Can the Swastika ever be restored as a religious symbol?

Question

The swastika is an ancient religious symbol dating back 3000 years. Many historians believe it was initially a fire and sun symbol occurring in Asia and later among some Germanic tribes. Up until the 20th century, it evolved as a highly auspicious talisman, evoking thoughts of reverence, good fortune, and well being. In the Buddhist tradition of India, it is referred to as "The Seal on Buddha's Heart".

Will it ever escape its 20th century connotations again?

Answer 1

the sun circle, a type of swastica, is still a widely used pagan symbol. It has the "arms" bent instead of broken at an angle... sorta like a propeller, and there's a circle around it. Like the yin/yang symbol, only with two lines that cross eachother.

There's also another pagan swastika - the one with arms that cross at a right angle, break and then bend so they form a circle:
http://users.skynet.be/fa039055/swastika.jpg
http://www.sigruneuk.com/pictures/BD035.jpg

Also, the nazi swastika stands on the pointed bit (like a diamond), while the pagan ones usually lie flat (like a square).
Compare these :
http://www.mysteriousworld.com/Content/Images/Journal/2003/Winter/GrandCanyon/babylon_swastika-p.png
as opposed to
http://www.gocek.org/christiansymbols/images/fylfot.gif
http://www.luckymojo.com/swastika.gif

Answer 2

The Swastika (both the clockwise and the counter-clockwise version) are very commonly used in many Asian countries, like China, Japan, Tibet, India, and so on, and both in Buddhist, Hindu and other religious contexts.

Since more and more Western people get interested especially in Buddhism, where it is actually one of the most common of all religious symbols, and more and more Asian Buddhist teachers visit the West, bringing books, textiles and pieces of art adorned with Swastikas, I think Western people will also get more and more used to seeing the Swastika as being more than a Nazi monopoly. In Asia, where the bulk of the world's population is living, the symbol has never primarily given associations with the Nazis.

Answer 3

In places like America, it would be very difficult to restore the Swastika as a religious symbol. Too many equate it with Hitlers Nazi Germany and see it only as a symbol of hate, fear and death. Much like with the way the words Pagan, Witch and Heathen are viewed by society... even with all of our books, talks, interviews, etc... we just can't seem to break the common misconception that those words mean someone "evil". People don't care what we think about it at all. If one were to wear a Swastika today, they would be viewed as a Neo-Nazi. No one would question it and any words from us to show them otherwise would be ignored, unfortunately.

It's a shame symbols like this have been dragged through the mud over what one group of people used it for... but our society does not like breaking away from their own ideas and this happens to be one of those things that puts hate into others - no matter what we may say about it.

Answer 4

In ancient religions, the cross you are talking about was NEVER know as a swastika....Some more referance reading will give you a more accurate understanding as to the origin of the word 'swastika'.

Answer 5

well... people who see the swastika as a religious symbol probably were conditioned to think of it since childhood, so it will always be the first thing they think of. i think it has a lot to do with how you first encounter it. us in the 'western world' are usually educated about the nazis and the holocaust, before we have seen it as a religiosu symbol, so the swastika will always have the connotations of evil and repression.

i think that there will always be a divide in thinking

Answer 6

I know it's still commonly used in Hindu temples. So you'd be OK to wear it as a symbol in Asia, just not anywhere else. Maybe when time has faded the memory, it will return to it's proper use.

Answer 7

possibly, but only in say, a couple of hundred years time?

hitlers time brought the symbol to be hated by millions - until WW2 becomes another war like the crusades or the normanic wars in the back of a history book, it will remain as potent in love and hate as it was in 1945.

Answer 8

The swastika is a trojan symbol for good luck...

there is a positive side to the swastika, but anyone post 1930's sees it as evil and a sign that you hate minorities...

Answer 9

i think when you look at the next few generations, then not a chance....but im sure 1000 years ago it was never thought that the symbol could represent what it does now....so in a few 100 years?
i guess an interesting question is, should it be forgotten, because that will mean the memory of what happened in WW2 is fading?

Answer 10

The swastika is the Buddhist symbol in reverse. Buddhists don't have a problem with it.