Why is it so essential to have crosses in the churches?

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paarsurrey

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My Sister is Mormon…
Originally posted by dianaballein:
And I have always wondered why they (the Mormons) do not have any crosses in their churches. Does anyone know why this is?
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Hi

I think the JWs also don’t have the Crosses in their church/kingdom halls. In my opinion the worship places where Jesus prayed did not have Crosses there also. Isn’t it? Why is it so essential to have crosses in the churches?

Thanks
 
Agreeing with Marco, but elaborating:

God became man in order to save men, He did that by sacrificing Himself on a cross.

The point of everything is salvation and the cross is the single focal point of that entire event.
 
It’s not “esssential” for some groups of Christians. Among the Society of Friends we have no icons, crosses, or statues. Our buildings are very plain…not even a cross on our buildings.
 
I don’t think essential is the right word here. To answer your question in a round about wayis that there are many reasons why the cross and/or crucifix is visible in a church.

THe biggest reason for me being that it signifies and reminds us of the great love that God has for us by enduring the passion and suffering for our sins so that we may gain heaven.

Peace!
 
Part of the reason that JWs do not have them is that they hold that Jesus was not on a cross but a torture stake.
 
It is not essential. I have seen many churches meet in malls, hotel conference rooms etc.It is however a sign to others who we serve. Some denominations like mine go further and have other signs of our affiliation.
 
For Catholics, it is essential to have a Crucifix plainly visible in the Sanctuary (the little area at the front where the priest and his helpers are) at Mass. The reason for this is to signify that the Mass is an unbloody re-presentation of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross for our sins. We partake of that Sacrifice - His body and blood, soul and divinity - when we receive Holy Communion.

However, apart from that, it is optional to have a cross or crucifix decorating the Church - but it is certainly one of the most recognizable signs of Christianity - when you come to a building that has a cross over the door or on the roof, or, better yet, on its steeple, you can safely assume that it is a Church.

In a sense I suppose it’s an original form of brand-recognition - an easily-recognized, simple shape that immediately tells you what the building is, and what goes on inside.
 
paarsurrey said:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=4630852&postcount=313
My Sister is Mormon…

Hi

I think the JWs also don’t have the Crosses in their church/kingdom halls. In my opinion the worship places where Jesus prayed did not have Crosses there also. Isn’t it? Why is it so essential to have crosses in the churches?

Thanks
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Hi, paarsurrey!
I’ve not looked at posts past the OP, I think it’s better to start with it first before anything else. My reply may look like some others, or maybe not, we’ll see later…
Of course there were no crosses in the synagogues, nor was there any in the Temple of Jerusalem. So why the crosses in the Christian churches? Because to us Christians the cross has an essential meaning, as the Church from the beginning has consistantly taught that Jesus was the Word of God made flesh, that he was the Messiah announced in the Hebrew Scriptures, that he was crucified and died there on that cross on the day of preparation before Passover Sabbath, and then on the third day (the day after that Sabbath) he rose again from death (resurrected), and then he ascended into Heaven, where he sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. He will come again at the Latter Day to judge the living and the dead, and his reign will have no end… This is what the Christians, including the Catholics, believe. They were taught this from the very beginning of the Church by Jesus’ Apostles, whom he had chosen and who received all their teachings from Jesus himself and then through the Holy Spirit.
This may sound incredible to a Muslim (it actually seemed incredible to the Jewish authorities of that time, and to most people too), but if God truly is the Almighty, why should it be impossible to Him? If it should be impossible to Him, how could you call Him the Almighty?
 
prodigal-sun said:
I don’t think essential is the right word here. To answer your question in a round about wayis that there are many reasons why the cross and/or crucifix is visible in a church.

THe biggest reason for me being that it signifies and reminds us of the great love that God has for us by enduring the passion and suffering for our sins so that we may gain heaven.

