Should the cross be used in Christian worship?

Question

Is the cross a form of idolatry? Is it right to venerate the object used to kill and torture Jesus?
Christians say they don't worship the cross, but I've seen stickers on the back of their cars with Calvin bowing down to the cross.
They also display it, and many face it during prayer.

Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes comic strip.

Answer 1

i have never understood the obsession with crosses...if Jesus IS coming back, i would think that would be the LAST thing he would want to see...

Answer 2

It does not need to be. There are some churches without crosses in them.

My teacher told us a story about how he was in a classroom with a priest as a teacher, and to prove a point, the priest took down the cross hanging above the door, and threw it to the ground, smashing it to bits.

We are, after all, still human, and need something to see to help us feel God's presence, just as people need pictures to help them see and feel those "good times" again.

The Calvin cartoon is just to mock how it seems like people worship the cross. They shouldn't, of course. That would be idolatry, and against all Christian denominations.

Answer 3

I don't worship the cross...I see it as a reminder of what Jesus did for me. How else would ya know what Calvin is doing unless the cross was there? Calvin does an awful lot of things on those stickers. lol

Answer 4

Ask yourself these questions. Is the cross the object of Jesus' torture or the instrument of our deliverance? Is the cross a representation of God or a god? When people look at it do they image that the physical object in their church is anything more than a representation of some inanimate object used centuries before?

God knows our hearts. If someone actually worships an object then it's an idol. If the object reminds them of the gracious sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf then that's all that it is.

Answer 5

I know a girl who is Jehovah's Witness. We had this conversation. They don't belive in the cross or even that Jesus died on one. They say he died on a stake with no crossbar (not sure what the difference is really.) They do not wear crosses as jewlery, etc. I think it's in reaction to other denominations (old-catholic?) that used the cross almost as a charm or something to give them power. Most Christians know the cross has no power in itself, it only symbolizes and reminds us that Jesus died for us. Obviously, that point is the very crux (no pun intended) of Christianity. Why wouldn't a Christian want to commemorate that? No Christian I've met worships the cross.

Answer 6

That the most often repeated teaching by Messiah was “to take up your cross and follow me” did not mean to pick up two sticks and make them into an idol to hang around your necks or adorn your homes and sanctuaries; which is what Christians unwittingly do when they make such superstitious relics into aids to worship. The same of fish, flames or whatever else the carnal mind can conceive. That we are commanded to worship Him in spirit and truth leaves no room for the flesh.
Some Protestants cannot wander far from their Mother (church’s) skirt.

Answer 7

If a person worships a cross it is adolatry. Jesus is not on the cross. He is risen from the dead.

A cross can be used in Christian worship because it represents what Jesus did for us. Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, many will be drawn unto me." signifying the death He would die. The cross draws many to Jesus. But Jesus is who we worship.

Obviously christians don't think the cross will hear their prayer. It is God that hears their prayer.

When people pray to images/idols, they think there is a spirit on it. That is when it is idolatry. I AM the Lord thy God that brought you out of bondage, don't have any God's before me. I get mighty jealous. (Exodus 20). Images never do God justice. Jesus Christ was the express image of God when He walked the earth.

Answer 8

In my church, we have a large cross on the wall behind the pastor We do not view it as an idol, or worship it, but it can be very useful to help you focus on God. Many times, I have prayed while looking at a cross, merely thinking about how Jesus gave his life for me.

Edit- Also, I think the symbolism is awesome- an EMPTY cross!

Answer 9

It, to ME is debatable. Second Century Christians in the Roman Empire who were imprisonned, used the sign, first, and then later spread throughout Christianity. Some theologians argue that the ten Commandments say not to bear graven images. THIS IS A COMMANDMENT. So, if a cross is a graven Image of Christ, then NO! You SHOULD NOT have a cross.

Answer 10

Man, too bad I'm not at my apartment right now. I have this book called "The Cross of Christ" by John R.W. Stott. In the first chapter (?) he talks about how the cross came to be adopted by the church. Without my reference here in front of me, here's the nutshell of what I can remember:

At the early stages, they had nothing definite, and it was mostly scrawled drawings in caves and such of things like peacocks (thought to represent eternal life), the stone that was in front of His tomb (representing resurrection), Bible stories, etc. Due to persecution, they picked objects that would be unincriminating and only fully known to "insiders."

I can't remember the specifics of how the cross came to be standard (I highly recommend the book), but I know that is a powerful statement. You said it yourself--it was "used to kill and torture Jesus." Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Roman cartoon drawing of Christians bowing down to a donkey on a cross. The point isn't the donkey (it's a side cultural issue). The point is that they're worshipping a crucified man and this is seen as ludicrous. To both Romans and Jews, crucifixion was beyond offensive. It was a horrible form of torture, designed to intentionally keep the victim alive for not only hours, but days, in utter agony before death would finally free them. They actually die by suffocation.

Why would Christians make that their main symbol? Who in their right mind would readily identify with a cross? I don't see people going around with golden guillotines around their neck.

Here's a great quote: "Christianity is the only major religion to have as its central event the humiliation of its God."

I don't think the little cartoon Calvin on the back of someone's car was meant to be taken as worshipping the cross, but worshipping what the cross represents.

Now, without going into a full exposition of the Christian "gospel" message and the necessity of Jesus' death and resurrection, here's a nutshell (I know, I said that before and this is going long):

Only God could atone for man's sin. But only man should. So, God became a man, and at the height of our rejection of Him, He cried, "Father, forgive them..." He did the unthinkable and took on Himself that which we deserved, but never could bear. And then He defeated the last and greatest enemy of man: death.

So there you go. That's what the symbol of the cross is meant to remind us of: the God who hung on it. And why.

That's a good nutshell. And it leaves you hanging.

Hope that answers your question a little.

Answer 11

The cross, in Christian worship, ought to be used as a symbol that helps us to remember the cross of Jesus Christ who died on a cross for the sins of humankind, defeating the power of evil and death by being obedient unto death, even death on a cross.