Symbolism in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is the process whereby objects or actions have been invested with an inner meaning expressing church ideas. The LDS Church and its membership have adopted a number of symbols that differ from those typically used in Christianity.
Because of the central role the Angel Moroni played in the restoration, an image of the angel Moroni blowing a trumpet is used as an unofficial symbol of the LDS Church. Moroni is commonly identified by Latter-day Saints as the angel mentioned in Revelation14:6, "having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people". Moroni appears on the cover of some editions of the Book of Mormon, on USVA headstones, and statues of the angel stand atop many LDS temples. In 2007, the LDS Church claimed that an image of the angel Moroni in an advertisement violated one of the church's registered trademarks. [1]
In 1994, church president Howard W. Hunter encouraged church members to "look to the temple ... as the great symbol of your membership." [2] Images of temples, especially of the Salt Lake Temple, are commonly used in LDS media as symbols of the faith. Additionally, church leaders have encouraged members to hang pictures of temples on the walls of their homes, [3] [4] [5] and it has become a common cultural phenomenon described even in publications intended for children. [6] The architecture of many church temples contain symbols and symbolic motifs.
A 3.4 m replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen's Christus is on display in the Temple Square North Visitors' Center in Salt Lake City. [7] There are additional replicas of this statue in several other LDS Visitors' Centers, including those at the Mesa Arizona, [8] Los Angeles California, [9] the Washington D.C., [10] and Laie Hawaii temples. [11] The LDS Church commonly uses images of the statue in official church media, such as the Internet site churchofjesuschrist.org. On April 4, 2020, church president Russell M. Nelson announced the church would include the Christus, together with other elements, in a new "symbol" or "emblem" to represent the Church in its literature, news, and events. [12]
Members of the church may wear a ring with the Choose the Right shield on a daily basis, to remind them to be righteous. Other symbols in Mormonism include the tree of life (also representing the love of God and eternal life, 1 Nephi 11:8–22), the iron rod (the word of God, 1 Nephi 11:25), the tame and wild olive trees (the House of Israel, Book of Mormon Jacob 5), a tree seed (the word of God planted in one's heart, Alma 32:28), the sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16–17), and the many symbols of Christ and his mission as the Savior of mankind (for example, Isaiah 53:7, 55:1, John 6:35). Wheat grain on the stem is a symbol traditionally used by the women's Relief Society, as a historic reminder of their efforts to foster self-sufficiency.
When questioned on the subject of symbols, church president Gordon B. Hinckley said that Latter-day Saints themselves are the best symbols of their religion. [13]
The church teaches that its ordinances are symbolic. [14] Some of these ordinances are held in common with other Christian churches. For instance, in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, bread represents the body of Jesus and water represents his blood. [14] In baptism by immersion, the water represents purification and cleansing from sin, and immersion in water represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. [14]
Ordinances performed in church temples differ from those practiced by other Christians. The church teaches that because "almost every aspect of [its] temple ceremony is symbolic ... each person should prepare to be as spiritually sensitive as possible to [its] symbolic nature". [15] The symbolic elements involved in the temple ceremonies are considered sacred by members and are not generally discussed publicly by Latter-day Saints. Two symbolic aspects of temple practices are commonly referred to openly:
Latter-day Saints who have participated in the endowment ceremony wear temple garments as underclothes. Wearing the garment is viewed as "an outward expression of an inward commitment" to follow Jesus. [17] The garments contain four embroidered marks over the breasts, the navel, and the right knee, each of which has symbolic meaning to serve as reminders to the wearer of covenants made as part of the endowment.
By policy, no pictures or icons are depicted in the chapel within LDS Church meetinghouses, in order to avoid an image becoming the focus of worship. However, images such as paintings of Christ and photographs of LDS Church leaders and temples are common in other parts of church buildings. [18]
Unlike many other Christians, the LDS Church does not use the cross, crucifix or ichthys as symbols of faith. Many Latter-day Saints view crucifixion-related symbols as emphasizing the death of Jesus rather than his life and resurrection. [19] The early LDS Church was more accepting of the symbol of the cross, [20] but after the turn of the 20th century, an aversion to it developed in Mormon culture. In 1957, church president David O. McKay institutionalized the cultural uneasiness regarding the cross, stating that wearing cross jewelry is not appropriate for Latter-day Saints, and that the use of the cross is a "Catholic form of worship". [21] This aversion is not entirely universal within the church; some individual members see no problem with the private, strictly personal use of a cross as a symbol of faith, or even simply a reminder of the Atonement.[ citation needed ] However, such individuals tend to be in the minority within LDS culture.
