Quote:
Originally Posted by ute4ever
Concerning crosses, I understand that some church leaders have instructed that they would prefer our focus to be on the resurrection rather than the crucifixion, hence you do not see crosses in our buildings. But this is the first I've heard about the members being discouraged from wearing crosses personally. Is it a seminary answer that passed me by?
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And of course in many senses this is problematic. Many protestants wear crosses but not crucifixes for the very reason that Jesus is not on it. He is resurrected and alive, as it were.
There has been counsel over the years about not wearing crosses, why we don't have them on buildings etc. Bruce R. McConkie teaches it in Mormon Doctrine and the passage has been readily adopted by most. Joseph Fielding Smith taught it in Answers to Gospel Questions. There's a discussion in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism that does not justify itself very well.
But the question still remains...wearing a Joseph Smith ring? Are you kidding me? This is exactly the sort of thing that convinces people that we worship Joseph Smith. We don't wear crosses but we do wear a JS ring? That's all they need to strengthen that argument. And the allusion to it as the ring JS wore to Carthage...this is beyond sick.