{"id":43099,"date":"2022-06-13T18:56:29","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T23:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=43099"},"modified":"2022-06-13T18:57:32","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T23:57:32","slug":"of-flags-and-symbols-of-the-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2022\/06\/of-flags-and-symbols-of-the-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Of Flags and Symbols of the Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

The state of Utah is looking into creating a new flag.\u00a0 I was interested, so looked into best practices for flag making (vexillology) and found a handy guide from the North American Vexillological Association<\/a> that suggested five basic principles of flag design:<\/p>\n

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  1. Keep it simple (the flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory)<\/li>\n
  2. Use meaningful symbolism (the flag\u2019s images, colors, or patterns should relate to what it symbolizes)<\/li>\n
  3. Use 2-3 basic colors (limit the number of colors on the flag to three, which contrast well and come from the standard color set)<\/li>\n
  4. No lettering or seals (never use writing of any kind or an organization\u2019s seal)<\/li>\n
  5. Be distinctive or be related (avoid duplicating other flags, but use similarities to show connections)[1]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    An example of a good flag is New Mexico, with two colors (red and yellow) and very simple (sun symbol) while Utah is a bad example, with a complicated seal on a blue background (just like 14 other states in the United States of America).\u00a0 I enjoy pondering, and after designing a few ideas for a Utah flag, I\u2019ve been musing on what a flag for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could look like.<\/p>\n

    Obviously, the most likely path forward would be to just use the official symbol of the Church (the Christus with the arch around it and the cornerstone beneath) and use that as a flag.\u00a0 The simplified version on the Church\u2019s Facebook page would probably pass muster for the rules of good flag making, as long as it used a solid blue color as the background.\u00a0 It is somewhat borderline on being simple (particularly if the full official version is being used rather than the simplified version from Facebook), since it might be difficult for a child to draw it from memory, though plenty of other well-known flags have similar levels of complication in their images (think the California flag or the Welsh flag).\u00a0 It does use meaningful symbolism, as outlined when it was released<\/a>, including a visualization of the resurrected and living<\/em> Jesus Christ (emphasis from Russell M. Nelson), a rectangle beneath representing the cornerstone that the Apostle Paul talks about in Ephesians, and an arch to represent the tomb.\u00a0 It does stick to 2 basic colors (white and blue), though it generally has been used with several shades of blue in the background, which goes beyond that idea.\u00a0 The official version uses words in the cornerstone block (a no-go for the good flag rules), though the Facebook version drops the words and cornerstone.\u00a0 It is distinctive as well, clearly Christian but different than other Christian Churches.\u00a0 So, going with the Facebook version of the symbol on a solid blue background would function as a good flag for the Church.<\/p>\n

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    The official symbol of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    The Facebook version of the Church’s symbol<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Of course, just going with the obvious doesn\u2019t make for a very good blog post, so I wanted to look at other options.\u00a0 I wanted to work within the parameters outlined by the vexillological society while also using something that also represents the Church.\u00a0 The major reason given when the official symbol was publicized was to \u201cremind all that this is the Savior\u2019s Church and that all we do as members of His Church centers on Jesus Christ and His gospel.\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0 Anything that would be used instead of the official symbol for a flag would need to achieve these same goals.<\/p>\n

    So, what are some symbols that have historically been used with the Church that could be included?\u00a0 One of the best libraries of symbols in the Church is the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church <\/em>series.\u00a0 Each president uses a symbol that relates to something they taught or some event from their life and ministry, most of which have at least some meaning to the Church beyond that president.\u00a0 See the full set below:<\/p>\n

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    Symbols from the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church series<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    A few of my favorites that could be used are the following:<\/p>\n