Crucifix

[catholicdad01]

Hello all!!

I recently had a friend ask me why, in Catholic churches, the Body of Christ is on the cross, while in most Protestant churches, the cross is unadorned.

I had no idea how to answer this question, and was wondering if anyone could help me with a response.

God Bless!!!

 

[Genesis315]

Protestant churches tend to be scrupulous about the crucifix for two reasons. One, having a corpus on it can be considered a graven image or idol to them. Secondly, they will say that Christ is risen and no longer on the cross.

For Catholics, we follow St. Paul’s Biblical teaching and preach Christ crucified. Likewise, the crucifix reminds us that the Mass is the re-presentation of the sacrifice on Calvary.

I hope that helps!

 

[Church_Militant]

Apologetics 101-05 (LINK)

Q: I had a friend ask me why Catholics have Crucifixes in our churches…don’t we believe Jesus has risen? Why do we keep Him on the cross?

A: First of all, you would want to check out 1st Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 23. Paul says, “…but we preach Christ crucified…” Why does Paul preach Christ crucified? Doesn’t he know Jesus has been raised from the dead? Of course he does! But, he knows that it is through the power of the crucified Christ on the cross that the bonds of sin and death are broken. As Paul says in verse 24, Christ crucified is the “power of God”.

1 Cor 2:2, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Again, didn’t Paul know that Jesus had risen from the dead? Of course, he did.

Paul preaches Christ crucified because an empty cross has no power. The cross that bears the beaten, battered, and bloodied body of Jesus Christ, however, that cross is the “power of God”. This is why, we “keep Jesus on the cross,” because we, too, preach Christ crucified. The Crucifix reminds us not only of God’s power, but also His love for us - giving His only begotten Son up for suffering and death.

Also, here in this life we do not share so much in the glory of the Resurrection, as we do in the suffering of Jesus on the cross; after all, we must take up our cross daily if we are to follow Jesus, as it says in Lk 9:23.

And, we must die with Christ in order to live with Him as Romans 6:8 tells us. Where did Christ die? On the cross. The Crucifix serves to remind us of these things.

One other passage to keep in mind is Galatians 3:1, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?” Did you catch that? Jesus was publicly portrayed, before their “eyes”, as being crucified. Sounds kind of like they may have been looking at a Crucifix, doesn’t it?

 

[steveandersen]

You can’t jump straight to Easter without passing through Good Friday first.

 

[Della]

The crucifix may also have been used in Apostolic times. St. Paul wrote to the Galatians:

Gal.3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

What could he have been referring to if not a crucifix? No Galatians were present at the crucifixion. So how else could they have had " before [their] eyes Jesus Christ…publicly portrayed as crucified"?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Hello all!!

I recently had a friend ask me why, in Catholic churches, the Body of Christ is on the cross, while in most Protestant churches, the cross is unadorned.

I had no idea how to answer this question, and was wondering if anyone could help me with a response.

God Bless!!!

Ask them did the Cross save us? or Did Christ dying on the Cross save us?

 

[Prayer_Warrior]

Protestant churches tend to be scrupulous about the crucifix for two reasons. One, having a corpus on it can be considered a graven image or idol to them. Secondly, they will say that Christ is risen and no longer on the cross.

For Catholics, we follow St. Paul’s Biblical teaching and preach Christ crucified. Likewise, the crucifix reminds us that the Mass is the re-presentation of the sacrifice on Calvary.

I hope that helps!

:yup: I always say to a protestant who tells me “We believe in the Risen Christ” that “Catholics also believe in the Risen Christ, but without Good Friday there would not be an Easter”. Personally, I think it is a bit sad that Protestants do not seem to ever focus on the actual Sacrifice of Christ. For some, it seems that they are focused on the rewards for themselves, rather than what Christ went through to achieve their salvation. This is not true of all protestants, of course. But I don’t see many of them meditating on the Passion and I’m not sure I’ve seen any of them offering their own sufferings up to join with His (cf Col 1:24). The lack of a crucifix in protestant circles illuminates once again a very different approach to faith in Christ.

