told her I think it would be nice to do. You just don't see it at all in Utah among the LDS.

But now, ever since the problem with our US elections and a certain group of Christians think a particular man is their Savior, won't mention the name, it has tainted the way I view some of them, so when I see a person wearing a cross, it triggers me sadly.

Didn't one of the Brethren during Conference speak about us bearing our cross?  Was that Brother Holland?

[Calm]

8 hours ago, SwedishLDS said:

I tried wearing a cross to work today as an experiment (I go to a lot of different schools right now in Sweden as a substitute teacher), and while the cross is an imperfect symbol it is easily recognizable christian marker

If you were wearing it sincerely as a sign of Christian faith as opposed to being a ‘tourist’ or just doing it to see reactions, I don’t see an issue with it even if not typical among Latter-day Saints, especially since it gave you opportunities to share your faith with others and help other Christians feel more comfortable.

I am not aware of anything in the handbook saying wearing crosses is against church instruction, like there is about tattoos (or used to be, has that been changed as it is not coming up in a search of the Handbook?).  This and other comments like it is probably the closest we get to an instruction not to wear it:

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2012/11/to-the-point/most-other-christians-use-the-cross-as-the-symbol-of-their-faith-why-dont-members-of-the-church-wear-crosses?

Edited April 5, 2022 by Calm

[Calm]

26 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Didn't one of the Brethren during Conference speak about us bearing our cross?  Was that Brother Holland?

Probably:

 

[Saint Bonaventure]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

Yes, we realize (and we hope that they don't do it as a form of mocking, but if they do that's on them).  Millions of Spanish speaking Latter-day Saints call the angel the same thing, because that's how you pronounce the name in spanish.  

We don't have crosses on the tops of our temples because, generally, that is not a religious symbol that we have adopted to illustrate our faith.    Here's a good explanation about it.

Certainly not a form of mocking. Just a result of Spanish and Italian influence.

Thanks for the explanation too.

[Tacenda]

1 hour ago, Robert F. Smith said:

 

Do you mean the Orthodox Christian cross?

Didn't one of the Brethren during Conference speak about us bearing our cross?  Was that Brother Holland?

I'm not sure, all I know is it's a sideways cross, as if it's laying down. Which I like!

Just barely listened to Elder Holland's talk and didn't hear anything about wearing a cross, just bearing a cross, which is what you asked about. Is that unusual to say bearing the cross? Maybe so, since we concentrate heavily on Garden of Gethsemane.  

[SwedishLDS]

1 hour ago, Calm said:

If you were wearing it sincerely as a sign of Christian faith as opposed to being a ‘tourist’ or just doing it to see reactions, I don’t see an issue with it even if not typical among Latter-day Saints, especially since it gave you opportunities to share your faith with others and help other Christians feel more comfortable.

I am not aware of anything in the handbook saying wearing crosses is against church instruction, like there is about tattoos (or used to be, has that been changed as it is not coming up in a search of the Handbook?).  This and other comments like it is probably the closest we get to an instruction not to wear it:

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2012/11/to-the-point/most-other-christians-use-the-cross-as-the-symbol-of-their-faith-why-dont-members-of-the-church-wear-crosses?

well I was wearing it sincerely, I just aren’t used to doing it.

Just wanted to share my experience.

I believe in christ, and I think it is important to serve as a witness of him, and I have been thinking of how to do that more

[Calm]

1 minute ago, SwedishLDS said:

well I was wearing it sincerely, I just aren’t used to doing it.

Just wanted to share my experience.

I believe in christ, and I think it is important to serve as a witness of him, and I have been thinking of how to do that more

It sounds like it worked to me.  Maybe add a CTR ring to open another conversation.   

[Stargazer]

1 hour ago, Calm said:

I am not aware of anything in the handbook saying wearing crosses is against church instruction, like there is about tattoos (or used to be, has that been changed as it is not coming up in a search of the Handbook?).

I checked, too, and tattoos are not mentioned in the handbook. There is a book "True to the Faith" which is available on the church website, and there is a statement there about tattooing that is rather strong. 

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/true-to-the-faith/tattooing?lang=eng

"Latter-day prophets strongly discourage the tattooing of the body. Those who disregard this counsel show a lack of respect for themselves and for God. The Apostle Paul taught of the significance of our bodies and the danger of purposefully defiling them: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).

"If you have a tattoo, you wear a constant reminder of a mistake you have made. You might consider having it removed."

That last sentence is rather abrupt and uncompromising. And I don't like the way it is stated. What of converts who have been heavily tattooed before joining the church? Yep, it's a mistake to get a tattoo. My dad, who while a US Marine got drunk and had two tattoos put on his arms. He told my brother and I that it was a big mistake and he hoped we would never make such a mistake.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Stargazer

[SwedishLDS]

41 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

I'm not sure, all I know is it's a sideways cross, as if it's laying down. Which I like!

Just barely listened to Elder Holland's talk and didn't hear anything about wearing a cross, just bearing a cross, which is what you asked about. Is that unusual to say bearing the cross? Maybe so, since we concentrate heavily on Garden of Gethsemane.  

Hinckley explained that pretty well in an interview a while back: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/1996/09/q-and-a-questions-and-answers?lang=eng

short story and a snippet of his answer: Because our Savior lives, we do not use the symbol of his death as the symbol of our faith. But what shall we use? No sign, no work of art, no representation of form is adequate to express the glory and the wonder of the Living Christ. He told us what that symbol should be when he said, ‘If ye love me, keep my commandments’ (John 14:15)” (pp. 6, 7).

[Robert F. Smith]

26 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

I'm not sure, all I know is it's a sideways cross, as if it's laying down. Which I like!

