why is the cross the chosen Christian symbol?

Question

i am a Greek Orthodox Christian (who is completely open to making fun of his own faith, and the faith of others. sorry, but closed mindedness isnt my thing.), and it has always bugged me, why do we use the cross, the instrument of the death of Jesus Christ to identify ourselves? i respect that he died for our sins,and am spirtually indebted and inspired by that, but shouldent we focus more on his teachings and ressurection than his death and torture? ive heard the reason from a relative a while ago, but for the life of me i cannot remember.
i have the innate feeling though that ive already answered my own question. oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained
thanks for your time.
and to my dear atheists, i love it when you guys respond. please, feel free.

Answer 1

You sound cool. :-)

The cross was used by several religions before Christianity was invented. For the ancient egyptians, it (as an ankh with the loop on top) was a symbol of life, reminiscent of a tree. For others, it symbolized the erect male phallus (vertical) and the vagina (horizontal). Like most other Christian traditions, the symbol was borrowed from other religions, so to make conversion attempts easier and less obvious.

Answer 2

We should focus on his teachings, but his resurrection was after the fact as far as the atonement. The least important part of suffering, death and resurrection is the resurrection. We would still be atoned if he had not risen.

It is the suffering and death that paid for our sins and made him Savior. That is why the most important days in Christianity are the Paschal Triddum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday) not Easter. The resurrection is third in importance. 1 Suffering and death (atonement) 2. His birth and life (Life and ministry ) 3. Resurrection (the promise we to will conquer death).

Answer 3

because of the fact they are able to't arise with something unique. The go exchange into used as a non secular image long until now Christianity. The ankh -- a go -- exchange into an emblem of divinity in historic Egypt. The go exchange into time-honored whilst astrology exchange into the foremost perception to the universe, and it stands for the Southern go constellation from which all different factors of the universe have been calculated..

Answer 4

Why the cross? Because it symbolizes victory over death through the resurrection. The Christians took the symbol of the greatest power of the Pagan state, the ability to execute, and the greatest fear of mankind, eternal death, and turned both of those ideas around. The cross, once an instrument of fear, now symbolizes hope. Why the cross? Because Christians are no longer afraid of death. It reminds people that Jesus resurrected himself from that awful instrument of death and therefore nothing can stop God.

Answer 5

What were the historical origins of Christendom’s cross?

“Various objects, dating from periods long anterior to the Christian era, have been found, marked with crosses of different designs, in almost every part of the old world. India, Syria, Persia and Egypt have all yielded numberless examples . . . The use of the cross as a religious symbol in pre-Christian times and among non-Christian peoples may probably be regarded as almost universal, and in very many cases it was connected with some form of nature worship.”—Encyclopædia Britannica (1946), Vol. 6, p. 753.

“The shape of the [two-beamed cross] had its origin in ancient Chaldea, and was used as the symbol of the god Tammuz (being in the shape of the mystic Tau, the initial of his name) in that country and in adjacent lands, including Egypt. By the middle of the 3rd cent. A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had travestied, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols. Hence the Tau or T, in its most frequent form, with the cross-piece lowered, was adopted to stand for the cross of Christ.”—An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (London, 1962), W. E. Vine, p. 256.

Is veneration of the cross a Scriptural practice?

1 Cor. 10:14: “My beloved ones, flee from idolatry.” (An idol is an image or symbol that is an object of intense devotion, veneration, or worship.)

Ex. 20:4, 5, JB: “You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.” (Notice that God commanded that his people not even make an image before which people would bow down.)

Of interest is this comment in the New Catholic Encyclopedia: “The representation of Christ’s redemptive death on Golgotha does not occur in the symbolic art of the first Christian centuries. The early Christians, influenced by the Old Testament prohibition of graven images, were reluctant to depict even the instrument of the Lord’s Passion.”—(1967), Vol. IV, p. 486.

Concerning first-century Christians, History of the Christian Church says: “There was no use of the crucifix and no material representation of the cross.”—(New York, 1897), J. F. Hurst, Vol. I, p. 366.

Answer 6

AMen! Thank you! That's why Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) don't use the cross as a symbol of their faith--b/c, as you say, it's the instrument of his torture. It is disrespectful of Jesus--and besides, as much as he suffered for us, the most important part of his atonement is that he rose again from death, as we will, if we accept his atonement and are worthy of it.

If someone that you loved was shot and killed with a gun, would you wear a little gun on a chain around your neck? Would guns adorn your chapel?

Glad someone else sees some sense!!!

Answer 7

That would be why some people prefer the fish symbol as it signifies Jesus' actions in life rather than his death.

Answer 8

Good Question...:

The cross is a contraction of the "T", which represented Tamus, the illegitimate son of Nimrod, that, everyone thought was a divine birth. SO IT WAS ABHORRED BY THE EARLY CHURCH.

However, FISH <*))))>< were engraved on the entrance of the catacombs to identify Christian meeting places.

But Jesus gave us two symbols, BAPTISM, and COMMUNION. These represent His great sacrifice and your new life.

More on this when you break the Bible code at http://abiblecode.tripod.com

Shalom, peace in Jesus, Ben Yeshua

Answer 9

Because St. Paul said to preach Christ crucified. The Crucifix signifies His sacrifice and passion and the empty cross signifies His resurrection.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 10

If someone used a gun to kill the Messiah would you wear it proudly around your neck in remembrance?I understand that Christians want to keep the Crucifixion and Resurrection in the forefront of their conscience but is this the way to do it?I don't want to criticize anyone Else's beliefs but as a former Christian I was always sad about people wearing and displaying crucifixes.