The LDS Church strongly discourages tattoos, including those which incorporate LDS symbols promoted in other art forms. [22] Likewise body piercing, even if they include symbols that would otherwise be acceptable, are discouraged. [23]
In the 1950s there was a resistance from LDS Church leadership to having artistic portrayals of Jesus. For example, when Arnold Friberg created his series of Book of Mormon paintings, his initial portrayal of Christ visiting the Americas was rejected by LDS Church leadership. Friberg's final portrayal shows Christ at a distance, descending far from the sky. [24]
| Picture | Symbol Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | All-seeing eye | Appears on the Salt Lake Temple exterior and on other early LDS buildings. |
 | Angel Moroni | Final author of the Book of Mormon and the person who revealed location of the golden plates to Joseph Smith. Moroni is also assumed by believers to be the angel spoken of in Revelation 14:6. |
 | Beehive | From the Book of Mormon; refers to deseret, meaning "honeybee." Appears on the Utah state flag, Utah state seal, Brigham Young's Beehive House, Salt Lake Temple, Utah state highway markers, etc. |
 | Handclasp | Appears on Salt Lake Temple exterior. One modern adaptation is the "Helping Hands" logo on t-shirts worn by LDS members when performing community service (see also: right hand of fellowship). |
| | Iron rod | Originates with the Book of Mormon; symbolizes the "word of God," meaning the scriptures, the words of the living prophets, or the gospel of Jesus Christ generally that leads one to the Tree of Life. |
 | Pioneer wagon | Emblem often appearing in Pioneer Day celebrations; evokes connection of living members to deeds of the Mormon pioneers. Variations often include a handcart. |
 | Sego lily | Image appearing in several temples, due to its importance to early Mormon pioneer settlers in Utah as a source of sustenance. As a result of its importance in early LDS Church (and, thus, Utah) history, it also appears on the Utah state flag and is also the official Utah state flower. |
 | Sunstone | Appeared on original Nauvoo Temple. |
| Tree of life | Symbolic element featured prominently in the beginning portion of the Book of Mormon; symbolizes the love of God. |
What Reed shows, rather convincingly, is that Mormonism has not always been uncomfortable utilizing the cross as one of its symbols...
Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of the Latter Day Saint movement, although there has been a recent push from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to distance themselves from this label. A historian, Sydney E. Ahlstrom, wrote in 1982, "One cannot even be sure, whether [Mormonism] is a sect, a mystery cult, a new religion, a church, a people, a nation, or an American subculture; indeed, at different times and places it is all of these". However, scholars and theologians within the Latter Day Saint movement, including Smith, have often used "Mormonism" to describe the unique teachings and doctrines of the movement.
The Angel Moroni is an angel whom Joseph Smith reported as having visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 21, 1823. According to Smith, the angel was the guardian of the golden plates, buried in the hill Cumorah near Smith's home in western New York; Latter Day Saints believe the plates were the source material for the Book of Mormon. An important figure in the theology of the Latter Day Saint movement, Moroni is featured prominently in Mormon architecture and art. Besides Smith, the Three Witnesses and several other witnesses also reported that they saw Moroni in visions in 1829.
In Mormonism, the restoration refers to a return of the authentic priesthood power, spiritual gifts, ordinances, living prophets and revelation of the primitive Church of Christ after a long period of apostasy. While in some contexts the term may also refer to the early history of Mormonism, in other contexts the term is used in a way to include the time that has elapsed from the church's earliest beginnings until the present day. Especially in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "the restoration" is often used also as a term to encompass the corpus of religious messages from its general leaders down to the present.
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the term ordinance is used to refer to sacred rites and ceremonies that have spiritual and symbolic meanings and act as a means of conveying divine grace. Ordinances are physical acts which signify or symbolize an underlying spiritual act; for some ordinances, the spiritual act is the finalization of a covenant between the ordinance recipient and God.
The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At 253,015 square feet (23,505.9 m2), it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple completed by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1846. The temple was closed in December 2019 for a general remodelling and seismic renovations that are anticipated to take approximately four years.
