cross symbol...

copticcross3

so the other day, i was in the car with my friend and her sister..and we passed by a mormon church and i mentioned that it's wierd how they don't have a cross anywhere in their church. After i said that, my friend's sister said: well, good for them , i don't understand why christians have the cross as their symbol, it's depressing, can't it be any other time were jesus looks happyy..and she kept goign on and ended up saying..like buddahist..they have a happy, smiling fat man.
And, i really had nothing to say about the cross thingg..other thann..well, when you look at the cross you remember what Jesus had to endure for you and you feel badd..and i felt that my answer was really stupid so i just started bagging on buddahism. :/

so i was wondering, does anyone know the reason why the cross is the christian symbol?
thanks much.

gregorytheSinner

one word.........salvation

without hte Cross, and Jesus's Death in general,we would still be inteh grip of hades
and we'd automratically be condemned to hades after death, but through the Cross and Jesus descending into Hades to open the gates of Heaven to the righteous, we now have hope.

So basically the cross is the backbone of Christianity

minatasgeel

[quote author=copticcross3 link=topic=5881.msg78895#msg78895 date=1193709456]
so the other day, i was in the car with my friend and her sister..and we passed by a mormon church and i mentioned that it's wierd how they don't have a cross anywhere in their church. After i said that, my friend's sister said: well, good for them , i don't understand why christians have the cross as their symbol, it's depressing, can't it be any other time were jesus looks happyy..and she kept goign on and ended up saying..like buddahist..they have a happy, smiling fat man.
And, i really had nothing to say about the cross thingg..other thann..well, when you look at the cross you remember what Jesus had to endure for you and you feel badd..and i felt that my answer was really stupid so i just started bagging on buddahism. :/

so i was wondering, does anyone know the reason why the cross is the christian symbol?
thanks much.


a christina is a person who belives in the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of our race. through the wood of the tree we sinned and through it we gained salvation of that sin.
trough the cross Christ died to save us and there for we have it as our symbol. because basicly christianty is the act of salvation, purification, and eternal life after. throgh the cross we gained salvation and upon that salvation we still and we will be in heaven....

now having a lot of crosses is just diffrent ways to look at the cross. most of the crosses u see are the normal catholic ones that have 3 equal side and one longer side. they view the cross in a more of a litiral way.

our coptic cross, 4 equal side, with 3 side of each side, means how salvation and the Trinity is for every one in the world, the 4 corners of the world.

jydeacon

I agree with minagir but i would like to add something, the cross is by far probably the most powerful weapon in our arsenal against the devil. he can't stand its sign and burns when he see's it, so by it we are protected. Second, it is literally the throne of God, where he was Glorified. another thing is its our symbol because thats what God chose to be the symbol for the faithful and now we are able to use it as a very powerful weapon that cannot be defeated

Unknown

copticcross,

Have you ever considered the lyrics of our Feast of the Cross hymns? If not, I suggest you take a second and closer look, it will give you a greater sense of the victory and power that the Cross signifies for us in the Orthodox Church.

Hopefully someone can link you to the lyrics as they are held on this website to make it easier for you.

minatasgeel

Feasts > Other Feasts > The Cross >>

  The Doxology
  Exposition

Unknown

The Cross is for us the symbol and sign of the Power of God (He chose so Himself) and on this Cross He defeated all evil.

1 Corinthians
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

Also Our Lord Jesus Christ wants each of us to carry the cross and follow Him.

Matthew 16
24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."

Every faithful Christian must: honor the Cross - It being indeed his most powerful weapon against evil - carry It, and follow Christ.

The Cross means the Power and Glory of Jesus Christ

Matthew 24
30"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory."...

The Cross should always be our target, our glory in the Lord's and our pride. GBU

samrofaeil

Love

copticcross3

The Cross means the Power and Glory of Jesus Christ

but why?

jydeacon

Because it was through the cross that He was glorified and through the cross we cannot be defeated. demons flee from its sign and cannot be near it. why well i suggest you read "On the Incarnation" by St. Athanasius the apostlic here is the link http://www.coepa.org/tNG/cnt_download.php?id=261&dname=Download1tNG/cnt_download.php?id=261&dname=Download1 it is mid-way through the piece i believe

Unknown

Galatians 6:14 (KJV)
14But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

While looking for more text in English, I found a lot of good references. Such as,
"The Significance of the Cross"

I quote their introductory paragraph here (but read the rest of their page)
The Cross is the symbol of the triumph of good. By His sufferings on the Cross our Lord Jesus Christ washed away the sins of mankind, conquered the devil, abolished death and opened the way to eternal life for man. The Cross bears witness to God’s infinite love for sinful mankind. But the Cross is much more than a symbol; it possesses spiritual power.

copticcross3 (what a nice nickname): you didn't mention what's your friends' faith?

Unknown

Please also read carefully this excellent explanation: it easily shows how the cross is not the "it's depressing" symbol the anti-Christians try to use to undermine our joy and pride. Even while this may mainly affect the weak in faith this tactic should be understood.

"Why do we Christians place the Cross in our Church, in our homes, in our cars? Why do we continually make the sign of the Cross, and wear a Cross around our neck? Because for Christians, the Cross has become a symbol of love, joy, hope, power and victory."

"The Sign of the Cross"

Summary:
The cross means: God's Love, joy, hope, power, Resurrection and victory.

Re-writing the scenario:
- i don't understand why Christians have the cross as their symbol, it's depressing, can't it be any other time were Jesus looks happy
- on the contrary dear, the Cross actually means the greatest joy ever to all mankind - and this is so real to me after I fully understood this fact. Plus if you search around you will find all kinds of nice pictures of our Savior Jesus Christ from His Nativity to His Resurrection, the one sign of the Cross means all of these events: because the Cross means Jesus Christ. Jesus didn't come here among us to laugh and play but to save us and grant us His followers this incredible gift of eternal life and the everlasting enjoyment of God. Can smiling Buddha do this?

GBU