Just barely listened to Elder Holland's talk and didn't hear anything about wearing a cross, just bearing a cross, which is what you asked about. Is that unusual to say bearing the cross? Maybe so, since we concentrate heavily on Garden of Gethsemane.  

The New Testament speaks of us Christians bearing the cross, and we speak generally of bearing our cross in life.  So also, the Book of Mormon speaks of us believers in Christ bearing his cross (Jacob 1:8), and enduing the crosses of the world (2 Ne 9:18), and that we should cross ourselves (Alma 39:9).  That was what Brother Holland was speaking about.  None of the Brethren ever speak of wearing a cross.  I don't know where you got that idea.

[Tacenda]

9 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

The New Testament speaks of us Christians bearing the cross, and we speak generally of bearing our cross in life.  So also, the Book of Mormon speaks of us believers in Christ bearing his cross (Jacob 1:8), and enduing the crosses of the world (2 Ne 9:18), and that we should cross ourselves (Alma 39:9).  That was what Brother Holland was speaking about.  None of the Brethren ever speak of wearing a cross.  I don't know where you got that idea.

To the bold, I never said it, apparently I'm not too good at communication. Yesterday this was a huge problem with my husband and I, I thought it was him, maybe it's me.

I've known the church mentions bearing the cross as well. When I read Elder Holland mentioned bearing the cross on this thread, in my cloudy mind, I thought it said that he talked about wearing the cross. Hope this makes sense. And after listening I realized that wasn't the case. I do not remember a whole lot of it being taught to bear the cross, compared to the GoG talks, but if you know me, I'm half listening a lot of the time.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Tacenda

[Stargazer]

47 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

I'm not sure, all I know is it's a sideways cross, as if it's laying down. Which I like!

Like this?

47 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

Just barely listened to Elder Holland's talk and didn't hear anything about wearing a cross, just bearing a cross, which is what you asked about. Is that unusual to say bearing the cross? Maybe so, since we concentrate heavily on Garden of Gethsemane.  

I don't think it's unusual to say "bearing" or "taking up" a cross. As used by us, it's more along the lines of something endured for righteousness' sake, not the wearing of one.  A search yields some references to general authority addresses:

• Taking Up the Cross, by Elder Neal Maxwell
• Carry Your Cross, by Elder Marvin Ashton
• Take Up Our Cross, by Elder Ulisses Soares

The idea of bearing or taking up a cross harks back to the Savior being required to carry his own cross to Golgatha (he probably only carried the crossbeam, not the entire cross).

[Stargazer]

8 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

The New Testament speaks of us Christians bearing the cross, and we speak generally of bearing our cross in life.  So also, the Book of Mormon speaks of us believers in Christ bearing his cross (Jacob 1:8), and enduing the crosses of the world (2 Ne 9:18), and that we should cross ourselves (Alma 39:9).  That was what Brother Holland was speaking about.  None of the Brethren ever speak of wearing a cross.  I don't know where you got that idea.

That's not what she said, actually. "Bearing", not "wearing".

ETA: Ah, I see she responded already.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Stargazer

[Tacenda]

3 minutes ago, Stargazer said:

Like this?

I don't think it's unusual to say "bearing" or "taking up" a cross. As used by us, it's more along the lines of something endured for righteousness' sake, not the wearing of one.  A search yields some references to general authority addresses:

• Taking Up the Cross, by Elder Neal Maxwell
• Carry Your Cross, by Elder Marvin Ashton
• Take Up Our Cross, by Elder Ulisses Soares

The idea of bearing or taking up a cross harks back to the Savior being required to carry his own cross to Golgatha (he probably only carried the crossbeam, not the entire cross).

Yes, that's it. But my sister wore a very small one, smaller than this picture. And she's an inactive but believer in the LDS church.

[Calm]

1 hour ago, Stargazer said:

I checked, too, and tattoos are not mentioned in the handbook. There is a book "True to the Faith" which is available on the church website, and there is a statement there about tattooing that is rather strong. 

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/true-to-the-faith/tattooing?lang=eng

"Latter-day prophets strongly discourage the tattooing of the body. Those who disregard this counsel show a lack of respect for themselves and for God. The Apostle Paul taught of the significance of our bodies and the danger of purposefully defiling them: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).

"If you have a tattoo, you wear a constant reminder of a mistake you have made. You might consider having it removed."

That last sentence is rather abrupt and uncompromising. And I don't like the way it is stated. What of converts who have been heavily tattooed before joining the church? Yep, it's a mistake to get a tattoo. My dad, who while a US Marine got drunk and had two tattoos put on his arms. He told my brother and I that it was a big mistake and he hoped we would never make such a mistake.

I agree with you.  I have known several converts with tatoos.  They have been baptized after the tattoo.  There is no recognition of different circumstances in the above.  They don’t need to be encouraged to feel shamed, imo, at that point.  It can be expensive to remove a substantial tattoo.  Plus if a mistake is recognized, don’t hold it over them as if only making the whole thing disappear is what matters most.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Calm

[Robert F. Smith]

2 hours ago, Stargazer said:

That's not what she said, actually. "Bearing", not "wearing".

ETA: Ah, I see she responded already.

Actually she did say: "didn't hear anything about wearing a cross"  And it was to that that I was responding.  I had already said that I recalled Brother Holland speak to bearing the cross, not "wearing."  Didn't used the word.  It is amazing how rumors get started, and I wanted to scotch that one right away.

[Robert F. Smith]

2 hours ago, Tacenda said:

................. if you know me, I'm half listening a lot of the time.

Same for me at times.