Isnt the cross considered an idol?

Question

People worship the cross they pray to the cross and yet no one considers it an idol. Just like people having pictures of what they represent to be Jesus and they pray to them

thou hast praised the agods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
Daniel 5:23

The cross can be wooden and it can be gold and it definetly should not be idolized as it is.

What angers me the most is that even though it is symbolic of Jesus' death many just wear it because it is "pretty"
and they dont understand the meaning behind it. But all together it shouldnt be worn.

Wear his life not his death !

Why do people have crosses to pray? Why do people pray to pictures and statues representing Jesus? I think of them as Idols.

Answer 1

I agree with you 100%.
Just about every Church I've been to has a cross somewhere.
It is sad that Christians allow Satan to bring in these things that are obviuosly idolatry.
I was tempted to buy and wear a cross to show people my faith but then I decided not to because of the commandment, so I/we have to confess our faith "by mouth".

Answer 2

The only time you can call the cross an Idol, if you pray to it. No the cross is not an Idol. It is a sign to let us not forget, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I disagree when you say , most people don't understand the meaning behind the cross. Oh yes, they do. They realize that Jesus died on the cross. When you quote Daniel 5:23, it means that people worship and think of Gods when it comes to silver or gold. They pray to a false God, and worships them that are made of Gold, silver , wood, Back in those days, people would pray to these elements, especially the gold that will make them wealthy. Christians that wear a cross made of fine metal or wood, fully realize that this is just a sign to not let us forget. We do not pray to the crosses

Answer 3

The cross is a symbol and no one worships it. People worship what it represents. Those who think that anyone worships the cross are simply ignorant. This is not the teaching of any Christian church including Catholicism. If a Catholic says or does anything that makes you think that they are worshipping a figure or statue, then either you are misinterpreting what you are seeing or the Catholic is not following the teaching of the Church. Real Catholics do not worship anything other than the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Answer 4

The cross symbol has been used as a "symbol" for Christianity at least since the 2nd century. It has been used in the past by anti-Christians in graffiti to revile and mock the followers of Christ. As a Christian, I do not worship the cross; find that a cross has any special powers. The cross depicts an agonizing, painful, and horrible method of public execution.(Look up the word "excruciating").
However, the cross of Christ was more than a shape, more than a "torture-stake". The cross has changed worship for us. 1 Pet 2:24 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." (Eph. 5:2) "Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Heb. 7:27) "Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself." Jesus is the final, the perfect, and the ultimate sacrifice of worship to the Lord.
Wearing a cross or seeing the symbol of the cross during worship serves as a reminder of these things. It helps to focus on our praise to God for the sacrifice of worship that Jesus offers in our behalf.
It has also been considered as an outward symbol of our inner faith. Note a definition of symbolism "the use of any of certain special figures or marks of identification to signify a religious message or divine being, as the cross for Christ and the Christian faith" (Wikipedia)
Doesn't everyone have a symbol associated to them for these purposes? The Star of David, the Crescent Moon, or even the outline of a watchtower. It is on the outside of their places of worship and other business buildings, on some of their publications, and at the top of the Watchtower website. (I know this will bring on the "Thumbs Down" - how often do you get to slam a door in the face of someone interested in Bible reading?)

Answer 5

The problem with Catholism is that they merge the fundamental Christian teachings with Pagan traditions. That's why you see some of them do not worship the Crucifix, and there are those, from Pagan decent, do.

This is what triggers the Protestantism, when a group of Christians wants to eliminate the traditions from their doctrine and teachings. Although most of them still carry the cross, it no longer being worshipped.

Unfortunately, worship of the Crucifix still happens upto these days among the Catholics.

Answer 6

I agree, it's treated too much as in idol, yet nobody seems to realize it. It's ok to have it in a church, like Islam has calligraphy in mosques, but you have to be careful to worship God, and not the calligraphy or the cross. This is where I really like how Islam is so focused on God over rituals.

Answer 7

Violation of a Commandment right there ! :)



Exodus 20

4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Answer 8

I agree with you that it is an idol. I choose not to wear it because I focus on his life and not his death.

God also said not to use his name in vain and people do everyday, not even realizing it. What I'm trying to say is that people do things without knowing or thinking about rather it is right or wrong.

Answer 9

Some may worship the cross, but anyone who truly knows and loves the Lord, does not.

Answer 10

yes, if you pray to the cross it is considered an idol. anything you pray to that is not Jesus or God is considered idol worship.you do not need to bow and pray to anything that does not have the ability to give you eternal life in heaven.