THE CROSS

THE CROSS

Hugh Fogelman

The pastor at my wife’s church stood up one day and asked the following question. He wanted to know if the members of his congregation knew the symbolism behind the “cross “that they wear as a piece of fine jewelry.

The pastor said it was actually a symbol of death. Non-Christians have known this every time they see someone wearing a cross. Have you noticed that during Christmas Christians hang from their door – a wreath? A black wreath represents death, so they use green instead. However, a rose is still a rose not matter what color it is.

Do Christians even know about the history of their cross and crucifixion? Did they know that by the 6^th century, representations of the crucifixion became very numerous showing Jesus alive, with open eyes, and no trace of suffering? This was to show that he was victorious over death.

In the 9^th century, Byzantine art began to show a dead Jesus, with closed eyes. This version was adopted in the west in the 13^th century, with an ever-increasing emphasis on his suffering, in accordance with the mysticism of the period (Encyclopedia Britannica).

What is important to most Christians is not the shape of the cross or even the fact that the cross appeared in pagan religions long before Christianity, but to Christians today, it is the meaning of the cross. It is symbolic; that to them through “blind faith,” the atonement was made possible by Jesus dying and suffering on the cross for the sins of mankind.

Christians proudly wear cross earrings and necklaces as if they were beautiful. It makes no difference to Christians that the “cross” actually is offensive to many and is not beautiful. It is an emblem of humiliation, agony and death, no matter how you look at it. It represents a public execution, like gallows, a guillotine, or gas chambers. To Muslims, it reminds them of the Crusaders and their slaughter of thousands of Muslims. To Jews, the cross is despised and hated because millions of Jews have been made to suffer and be executed under the sign of the cross.

Would Christians hang from their ears and necks jewelry of a hangman’s noose? Think about it; Christians will say the “cross” represents their god dying and being resurrected back to life. If he hand been hanged would they wear a hangman’s noose to also represent that? Or perhaps, if Jesus were stoned to death; would jewelry show a “stone” dangling from ones ears or neck? If so, what size stone? A small stone would not cause death, a very large stone would.

Besides, Christians who flaunt the cross are unwittingly advertising a pagan religion. The Dictionary of the Bible, by John D. Davis, states: “The pre-Christian cross of one form or another was in use as a sacred symbol among the Chaldeans, the Phoenicians, the Egyptians and many other oriental nations. The Spaniards, in the 16^th century, found it also among the Indians of Mexico and Peru, but its symbolic teaching was quite different from that which we now associate with the “cross.” In other words, it had nothing at all to do with Jesus.

Does one have to show death to show the resurrection – the triumph over death? Could not Christianity have shown the “sign of the fish” to represent their religion? Or do like the Mormons who have no crosses at all in their churches, art or jewelry. In front of their churches they have three vertical spires to represent the resurrection.

The outside world asks; "Why does Christianity have so many reminders of blood imagery in their songs plus they hang a murder instrument around their necks?" Is this the only way they can get their message across?

Or is this yet another subliminal message to either believe in their demigod, or this will happen to you?

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