Pagan Question

[BeammeupLord]

I have a very very stupid question. Forgive me.

If you are a Christian - can you have a crucifix hang in your house? I don't know if this is considered idolotry or paganism. Any feedback is truly helpful.

Yours,
Lisa (a baby Christian who loves Him and cannot wait for His return.)

[Maria]

Well, in my opinion I don't think you should. If you are a non-Catholic then a cross maybe more appropiate than the Crucifix. The Crucifix has Christ still crucified in the Cross and not resurrected... However, a simple Cross without Jesus on it, represents a resurrected Jesus... Make sense?

God Bless!

[fiat_lux]

Well, in my opinion I don't think you should. If you are a non-Catholic then a cross maybe more appropiate than the Crucifix. The Crucifix has Christ still crucified in the Cross and not resurrected... However, a simple Cross without Jesus on it, represents a resurrected Jesus... Make sense?
True, but on the other hand, even if Jesus was not resurrected (a very important "if" there, which I myself don't believe), he would still have been taken down from the cross, so you could have an "empty" cross without a resurrected Christ.

Second, while I understand the symbolism of Christ having "left" the cross, i.e. having been raised, no crucifix or cross can really express the present situation, the actual physical cross itself having long rotted away by now.

Finally, for better or worse, the crucifix refers not in itself to the resurrection, which was the proof of Christ's divinity, but to the act which freed us from our sins, his suffering and death upon the cross.

I prefer the cross myself, or neither, not being much for elaborate displays. And this isn't an argument for replacing crosses with crucifixes. I've just come to the conclusion over the past little while that the Crucifix is not as inappropriate as I once thought.

I DO think that both symbols, the cross AND the crucifix, CAN be used in ways that might be like idolatry, in that someone could believe that God's power resided within those symbols (in which case they wouldn't be just symbols, but something else). But I don't think a crucifix is idolatry unless the person who owns it makes it so by their own beliefs or actions. In other words, if they believe that Jesus is Lord and that the crucifix is a symbol of Christ's death upon the cross, his paying the penalty for our sins, then I would see no problem with it.

[Harley]

...If you are a Christian - can you have a crucifix hang in your house?
I do. It's rather more on the abstract side, but it's a crucifix nonetheless.
...I don't know if this is considered idolotry or paganism. Any feedback is truly helpful.
Well, "considered" is the operative word. Some may "consider" it idolotry or pagan - but I'd say it's neither.

[Gary]

I have a very very stupid question. Forgive me.

If you are a Christian - can you have a crucifix hang in your house? I don't know if this is considered idolotry or paganism. Any feedback is truly helpful.

Yours,
Lisa (a baby Christian who loves Him and cannot wait for His return.)

Not a stupid question, but you're going to get a plethora of answers. Personally I see no harm in either, as long as they're used for remembrance.

Some will claim emphatically that anythign bearing the semblance of Christ is idolatry, regardless of the purpose. IMHO, there's nothing wrong with having a reminder of Jesus did for us, either as a pendant or a picture on the wall.

[Kathleen]

Im a Catholic and Christian and do have the crucifix hanging in my home as a rememberence. I see nothing wrong with it... Kathy :american :pray

[kerri]

We had a crucifix from my husband's great grandmother's funeral... its special to him, because she was special to him... so I tried to hang it up in the house for his sake...

However, I could never feel comfortable with it.... no matter how hard I tried not to be bothered by it- I was... so I took it down but we still have it, only now its stored away.

[kristine]

As the others have stated, as long as you have it as a REMINDER of what Jesus did for us, it's okay.

DD has a crucifix in her car at all times. She likes to constantly be reminded of what Jesus did for us. Also, the crucifix is a reminder of God's love and precious, constant presence in our lives.

While growing up, I used to believe that a crucifix was wrong. When I was in college, a neighbor girl in the dorm was a catholic and had a crucifix over her bed. It was not your usual one-color crucifix. It showed the blood of Jesus. Every time I saw it, it sent chills down my spine. The chills came from the GRAPHIC sight and reminded me of what Jesus has done for us. It made me realize how special a crucifix can be.

I personally love them and appreciate the beauty of their symbolism.

[LG9282]

I have a Crucifix in my Home, It is just to remind me of what Christ did for me. It is not an object of pray or adoration. It does nothing but remind me of his sacrifice.

[Daniel4:3]

Aye.

I think:
cross = rememberance that Jesus is risen
crusifix = rememberance of Jesus's suffering for us

Don't really see a problem with either.

During the middle ages, they came up with a lot of variations, many of which are kinda cool. One is a symmetrical cross with another cross in each of the four fields created by the cross. It represented the goal of spreading Christiatnity to the four corners of the world. Kinda neat.

[BeammeupLord]

Thank you for all your wonderful responses. You guys are the best - as usual!!! :):hug