Church History

In the April 2020 general conference of the Church, President Russell M. Nelson announced a new symbol to identify The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The symbol includes the name of the Church in a cornerstone and a representation of Thorvaldsen’s Christus under an arch. In the announcement, President Nelson said the new symbol “should feel familiar to many, as we have long identified the restored gospel with the living, resurrected Christ.”

But it was not always so.

The significance of the new Church symbol. Graphic by Church News

Cultural Uneasiness with Religious Symbols and Iconography

In the first century or so after the restoration of the gospel and growth of the Church, Latter-day Saints leaders shied away from adopting iconography. To this day, by policy, no pictures or icons are depicted in the chapels within Latter-day Saint Church wards (meetinghouses) in order to avoid an image becoming the focus of worship. And, unlike most Christian religions, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not focus on the cross, as a symbol of faith. Reference materials describing the Church often use the words “cultural uneasiness” to describe the Church’s general feeling toward the cross, which surely could also apply to early 20th century Latter-day Saint attitudes toward religious symbolism in general. In the 1950s there was a resistance from some Latter-day Saint Church leaders to having artistic portrayals of Jesus. For example, when Arnold Friberg created his series of Book of Mormon paintings, it was rumored that his initial portrayal of Christ visiting the Americas was rejected by Church leadership. Friberg’s final portrayal shows Christ at a distance, descending far from the sky.

That cultural uneasiness toward religious symbolism would take a major turn in one meeting in June of 1957. But first, some background.

Temple Square – Are Mormons Christians?

In the early 1950’s, the presidency of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, consisted of Richard L. Evans, Marion Duff Hanks, and Robert McKay. Evans was probably the most famous member of the Church in the world, presenting Music and the Spoken Word and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast each Sunday morning. Bob McKay, who would spend ten years in the presidency, ran a jewelry store for 60 years and was the youngest son of the prophet David O. McKay. Duff Hanks began his association with Temple Square, first as a tour guide, and then as an assistant director, and then Director of Temple Square. Both Evans and Hanks also served as General Authorities of the Church. Each of these men had extensive experience with Temple Square and its role as the central hub of Mormonism to the world. Hundreds of thousands of members and tourists flocked to Temple Square annually to learn about the Church.

It would be safe to say that, after decades and decades of giving tours, both the guides and leaders of Temple Square grew weary of having to repeatedly explain that “Yes — Mormons are Christians.” Evans, Hanks, and McKay felt strongly that they needed an official way to clearly demonstrate to the public that the Church and its members were Christians.

Duff teaching as a guide on Temple Square, 1951. Courtesy Deseret News.

With the number of visitors increasing and the resources of Temple Square’s Bureau of Information woefully inadequate, Elders Evans and Hanks began investigating how other tourist locations operated. They traveled back east several times, accompanied by others including church architect Don Carlos Young. They visited the New York Stock Exchange and reviewed the way a new visitors center in Williamsburg, Virginia used films to tell the story of the Revolutionary War.

On their visit to the Christian Science Center in Boston, they noticed that the focus of the tour was on the buildings and statistics of Christian Science rather than on the beliefs and teachings of the church and Mary Baker Eddy. Both Elder Evans and Elder Hanks left reinforced in their shared belief that the message of Temple Square needed to avoid going that direction, and instead focus on the Savior and the faith that drove the Mormon pioneers to Utah. “Let’s concentrate on the great and remarkable story we have to teach,” Evans and Hanks instructed the Temple Square guides after they returned.

New Visitors’ Centers and the Christus

Duff Hanks repeatedly pushed for some representation of Christ on Temple Square. Each time the concept was presented, President J. Reuben Clark, first councilor in the First Presidency, opposed the idea. Eventually, Elder Evans became reticent to propose it again. But Duff kept pushing. He wrote, “The day Richard was convinced to again propose it and permit me to offer testimony on behalf of the idea to the First Presidency was a great day.”

One day in June of 1957, Evans, Hanks, and McKay met with the First Presidency to present their proposed changes to Temple Square. As they were entering the council room, Elder Evans turned to Duff and said, “How would you like to go down in history as the guy who messed up Temple Square?”

Duff remembered, “We went in, and I made the proposal for two new visitors centers we wanted to build on the Square, one over on the northwest corner and one to be built where the old Bureau of Information was.” Duff then expressed their feeling that the Church needed a representation of the Savior that would leave little doubt that Mormons were Christians. They wanted something that would be well known and be received without controversy. Duff suggested Thorvaldsen’s Christus in Copenhagen, Denmark. He continued: “What we would like is to get your authority to acquire a copy of that statue. President McKay listened to my idea, slapped his thigh, and said, ‘Why not!’ before President Clark had a chance to deliver his ‘we don’t believe in icons’ response again.”

Providentially, President McKay’s first counselor, Stephen L. Richards, was friends with Hubert Eaton, owner of Forest Lawn Cemeteries. Forest Lawn had three copies of the Christus statue on display and held the rights to make additional copies of the statue in the United States. Furthermore, President Richards and his wife had had an “awe-inspiring experience” while gazing at the original Christus on a visit to Copenhagen in 1950.

In the meeting, following Duff’s proposal, President McKay turned to President Richards and asked him if he had access to acquire a copy of the statue from President Richard’s friend that owned Forest Lawn Cemetery. President McKay asked, “Do you think they might let us make one?” President Richards replied, “He’s offered it, President, and I’m sure he would hand it to us at no charge.”

President Richards soon began working toward obtaining the statue.

The Story Continues

The story from that point to today is incredibly interesting, but far too lengthy to include here.* It includes the acquisition of the replica of the statue by the Richards family. The carving process in Italy. The design of the new visitors centers on Temple Square with a special glass rotunda to feature the Christus. The use of another replica of the statue in the Church’s pavilion in the 1963 World’s Fair in New York. The procurement and display of multiple copies of the Christus in Latter-day Saint visitors centers all over the world. And finally, most recently, the adoption of the Christus as the Church’s official symbol.

Come Unto Me

Engraved on the base of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s remarkable Christus statue are the words, “Come unto Me.” For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints it has become a representation of our faith and our desire to do just that.

Further Reading

For more stories like this, pick up a copy of To Be a Friend of Christ: The Life of Marion D. Hanks, by Richard D. Hanks, (Salt Lake City, Signature Books, Oct. 2024).

* For additional history of the Christus in the Latter-day Saint Church, read Bertel Thorvaldsen’s Christus: A Mormon Icon by Matthew O. Richardson.

About the Author

An author and retired senior business executive, Richard D. Hanks recently completed a comprehensive biography of his father, Marion D. Hanks which was the inspiration for this article.

To Be a Friend of Christ: The Life of Marion D. Hanks, (Salt Lake City, Signature Books, Oct. 2024).