Kate, I’m a little confused by your comment — Patty never says Christ’s Crucifixion wasn’t part of Heavenly Father’s plan. She explains why Latter-day Saints pray to God the Father in the name of Christ, rather than praying to Christ directly. She even cites John in this article. Sorry for any confusion this article may have caused you, but we agree — Heavenly Father’s plan was for us to return to live with Him through the suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection of His Son.

Jesus Christ and God the Father are united in purpose. They are working for the salvation of our souls. And Jesus had reached godhood before coming here to earth. So yes, he was a god and a member of the Godhead. He was united in purpose with God the Father in his efforts to make salvation possible. Jewish tradition may be different. But I always thought Jesus was crucified because he upset the Pharisees and threatened the balance in Jewish society.

In humility, our Savior,
Grant thy Spirit here, we pray,
As we bless the bread and water
In thy name this holy day.
Let me not forget, O Savior,
Thou didst bleed and die for me
When thy heart was stilled and broken
On the cross at Calvary.

Fill our hearts with sweet forgiving;
Teach us tolerance and love.
Let our prayers find access to thee
In thy holy courts above.
Then, when we have proven worthy
Of thy sacrifice divine,
Lord, let us regain thy presence;
Let thy glory round us shine.

We pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. I don’t think it’s wrong to pray to Jesus if that is what you’ve been taught. But God is the giver of all gifts. Jesus is the one who made intercession on our behalf, so in calling on His name, we are reminding ourselves of all that He did for us. And without Jesus we would have no hope of being back with God again one day.

As for your Trinity question, it’s not that we don’t believe in the Trinity. We just have a different word for them and a different understanding of them. We call the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost the Godhead. They are three separate beings, who have separate roles but all work together for one goal- our Salvation. God the Father has a body of flesh and bone, and is the father of our spirit. Jesus Christ is our older brother, and the one who paid for our sins so that we could be washed clean and enter the Father’s presence again. He also has a resurrected and perfect immortal body. And the Holy Ghost made a huge sacrifice for us also. He chose not to have a body just yet, so that He could let each man and woman on earth feel God’s presence. Because of Him we can pray and hear/feel answers. Does that answer your question?

Finally, your question about Jesus and our view of Him. I’m afraid I’m not familiar with how all churches see Him. Some see Him as one who punishes us for doing wrong, or a recorder of bad deeds. But we see Jesus as our older brother. We see Him as a loving teacher who wanted to show us the way to live. He is the Son of God, the only begotten in the flesh. He sees what we do, and like God, wants us to succeed through our trials. He took upon himself all our sins and illnesses so that He could know how best to help us when we need Him. He knows, quite literally, everything we feel. He is not an angry or vengeful being, but one of love and mercy and light. I often see Catholic art with the Savior languishing on the cross. But the Jesus I know is a living God. He is not dead, but very much alive and involved in our lives. Through the Holy Ghost we can feel the Spirit of God. He testifies of all truth. And He testifies of Jesus and His mission on Earth. His Spirit is the one you feel any time you talk about God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Thus they are three beings working together as one, to help us each succeed.
Am I answering your questions? Please let me know.