Within the Latter Day Saint movement, the "Articles of Faith" is a statement of beliefs composed by Joseph Smith as part of an 1842 letter sent to "Long" John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat, and first published in the Latter Day Saint newspaper Times and Seasons. It is a concise listing of thirteen fundamental doctrines of Mormonism. Most Latter Day Saint denominations view the articles as an authoritative statement of basic theology. Some denominations, such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have adopted the articles as scripture. For some sects, the Articles of Faith are known collectively as "An Epitome of Faith and Doctrine".
The Manhattan New York Temple is the 119th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the second "high rise" LDS temple to be constructed, after the Hong Kong China Temple, and the third LDS temple converted from an existing building, the previous two being the Vernal Utah Temple and the Copenhagen Denmark Temple.
In the Latter Day Saint movement, a covenant is a promise made between God and a person or a group of people. God sets the conditions of the covenant, and as the conditions are met, he blesses the person who entered into and kept the covenant. If the covenant is violated, blessings are withheld and in some cases a penalty or punishment is inflicted.
Community of Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are two denominations that share a common heritage in the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830. Since Smith's death in 1844, they have evolved separately in belief and practices. The LDS Church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and claims more than 16 million members worldwide; Community of Christ is headquartered in Independence, Missouri, and reports a worldwide membership of approximately 250,000.
The basic beliefs and traditions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a cultural impact that distinguishes church members, practices and activities. The culture is geographically concentrated in the Mormon Corridor in the United States, and is present to a lesser extent in many places of the world where Latter-day Saints live.
On December 27, 1832, two years after the organization of the Church of Christ, the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, stated he received a revelation that called upon church members to restore the practice of temple worship. The Latter Day Saints in Kirtland, Ohio were commanded to:
"Establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other adherents in the Latter Day Saint movement, believe that there will be a Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth sometime in the future. The LDS Church and its leaders do not make predictions of the actual date of the Second Coming.
In the Latter Day Saint movement, baptism is recognized as the first of several ordinances (rituals) of the gospel.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints focuses its doctrine and teaching on Jesus Christ; that he was the Son of God, born of Mary, lived a perfect life, performed miracles, bled from every pore in the Garden of Gethsemane, died on the cross, rose on the third day, appeared again to his disciples, and now resides, authoritatively, on the right hand side of God. In brief, some beliefs are in common with Catholics, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. However, teachings of the LDS Church differ significantly in other ways and encompass a broad set of doctrines, so that the above-mentioned denominations usually place the LDS Church outside the bounds of orthodox Christian teaching as summarized in the Nicene Creed.
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord. Temples are considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth.
Islam and Mormonism have been compared to one another ever since the earliest origins of the latter in the nineteenth century, often by detractors of one religion or the other—or both. For instance, Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, was referred to as "the modern Muhammad" by the New York Herald, shortly after his murder in June 1844. This epithet repeated a comparison that had been made from Smith's earliest career, one that was not intended at the time to be complimentary. Comparison of the Mormon and Muslim prophets still occurs today, sometimes for derogatory or polemical reasons but also for more scholarly and neutral purposes. Although Mormonism and Islam certainly have many similarities, there are also significant, fundamental differences between the two religions. Mormon–Muslim relations have historically been cordial; recent years have seen increasing dialogue between adherents of the two faiths, and cooperation in charitable endeavors. In terms of a mainstream Islamic as well as Christian perspective, Mormons are sometimes compared to Ahmadiyya in that they are sometimes not accepted as belonging within mainstream Christianity and Islam, respectively.
Mormon art comprises all visual art created to depict the principles and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as art deriving from the inspiration of an artist's LDS religious views. Mormon art includes painting, sculpture, quilt work, photography, graphic art, and other mediums, and shares common attributes reflecting Latter-day Saint teachings and values.
Exaltation is a belief among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that mankind can reach the highest level of salvation, to eternally live in God's presence, continue as families, become gods, create worlds, and have spirit children over which they will govern. Church leaders have taught God wants exaltation for all humankind and that humans are "gods in embryo". The church teaches that through exaltation believers may become joint-heirs with Jesus Christ as stated in Romans 8:17 and Revelation 21:7. The objective of adherents is to strive for purity and righteousness and to become one with Jesus as Jesus is one with God the Father. A verse in the canonized Doctrine and Covenants states that those who are exalted will become gods, and a 1925 statement from the church's highest governing body said that "All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother ... [and are] capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God." A popular Mormon quote—often attributed to the early apostle Lorenzo Snow in 1837—is "As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be."