Why the Temple and not the Cross?

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints we display and adorn the pictures of the temple as opposed to the traditional symbol of the cross. In our homes, on our jewelry, on publications, you will see the House of The Lord- a Holy Temple. Why is that, you ask?

The answer is not to take away from Christ or to forget the Atonement. It is quite the contrary. The very essence of the temple glorifies Christ and His infinite Atonement for us. In fact, Russel M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said,  "The basis for very temple ordinance and covenant is the Atonement of Jesus Christ."

If you take time to study the symbols of the temple, you will find that all depict the Savior in some way. The inside of the temple is decorated in murals of Christ and His scripture stories. In addition to the visual depictions of Jesus, it is as President Nelson stated: all ordinances and covenants performed within the walls of the temple testify, teach, and brin us closer to Christ. It is the temple, then, that is the ultimate symbol of our Savior. We are not forgetting Him, but rather coming unto Him by treasuring the temple. 

It is our belief to capitalize on the Resurrection and to see beyond the grave. Through the Atonement, Chrost gave us the ultimate gift of Eternal Life and progression. It is that life, not death, which we hope to magnify. The temple does just that. The blessings wrought through the Atonement are made possible in the temple. 

President Russel M. Nelson sums it up perfectly: 

Each holy temple stands as a symbol of our membership in the church, a a sign if life after death, and as a sacred step toward eternal glory for us and our families."