 

[Lukelion]

The cross would be too heavy for us to bear without Jesus.

 

[Lorik]

Because during the Mass the Crucifixion is miraculously made present during the consecration. The crucifix reminds of that.

 

[Fidelis]

Protestant churches tend to be scrupulous about the crucifix for two reasons. One, having a corpus on it can be considered a graven image or idol to them. Secondly, they will say that Christ is risen and no longer on the cross.

Or, to be honest, because it is probably too *Catholic *an image for them. It is the same type of cultural and mental block that keeps them from meditating too long on the role of Mary. It would run the risk of them getting “Catholic cooties.”

Perhaps you can turn the question around on your friend:

“That’s a good question. But, out of curiosity, first tell me: why don’t most Protestants don’t employ crucifixes?”

For Catholics, we follow St. Paul’s Biblical teaching and preach Christ crucified. Likewise, the crucifix reminds us that the Mass is the re-presentation of the sacrifice on Calvary.

I hope that helps!

Good, simple and straightforward answer!

 

[water]

even some Protestant on this board claims to wear one

 

[Baraq]

We in the Reformed Church see the Crucifix as idolatry, clear and simple. It is EXPRESSLY forbidden in the Law of God. The common crucifix is a man made image of god, who in a sinful attempt to make the viewer comfortable surprisingly often appears as a long haired white man but sometimes black, brown or even asian depending on the church attending.

Yes, we do preach Christ crucified, but we dont break the Law of God because this form of idolatry would make some feel more pious.
A faithful Church should not display one, adorned or not

Did you not learn in your Sunday School classes how Hezekiah had to brake into pieces an OT version of the risen Christ because it was being worshipped?

2 Kings 18:3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

 

[Della]

We in the Reformed Church see the Crucifix as idolatry, clear and simple. It is EXPRESSLY forbidden in the Law of God. The common crucifix is a man made image of god, who in a sinful attempt to make the viewer comfortable surprisingly often appears as a long haired white man but sometimes black, brown or even asian depending on the church attending.

Yes, we do preach Christ crucified, but we dont break the Law of God because this form of idolatry would make some feel more pious.
A faithful Church should not display one, adorned or not

Did you not learn in your Sunday School classes how Hezekiah had to brake into pieces an OT version of the risen Christ because it was being worshipped?

2 Kings 18:3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

Well, if a crucifix is idolatrous, so is a simple cross for millions of Christians, Catholic and Protestant, use it as a focus for prayer and worship.

You are assuming that Catholics worship crucifixes, as the Israelites did the bronze serpent. This is not the case. The crucifix, as are paintings and statues and mosaics, etc. are only symbols of our faith and helps to devotion, not objects of worship.

The only sacrifice Catholics offer is the one sacrifice of Christ on our altars.

As to the prohibition against making images, God himself asked that images be made, the cherubim whose wings covered the Ark of the Covenant, for instance.

Images of Christ are permissible because of the Incarnation, when the face of God was shown to man in Jesus’ face. Or do you deny that Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.”?

 

[CNCIBC9]

We in the Reformed Church see the Crucifix as idolatry, clear and simple. It is EXPRESSLY forbidden in the Law of God. The common crucifix is a man made image of god, who in a sinful attempt to make the viewer comfortable surprisingly often appears as a long haired white man but sometimes black, brown or even asian depending on the church attending.

Yes, we do preach Christ crucified, but we dont break the Law of God because this form of idolatry would make some feel more pious.
A faithful Church should not display one, adorned or not

Did you not learn in your Sunday School classes how Hezekiah had to brake into pieces an OT version of the risen Christ because it was being worshipped?

2 Kings 18:3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

I’ve never understood this line of thinking. How exactly is a crucifix idolatrous?

