President Dallin H. Oaks lately inspired members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to begin utilizing the Easter greeting: “Christ is risen! Certainly, He’s risen!” At first look, that may look like a innocent strategy to elevate the Easter season. Nevertheless it’s extra difficult than it seems.
This greeting isn’t only a lovely phrase — it’s a sacred change rooted within the liturgical and theological traditions of Japanese Orthodox, Byzantine Catholic, and different historic Christian church buildings. It belongs to a bigger rhythm of Holy Week and Pascha, formed by apostolic succession, the Nicene Creed, and sacramental worship — issues the LDS custom has traditionally rejected.
For Latter-day Saints to undertake this greeting with out recognizing its origins or that means comes throughout as non secular and cultural overreach. It indicators a willingness to borrow sacred language whereas persevering with to distance itself from the theology and practices that give it that means.
To place it in perspective: think about if President Oaks had stated, “Let’s start saying, ‘Hail Mary, stuffed with grace,’ throughout Creation to deal with Christ’s beginning.” Most Latter-day Saints would really feel how misplaced that will be. The Paschal greeting isn’t any much less significant or theologically loaded in its personal custom.
At a time when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asks others to honor its identify and identification, it ought to present the identical care towards different faiths. Actual interfaith engagement takes humility, not selective borrowing.
I hope The Tribune will discover this story — and even higher, invite voices from Orthodox and Japanese Catholic communities to share what this greeting actually means, and the way it feels to see it lifted out of context.
Judd Case, Fort Wayne, Indiana
