To Cross Or Not to Cross you be the judge!

by Hope4Others 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Carmel

  What symbol would a Christian wear if he/she believed that it was Jesus's life and teachings that conveyed salvation, rather than His death? Curious minds what to know! carmel
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  dinah

  Momz,

  I've been a maiden and I am a mother----but HAG?????

  Off to cry now.
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  heathen

  I know people like to use the fish symbol but I think that also has astrological connotations , I don't know ,how about just using a pin that says JESUS SAVES ?Don't think you can go wrong with that. OR a I heart Jesus . LOL
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  Barbie Doll

  Hope4Others---The picture of the cross on the right,is a Catholic Cross.

  Yes I believe the Catholics, believe in the cross. I don't know a Catholic that don't have a cross.
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  My Struggle

  Here is what I got from someone when I was a JW......

  I often have a cross around my neck. Mine is a reminder of what Jesus came to do for man. I do not have one because I think that it is nice to look at, though I do not think that it is wrong. The cross is both the most beautiful and ugliest thing. So it is something to be abhorred and adorned.

  If you have one just to let people know that you are religious then I have a problem with that. That smacks of the people that would pray in open so that others could observe them. They got their reward, which was no more than other people looking at them. I feel similarly about people that have a cross to show that they are religious; they have missed the point entirely.

  I do not worship the cross or think that it is something special in and of itself, rather it is a reminder of Christ.

  I think that the point of it being a reminder of Christ is shown in various 'styles' of crosses. For example the Celtic Catholic cross. It has never ending circles/patterns which represents the eternal nature of God. The Maltese cross that is the firefighter symbol was originally a literal shield that was used in battle. They shaped the cross to be as wide a covering as possible , so it would be a better shield. Now that cross, as a symbol for the firefighters, serves a symbolism for the protective power of Christ. Very appropriate for firefighters........

  This sort of thing when on for a while, at which time I realized that prople dont really worship the cross, that it is just a reminder.
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  Barbie Doll

  My Struggle---- I don't have a cross.
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  Hope4Others

  My Struggle said:
  

  Here is what I got from someone when I was a JW......

  I often have a cross around my neck. Mine is a reminder of what Jesus came to do for man.

  Thank you! Thats exactly what I wanted to know straight from the mouth of a non witness.

  Hope4Others
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  My Struggle

  My Struggle---- I don't have a cross.

  I didn't take it that you did, and I respect that.
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  Hope4Others

  I does not bother me if anyone wears a cross, like I said I just wanted to know what it meant to the wearer's.

  lol

  Hope4Others
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  Sad emo

  Ex-catholic here!! Strangely enough, when I was a Catholic, I didn't have any particular reason for wearing one other than it was a symbol of my faith.

  But now I undertand that the cross for Christians is a sign of Christ's victory over death, as well as a reminder of his suffering for the wearer. You'll find differing viewpoints between the denominations but they're mostly based around these two ideas.

  Often RC's will wear a crucifix (or have one in their home), these have an image of the crucified Christ on them, whereas protestants will reject these because of the idolatry and because their focus is more on the empty cross - the nearest symbolism you can get to Christ's victory over death and the empty tomb. The more 'liberal' Catholics sometimes take the middle road and have an image of the risen and glorified Christ superimposed on a cross.

  

  I do think that there is some idolatry towards crucifixes in the RC church, it was one of the first things which began to rile me when I was in my fading stage. On Good Friday, they had the 'veneration of the cross' where everyone would go and kiss the feet of the figure of Christ on a crucifix. I found I just couldn't do that, I saw it as blatant idolatry, even though its 'only' meant to be a symbolic gesture towards the real Christ. I just couldn't get my head around it at all.

  Some Catholics are also very superstitious about the crucifix giving you protection from evil, often why they are hung in houses. The one we had in our house used to keep me on the straight and narrow because it reminded me that Jesus is watching me...

  ...and that I'd go to hell for eternity if I sinned and died before I went to confession - better not sin then

  I never had a heavenly hope as a devout Catholic - I never thought I'd get past purgatory!

  On the face of it, writing this post makes me realise what my RC practice was based on - a fear of death and hell, although I can't say that is the same for all RC's!

  Ah sweet freedom