Peace!
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The cross in a church might not be essential in itself, but it certainly reminds us immediately of Jesus’ death… AND resurrection, for how should we be proud of a man dying a horrible death on the cross? It would be morbid and masochist of all those fools… sorry, those disciples of Jesus, would it not?
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains what is essential in a Church and why we Catholic Christians worship God in a Church:
IV. Where is the Liturgy Celebrated?
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1179 The worship "in Spirit and in truth"53 of the New Covenant is not tied exclusively to any one place. the whole earth is sacred and entrusted to the children of men. What matters above all is that, when the faithful assemble in the same place, they are the “living stones,” gathered to be "built into a spiritual house."54 For the Body of the risen Christ is the spiritual temple from which the source of living water springs forth: incorporated into Christ by the Holy Spirit, "we are the temple of the living God."55
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1180 When the exercise of religious liberty is not thwarted,56 Christians construct buildings for divine worship. These visible churches are not simply gathering places but signify and make visible the Church living in this place, the dwelling of God with men reconciled and united in Christ.
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1181 A church, "a house of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and reserved, where the faithful assemble, and where is worshipped the presence of the Son of God our Savior, offered for us on the sacrificial altar for the help and consolation of the faithful - this house ought to be in good taste and a worthy place for prayer and sacred ceremonial."57 In this “house of God” the truth and the harmony of the signs that make it up should show Christ to be present and active in this place.58
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1182 The altar of the New Covenant is the Lord’s Cross,59 from which the sacraments of the Paschal mystery flow. On the altar, which is the center of the church, the sacrifice of the Cross is made present under sacramental signs. the altar is also the table of the Lord, to which the People of God are invited.60 In certain Eastern liturgies, the altar is also the symbol of the tomb (Christ truly died and is truly risen).
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1183 The tabernacle is to be situated "in churches in a most worthy place with the greatest honor."61 The dignity, placing, and security of the Eucharistic tabernacle should foster adoration before the Lord really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.62
The sacred chrism (myron), used in anointings as the sacramental sign of the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, is traditionally reserved and venerated in a secure place in the sanctuary. the oil of catechumens and the oil of the sick may also be placed there.
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1184 The chair (cathedra) of the bishop or the priest "should express his office of presiding over the assembly and of directing prayer."63
The lectern (ambo): "The dignity of the Word of God requires the church to have a suitable place for announcing his message so that the attention of the people may be easily directed to that place during the liturgy of the Word."64
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1185 The gathering of the People of God begins with Baptism; a church must have a place for the celebration of Baptism (baptistry) and for fostering remembrance of the baptismal promises (holy water font).
The renewal of the baptismal life requires penance. A church, then, must lend itself to the expression of repentance and the reception of forgiveness, which requires an appropriate place to receive penitents.
A church must also be a space that invites us to the recollection and silent prayer that extend and internalize the great prayer of the Eucharist.
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1186 Finally, the church has an eschatological significance. To enter into the house of God, we must cross a threshold, which symbolizes passing from the world wounded by sin to the world of the new Life to which all men are called. the visible church is a symbol of the Father’s house toward which the People of God is journeying and where the Father "will wipe every tear from their eyes."65 Also for this reason, the Church is the house of all God’s children, open and welcoming.
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I don’t expect non-Catholics to understand these words, since they are deeply rooted in Catholic theology, but I will say that much of the Church is symbolic, the symbols pointing to realities and truths which we Catholic Christians believe in. 🙂
 
paarsurrey said:
I think the JWs also don’t have the Crosses in their church/kingdom halls. In my opinion the worship places where Jesus prayed did not have Crosses there also. Isn’t it? Why is it so essential to have crosses in the churches?
Click to expand...
The Watchtower Bible society does not believe Jesus died on the cross, they believe it was a single pole.

They are a reminder of the cost of our Salvation, a visible representation of how much God loves us.
 
paarsurrey said:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=4630852&postcount=313
My Sister is Mormon…

Hi

I think the JWs also don’t have the Crosses in their church/kingdom halls. In my opinion the worship places where Jesus prayed did not have Crosses there also. Isn’t it? Why is it so essential to have crosses in the churches?

Thanks
Click to expand...
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumblingblock, and unto the Gentiles foolishness:
Good enough for St Paul,good enough for the Catholic Church.👍
 
Soutane said:
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumblingblock, and unto the Gentiles foolishness:
Good enough for St Paul,good enough for the Catholic Church.👍
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You mean good enough for the Church, good enough for Paul? 🙂
 
Eucharisted said:
You mean good enough for the Church, good enough for Paul? 🙂
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Same thing.Christ founded one Church the universal or Catholic Church.There are no other Churches-only other bodies of believers-not churches as offensive but truthful as this may sound.I include the other lung Orthodoxy within the definition of Church.All other bodies of believers have left due to one heresy or another.They are in effect separated members of the ONLY Church the Holy Catholic Church-within whom I include all rites,Latin,Eastern,Byzantine,etc.Protestants are Protesting Catholics and separated brethren in other words.🙂
 
In my opinion the worship places where Jesus prayed did not have Crosses there also. Isn’t it? Why is it so essential to have crosses in the churches?

**The NT says, "The very; word ‘Cross’ is foolishness to those who are perishing.’

How much more so, then, the image of that on which God Incarnate triumphed over death?

Keep in mind that neither JWs nor Mormonoids believe that Jesus is God Incarnate.

And should they become Catholic or Orthodox–or, for that matter, any kind of Christian–they must receive Christian baptism.**
 
Lapell said:
Because to us Christians the cross has an essential meaning, as the Church from the beginning has consistantly taught
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Hi

Then, in my opinion, it is wrong from the beginning; and now that you know that Jesus never placed Crosses in the worship places, it should not be done now. There is no harm if the Catholic reform themselves and make their concepts on the teachings of Jesus and on his deeds, instead of Paul and church. Jesus is above Paul and Churhc in my opinion.

I love Jesus and Mary

Thanks
 
4Squarebaby said:
It is not essential. I have seen many churches meet in malls, hotel conference rooms etc.It is however a sign to others who we serve. Some denominations like mine go further and have other signs of our affiliation.
Click to expand...
Hi

What is your denomination, please.

Thanks
 
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