That’s sort of the idea. A major point of the narrative of Jesus Christ is that withinthe narrative he knowingly and willingly went to his death, one which he knew would be a terrible suffering- because it was part of God’s plan and for the salvation of all sinners. One who believes this story is supposed to have a reverence for the suffering endured by another for their benefit, and it is supposed to set an example- that while one can’t understand the greater plan of a god, and while that path often involves suffering- that there is a point to to it, and there are rewards for it. One may suffer on earth but would be reborn in heaven- a basic narrative thread in Christianity is obedience and servitude to God. That no matter what the price or personal toll that one is to always donas commanded by God and to put Gods will before self. Jesus is also meant as an example of humanity. Like: “if this guy was willing to go through that horror for strangers- why can’t you be nicer to your...
... coworkers/classmates/fellow humans, etc.?” Wether one believes in a holy text or not- most are parables. They’re stories meant to illustrate certain virtues. Religion and philosophy are full of depictions of “noble suffering,” such as the Vietnamese monk who self imolated in protest of government policy. Such displays serve to both shock humans by the suffering invoked as well as create empathy. In the age we love people can relate. A common complaint are posts like “thoughts and prayers,”. Or rants against social activism etc. it’s an example of “pit your money where your mouth is-“ the ultimate test of conviction. A person may have many reasons to take ups cause but it’s easy to talk. When we show we are willing to sacrifice personally for a cause it becomes more than words. The “ultimate sacrifice” of giving ones life can often be misinterpreted as insanity or not understanding the full gravity of mortality. However to suffer greatly and profoundly is generally relatable to...
.. all people on some level. We generally do not like pain and know pain, so while most people won’t know what it feels like to be tortured, crucified, or lit on fire- we have enough experience with lesser but related to pain to know it would hurt ALOT, and can thusly empathize to some degree and that makes such sacrifices more relatable to us. So the iconography of Jesus on the cross is a remberence of the suffering in the biblical narrative, and a reminder of the dedication and depth of love and devotion the figure had for their fellow man and their principals. It’s a way of saying “this guy didn’t just say a bunch of stuff- he freaking died horribly for you...” As far as symbolism goes- a monk playing with puppies in his favorite meadow isn’t as powerful as watching him burn himself alive. That’s the significance of the symbolism of the Christian cross. It also of course speaks to the (supposed) persecution of Christians in antiquity- much of which is probably false, but not all.
The part is here:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. - Matthew 16:24
The Cross was a weapon and sign of Roman torture. But Jesus willingly died on the cross and we Catholics parade around with the cross as a way to kind of say, “We conquered the cross and made it our symbol!”.
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· 5 years ago
As a person who was raised catholic i'll just say catholic's don't worship the crosses or religious items themselves, they use them to help visualize them during prayer.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. - Matthew 16:24