I respond to a question
on the benefits of wearing crosses and religious items; and there’s more on sin
without wrongdoing. For new readers: The feature below (The Battle Axe) shares
addenda, afterthoughts and corrections to the previous day’s posting.
Also, The Double Dagger (as below) identifies articles among the total of 432
earlier posts that complement the day’s post, and that continue to be available
archived at both WordPress.com and thoughts.com. The focus of today’s
presentation was selected from “Yahoo! Answers” where a writer using ID
“conundrum” (Level 7 with 28,340 points, a member since June 23, 2007) posted
the following:
Of what benefit is it to wear crosses and
other religious items on the body,does it give protection?
Iam still to read where the followers if Christ
donned such attire in the first century ..
THE BATTLE AXE: Sin Without
Wrongdoing? (08/28/2012)—Despite the many demonstrations that sin results in
death, destruction, loss and shame, even educated and mature men and women
continue to indulge this noxious influence upon human will as a legitimate
aspect of their own personal makeup, their own private feelings, and their own
hidden person. “Common sense”, human logic, philosophy, religion and science
have not been sufficient to eliminate sin. Sin is no thing of matter or spirit,
contains neither thought or feeling, and must be understood as indiscriminate
and mindless. Sin was first apprehended by GOD among the holy angels, who are
neither mortal nor immortal. For mortals, the sting of death is sin (i.e., the
barb or hook that stops death from being withdrawn; the feature that introduces
poison). Speaking to Israel, GOD makes a divine appeal against sin that is
directed to all mankind: GOD takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked; men
are to repent and live (see Ezekiel 33: 11-20).
THE GOLDEN ARROW: Now it
came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel,
that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and
five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine
years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of
Zachariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. 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. He trusted in the
LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him
among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he
clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but
kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. (2
Kings 18: 1-6, King James Version)
THE DOUBLE DAGGER: The Work
of Jesus (03/13/2012); Idols of Flesh (03/12/2012); The Accursed Thing
(02/05/2012); Meal Time Grace (11/14/2010); Things?
(11/13/2010)
Mature Christian believers generally regard
crosses, crescents, stars of David, and similar objects as tokens to trigger
thoughts of a person’s faith. As mere prompts and reminders to direct a person’s
feelings and thoughts, symbols are regarded as harmless. To regard any object
as having power within itself to repel demons, to guarantee prosperity and
success, or to protect from bodily harm and death would be to hold that object
as an idol—a vessel containing a god, and an object possessing “person” that is
to be appeased and worshiped.
Simple objects may be used to signal a
person’s participation within a sacred relationship or worship community (such
as the fish sign or the wedding ring); and may even be used to concentrate
awareness, and trigger the operation of a person’s faith resulting in a miracle
(for example, a handkerchief or another person’s shadow—see Acts 19: 11-12 and
Acts 5: 14-16, KJV). Some use of symbols may be discouraged among believers.
For example, the use of scars and tattoos are forbidden among Christians along
with piercing a servant’s ear to indicate that, out of love, they have committed
themselves to lifelong servitude as another person’s slave.
There is far more to be said, correctly
applied, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, occult practices,
superstition and unbelief are often characterized as attacking Christianity by
using religious symbols. Given that an object has been cleansed, prayed over,
prepared and set apart (we say “blessed” or “sanctified”) for exclusive use in
service and worship to GOD, the dedicated or devoted thing may become defiled,
and profaned through abuse, desecration and vandalism. Believers may react with
anger, embarrassment, fear, and indignation. Yet, it remains that the spirit
content of a believer is determined by GOD, not by human objects and events.)
Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your
faith.
THE BLACK
PHOENIX
Washington, DC
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