Why is Christianity symbolized by...
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Why is Christianity symbolized by the cross, rather than the empty tomb? When he first came to the city of Corinth, Paul recalls, he "decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). In this epistle, however, he writes little about Christ's death and much about his resurrection.
Constantine, the first Roman emperor to favor Christianity, used the cross as a sign during battle. Most congregations display the cross on their buildings to identify them as churches. Many believers wear crosses as jewelry.
But what of the empty tomb? Why has the cross, an instrument of torturous execution, become the mark of our faith? Why instead does not the empty tomb symbolize our faith? Why do we focus primarily on Golgotha rather than the Garden, on Jesus' unjust death rather than his ultimate victory?
Alice Meynell, in a poem titled "Christ in the Universe," notes that "our wayside planet ... bears as its chief treasure one forsaken grave."
Perhaps it is time to change our religion's symbol. -- Bristow
Constantine, the first Roman emperor to favor Christianity, used the cross as a sign during battle. Most congregations display the cross on their buildings to identify them as churches. Many believers wear crosses as jewelry.
But what of the empty tomb? Why has the cross, an instrument of torturous execution, become the mark of our faith? Why instead does not the empty tomb symbolize our faith? Why do we focus primarily on Golgotha rather than the Garden, on Jesus' unjust death rather than his ultimate victory?
Alice Meynell, in a poem titled "Christ in the Universe," notes that "our wayside planet ... bears as its chief treasure one forsaken grave."
Perhaps it is time to change our religion's symbol. -- Bristow
