I was particularly interested that I was the only one making the sign of the Cross, even when we all said “In the name of the Father…etc” do Baptists not make the sign of the Cross?
No, Baptists don’t make the sign of the Cross. I don’t think it’s something that people consider and then intentionally avoid- it’s just not a part of their tradition. Look at your signature, for example. There’s several phrases in Latin that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, and while I may recognize a word here or there, I don’t know the meaning of what’s said there and I certainly don’t use any of those phrases myself. It’s not that I avoid Latin phrases because they’re “too Catholic”- I have no problem saying “sola fide” or “non posse non peccarre” or “simul iustus et peccator,” for example. I’ve become familiar with those phrases because they have something to do with me and the traditions that mean a lot to me. I have no idea what your Latin phrases mean and therefore don’t use them, but it’s not because I avoid them- they’re just not a part of my tradition and I’m not at all familiar with them.
Genuflection, the sign of the Cross, holy water, incense, votive candles, what to do when there’s an altar in your church- these are all things that Baptists are vaguely aware of to one degree or another, but none of them are a part of their tradition. Try this when you get the chance- next time you have the opportunity to speak to a Baptist child/young person under the age of 18, ask them what it means to genuflect and under what circumstances a person might do such a thing. Unless you’re talking to someone who’s spent some time in a church where genuflection is done, I’m willing to bet the response is something that would embarrass you if you were talking to a Catholic child.
Then, if you like, you can ask the Baptist kid why it is that they don’t genuflect on a regular basis. You might get a weird look, though, because in this example it probably has less to do with avoiding “things that are Catholic” and more to do with “I didn’t really know what that word meant until you just told me.”
It’s a little bit like that with the sign of the Cross. Baptists at least know how to physically do it, and they might even know two or three different ways in which it can be done. But if you go back to the Baptist church and ask why the sign of the Cross is done and the times at which it would be appropriate to make the sign, the only way you’ll find someone that can give a sufficiently detailed answer (in that they would be able to make the sign of the Cross at the right times and for the right reasons) is if you find someone who’s ex-Catholic, ex-Orthodox, or ex-something else where the sign of the Cross is used.
Ultimately, the sign of the Cross isn’t used by Baptists simply because it’s not a part of Baptist tradition (or any other Protestant tradition that’s Baptist-adjacent). And that’s really just another way of saying “Baptists don’t do the sign of the Cross because it’s not something that Baptists do.” But for the most part, I don’t think it’s coming from a place where people are saying “I refuse to do this because it’s too Catholic.” I think it’s coming from a place where people say “That’s just not something we do. What, were we supposed to? We seem to be fine without doing it…”
If there is any kind of sentiment that’s more actively opposed to doing the sign, it’s probably on the basis of calling it superstitious. And in some parts of the world, the only people you can associate that with are Catholics because Catholics are the only people in that part of the world that make the sign. When that happens, though, it’s not just because you’re Catholics. It’s because people see the sign as superstitious, and if they were in an environment where Orthodox Christians were the only Christians around, they’d associate it with them instead.
It’s not like people see “Catholic-looking things” and say “I dislike that because it looks Catholic.” People’s minds don’t actually work that way. (Except when a Catholic is describing the way a Baptist mind works). When a Baptist doesn’t use the sign of the Cross, it’s for one of two reasons- it’s a tradition in which the Baptist is functionally illiterate, or the Baptist perceives it as a superstitious tradition regardless of who’s doing it. If they really want to do the sign of the Cross, they’ll probably find a church where it’s done. And they have permission to do so, because the Baptist church does not claim to be the One True Church. (This is a good thing).
