Having been raised in the church during the presidency of Gordon B. Hinkley, I have long been taught to eschew the cross as a symbol of my religion. However, In studying wordplay in the Book of Mormon and the Bible, I came to understand that the cross and the Tree of Life are connected symbols. (See: Nephi (Name)) Shortly after that point, mild controversy over a new LDS statue featuring the cross led to Benjamin Park putting out a video on the history of the symbol in LDS culture.
Reading in Exodus about Moses holding his hands up so that the Israelites would be victorious in battle, it struck me that this was a similar image.
In Isaiah, there are several times where we get the idea that "I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people" and it struck me that this is similar to Moses, and similar to Jesus. Their hands were stretched out all the day long. Jesus's were nailed there. I think there's probably something interesting there, but I don't think I have a clear picture yet. It had me thinking a lot about the differences and similarities between having one's hands nailed up and having one's hands held up; how did my patience or lack thereof in trials affect those I was trying to protect. There is bitterness and pain in holding one's hands out like that, and somehow this is said to affect those we love.
Anyhow, I see some evidence that the cross might have been connected to pre-christian messianic imagery, and if it was important to them, then maybe I have been too closed to the symbol for reasons that are too much rooted in culture