JOEL - Our doctrine teaches very specifically that we need to have a personal relationship with both God the Father and Jesus. We are constantly encouraged to learn about Christ and pattern our lives after everything He taught and everything he did. He is at the head of our Church. It is from Him that our prophets receive revelation. Every prayer we say is in His name. Every blessing and ordinance we perform is in His name. We testify and speak about Jesus every Sunday in Church and in our families and with our friends. You need to come and visit one of our churches on Sunday and you can see it for yourself. Please read the statement at the following page about how the members and leaders of our Church feel about Christ:
http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,90-1-10-1,00.html
When we talk about "God", we are not just talking about God the Father. To us the word God can represent one or all three members of the Godhead. So when you hear us just say the word "God" we often mean Jesus and not God the Father. If you think about it, a lot of what you say and talk about concerning Jesus has a lot to do with the culture and history associated with your religion. For example, where specifically does it say in the Bible that you need a "personal relationship with Jesus to be able to get to heaven"? This idea is certainly inferred in the Bible as a desireable qualification, but it is mostly a catch phrase that has developed within the Christian organizations of today. As I said earlier, we believe it as well, but just because you might not hear us say the word "Jesus" as many times as you do it does not mean we don't think of Him as much as you. We simply prefer to be more discrete about how often we refer to His sacred name. We also do not want to exclude God the Father in our worship and devotion.