 

[Lukelion]

“He smashed the bronze serpent called Nehushtan which Moses had made, because up to that time the Israelites were burning incense to it.”
Why didn’t Moses smash the serpent if it was evil? It was because the Israelites were worshiping the image, not the God who ordered it made. Read in the old testament about the ark of the covenant. God ordered images of Cherubim to decorate it. Not all images are bad.

 

[Mintaka]

But we don’t burn incense to the crucifix. Nobody here is saying that a picture of God is God, or even a god. A crucifix only receives honor because it is a picture of Someone we love, doing His all for love of us.

Also, nobody ran around breaking the brazen serpent Moses made until it became a focus of idolatry. Until then, it was not only a blessing to Israel, but also a foreshadowing of Christ being raised up on the cross to heal all the world.

So what you’re basically saying is, “Somebody 4000 years ago drove their cart off a cliff, so we have to ban everything with wheels lest you drive your airplane off a cliff and kill yourself. Even though you actually take off down the runway and fly, several times a day, without a bit of harm.”

Beyond that, all images of Christ crucified are helpful in maintaining in people’s minds the mysteries of the Incarnation and the Passion, and for reflecting on those events in the light of the Resurrection and the Second Coming. Crucifixes also refute the iconoclastic and Docetist beliefs of Islam, which is fairly useful in today’s world. (Which is to say that Muslims not only don’t like pictures and don’t believe Jesus is God, but also don’t believe Jesus suffered and died on the cross. But we Christians preach Christ crucified, and always will.)

 

[Baraq]

So many responses? Wellllll…I’ll guess the guys that made the golden calf told Aaron the same thing…

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Romans 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

 

[heisenburg]

I heard somewhere receantly a comment on that commandment… in regards to graven images.

Protestant churches have the 1st two as no god before … and then no graven images…

Catholics combine these two as they are ONE AND THE SAME. put nothing before god.

As long as you worship the christ that is represented on the cross, and not the cross itself…

I see no issue as i am NOT putting the cross before the christ

Unintended consequence of seprating this commandment into two…

The last protestant commandment says you shall not covet thy neighbors wife, or his property.

So are you saying that a Wife is equated to a mans property?
I hope not…

By the way, if we arent suppose to make graven images… do you have any photo albums? have you ever had anything with a picture on it that you looked at?

Arent those graven images… or is the graven images thing only applicable when it is convenient

THink about the true consequences of what you are saying…

In Christ

 

[KnightforChrist]

Humans are composed both of a physical and spiritual nature.

We constantly use images in our daily lives to remind us of certain things, such as pictures.

The crucifix helps us recall, focus our minds again on the sufferings that Christ endured and that it was through the enduring of these sufferings that man was redeemed. Now, why would someone, as a matter of respect, a thank you, love, choose to not want to be reminded of the greatest act of love the world has ever known…WHY WOULD WE EVEN WANT TO PUT THAT OUT OF OUR MINDS ??? We can’t even begin to say enought thank you’s…

With this in mind, I keep thinking of the old testament verse from Isaias 53:5. " But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed."

If the crucifix “represents” as a reminder when we gaze upon it of Christ in his most bruised and beaten state, and according to the old testament it was through this that we are healed, why would anyone reject acknowledging this act of love ???

When we take the image of the corpus off of a cross, for me at least, it makes it out of sight, out of mind…We as physical creatures then start forgetting about Christ’s sufferings. As my personal practice I keep a crucifix in most rooms of my home and especially above the doorways leading out of my house, when I just gaze at the crucifix when leaving a room or my home, it helps put Christ on my mind, and often gets a big thank you from me, even if for just a little while before I go about my business.

Have a good day all !!!

 

[Della]

So many responses? Wellllll…I’ll guess the guys that made the golden calf told Aaron the same thing…

Sorry. You are merely rationalizing the fact that you either have no answer or you simply don’t want to know what Catholics actually believe/practice.

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

The same can be said of anyone who will not see the truth, Reformed or Catholic. Yes?

Romans 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Which they worshiped. If Catholics worshiped our objects of devotion we’d be guilty of idolatry, but since we don’t do that, we are not guilty of this offense.