Is it wrong to wear a cross?

Is it wrong to wear a cross?
Does wearing a cross go against the teachings of Jesus?

Q. If I wear or have a cross in my home am I going against the teachings of Christ in the Bible?? I look at it as a reminder of the sins he carried for us. But my son says it is an idol or false image and we should not have them in the house.

(Submitted by: Joan)

A. The Greek word σταυρός or stauros, Strong's Concordance #4716, is often translated as "cross". This is an error in translation. Stauros should be translated as "stake" or "post". The instrument of torture on which Jesus died was not in the shape of a "t". It was simply a post or stake on which the victim was hung by nailing both hands over his head. The feet were also impaled so the victim not only suffered more pain, but also was unable to move enough to dislodge the hands. This caused suffocation if the victim did not die from other afflictions.

The "cross" that you have, had its origin long before the time of Jesus. In some other cultures it was called a Tau and was the symbol for "female". As such, it was a symbol used in many pagan religions representing "goddesses" such as Ishtar, Astarte or Venus, as she was called in the Greek language. It was first introduced to "Christianity" by Constantine, Emperor of Rome, in 313 AD. Alexander Hislop in his book The Two Babylons, chapter 5, section 6 states about the cross:

"The cross is adored (in reference to the Papal system of the Catholic Church) with all the homage due only to the Most High; and for any one to call it, in the hearing of a genuine Romanist, by the Scriptural term, "the accursed tree," (see Galatians 3:13) is a mortal offence. To say that such superstitious feeling for the sign of the cross, such worship as Rome pays to a wooden or a metal cross, ever grew out of the saying of Paul, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14) -- that is, in the doctrine of Christ crucified--is a mere absurdity, a shallow subterfuge and pretence. The magic virtues attributed to the so-called sign of the cross, the worship bestowed on it, never came from such a source."

"The same sign of the cross that Rome now worships was used in the Babylonian Mysteries, was applied by Paganism to the same magic purposes, was honoured with the same honours. That which is now called the Christian cross was originally no Christian emblem at all, but was the mystic Tau of the Chaldeans and Egyptians--the true original form of the letter T -- the initial of the name of Tammuz -- which, in Hebrew, radically the same as ancient Chaldee, as found on coins, was formed as in No. 1 of the below picture and in Etrurian and Coptic. That mystic Tau was marked in baptism on the foreheads of those initiated in the Mysteries, and was used in every variety of way as a most sacred symbol. " (text highlighting added)

Versions of Crosses used by Pagan Religions

In reality, in terms of what the Bible teaches, the Tau or "cross" has nothing to do with Jesus or Christianity.

The word stauros is also used figuratively in the Bible, for instance Matthew 10:38, where Jesus told His followers to take up their "cross" and follow Him. In this instance, it represents the sacrifice one makes when leaving the ways of the world and following Jesus.

We are cautioned in the Ten Commandments:

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. " (Exodus 20:4, NIV)

One who uses the Tau, or "cross" to represent Jesus or God, the Father would be coming dangerously close to idolatry. Although it may remind you of Jesus taking away our sins, it was not the instrument of His death and you can probably find some other way of remembering His great sacrifice rather than using a pagan symbol to do so.

I heard someone say that it was a good thing they didn't have electrocution for capital punishment in the time of Jesus because people would have little electric chairs on chains around their necks and on top of steeples on their church buildings. (Steeples are also a pagan symbol, used to represent the "male" and worshipped by pagans throughout the Bible. It was these stakes in the "high places" that made God so angry at the Israelites who were worshipping idols.) Although somewhat irreverent and facetious, he did make a good point.

In my humble opinion, it would be more appropriate to hate the instrument of torture on which our God and Savior died rather than venerating it. I thank God daily that Jesus was willing to die for my sins but His death is not something I relish thinking about.

In this case, I think your son gave you some really good advice.