Just saw a commercial, for ChatGPT Codex, with a young lady wearing a concealed cross.

I’m seeing crosses everywhere, even from people who have no idea what the Christian story actually is.

What gives?

  • Jentu@lemmy.mlEnglish
    14·
    23 hours ago

    I’ve wondered if Jesus was killed via guillotine, if people would be wearing little gold guillotines around their neck.

    I’m not a Christian, but I think symbolically, his torture wasn’t the important part, but the rising from the dead thing. So why not have a solid circle 🔴(stone) offset from a circular ring ⭕️, referencing that whole “stone was rolled away from the tomb because resurrection” thing?

    • davel [he/him]@lemmy.mlEnglish
      10·
      20 hours ago

      I’m an atheist, and I don’t think his rising from the dead was the important part; it was his sacrificing himself for our collective sins, allowing us to be absolved of them and to enter the kingdom of heaven.

      • Jentu@lemmy.mlEnglish
        2·
        19 hours ago

        You’re right. The sacrifice and martyrdom is a huge part of being a Christian (which is likely why the cross is used). I’m not sure how I had forgotten that a huge theme among Christians is self sacrifice and Jesus dying for our sins.

        But what makes Jesus special, at least from my perspective, wasn’t that he was martyred since others in the Bible were as well. It was the claim he was the son of god offering to save us from damnation, which is validated by the resurrection. Idk I think I just find the cross kind of macabre as a symbol of religion (and as a tool of punishment in general of course). Back when I was a Christian decades ago, I was also anti-cross lol

        • davel [he/him]@lemmy.mlEnglish
          6·
          19 hours ago

          It’s very macabre, as are the symbolic eating of Christ’s body and drinking of his blood. The more you think about it the more goth Christianity becomes.

          • Jentu@lemmy.mlEnglish
            2·
            19 hours ago

            Saint Peter, of course, being the gothiest of them all being crucified on an inverted cross.

    • EffSee@lemmy.zip
      5·
      22 hours ago

      Its interesting you say that, because the resurrection is the important part. If not for that, Jesus would’ve just been another martyr. The cross (as opposed to a crucifix) actually symbolizes the same thing a stone rolled away from a tomb does. He’s not on the cross anymore, or in the tomb. I haven’t seen the stone and tomb idea on a necklace yet, but it would make a cool tattoo.

      • Jentu@lemmy.mlEnglish
        1·
        22 hours ago

        Jesus’ body being taken down from the cross by people isn’t proof of resurrection though. There’s a lot of places jesus isn’t anymore, but the tomb is the one place he was supposed to remain. I assume every body that is crucified is taken down eventually (though I may be wrong about this- I’m not sure how weary people were about the public safety risks of a rotting body near society back then). I think the cross and crucifix are used symbolically over the tomb because Christians, to see themselves in Jesus, must pair themselves to the idea that they will be tortured for their beliefs.

        Christians had a ton of symbolism to choose from (rainbow, fish, tomb, donkey, feet etc.) and they chose the one that will definitely give Jesus PTSD if he has a second coming.