People often wonder why Mormon chapels and temples do not utilize the symbol of the cross as other Christian denominations often do in their places of worship. Those Mormon critics with an evangelical or born-again theological perspective often point out the absence of the cross as evidence that Mormonism has a fundamental aversion to the Christs salvific effort and argue therefore, that Mormons are indeed not Christian.

Indeed, both modern Mormons and the LDS Church institution profess an aversion to the cross; not as a means of denying the atonement of Christ, but rather as a way to shift focus from the instrument of his death to the resurrection which followed. For this reason, some Latter-day Saints find the image of the cross mildly offensive and often encourage new converts to abandon the use of the cross as jewelry.

Out of pure curiosity I asked Richard Bushman, one of the foremost scholars of both Mormon and New England history, and also the newly appointed chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate School of Religion the following question:

Did Joseph Smith make a conscious decision not to use the cross as a symbol for the early Church or was this a cultural norm that was gradually taken up by the Church at a later point?

Richard Bushman's answer:

The cross was used by very few Protestant churches in 1830. It was a Catholic symbol that Protestants avoided. However, just as the Church was getting organized it began to seep into Protestant usage, following the lead of the Oxford Movement in England in the late 1830s and 1840s. Thus it required no decision on Joseph's part. No one around him used the cross. (Personal email correspondence November 17, 2006)

I found this answer incredibly illuminating and an illustration of how seemingly insignificant choices (or as in this case, non-choices) in an organizations early years greatly impact the development of cultural sensibilities as the organization grows. It seems that Joseph Smith gave no particular thought to the use of the cross during the early years of the Church. Yet after his death, Smiths words, activities, actions, and non-actions were given incredible authoritative weight which necessitated an accompanying hermeneutic myth. Such appears to be the case with Mormon sensibilities regarding the cross. I believe that had the LDS Church been founded 10-15 years later than 1830, Mormon chapels and temples would bare the symbol of the cross today.