I noticed a hint of avoidance by Mormons to speak of the Crucifixion......is there a reason they avoid this from their doctrinal point of view? Just how do they view the Crucifixion?
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They view the Crucifixion as a means of death. They believe the sin bearing took place in the Garden not on the cross and that the cross is where Jesus died, but it could have been any method since His death was only necessary so that He could be resurrected. It didn’t matter how.
If you ask an LDS why they don’t use crosses, they will say ‘we focus on the resurrection’, yet they don’t really. Their Easter services are pretty much the same as any sunday.
It used to be that the ‘gotcha comment’ for the LDS to a Christian was “well, if Jesus was beheaded would you wear a knife/guillotine around your neck?” And THAT comment shows how much disdain they have for the Cross.
They will speak of the ‘atonement’ in general terms (like they speak of Christ in general terms) but the “atonement” usually means only the Garden.
But why the focus on the garden?
Sure Christ knew what was soon to occur...but He did move forward to his mission and ultimate sacrifice....the cross.......Without the cross, no matter the struggle in the garden, there would be no salvation at all.
But if someone wanted to eliminate the garden event...yet He still went to the cross..salvation would still have been sealed non the less.