The Confederate Flag

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Is there truly a conflicting positive connotation or only conflicting for the Christians who want to stand by Christianity? What makes this so different than what the supporters of the Confederacy and Confederate symbols say about the positive connotations in their contexts?

I should have specified that I'm referring only to public displays. Confederate Flags do have positive connotations within the group of people who fly them. However, there is no conflict when flown publicly.

It only carries very different symbolism for those who only identify the cross and Christianity as positive. For those who do not, seeing that cross is like a flashback to the missionaries who were "here to help" but did much more than "help."

My point is that the meaning can change and people can accept their own conflicting opinions about symbols.

No, Christians will keep our religious privilege as the largest religion in the world and not be careful about where we display our symbols around the world.

Then, these people are neither reasonable nor empathetic. I personally know Christians who use Christian symbols in an aggressive way not only to set themselves apart, but also to keep people at a distance.

From a theological standpoint, I don't appreciate the overuse and lack of reverence for the cross among American Christians. How many crosses are sold on a t-shirt or necklace in this country? Why do this if not to show "pride" in one's faith or to make a statement? I'm certainly not an iconoclast and I do reverence icons in the Orthodox Church (where only Priests and Bishops tend to wear crosses).

Somewhat off-topic, I would venture to say that the closest modern-day equivalent to the cross in the ancient world is a lynching rope. The cross represented utter dehumanization and was reserved for the so-called criminals that didn't "deserve" a fair trial.

How disgustingly ironic that Christians have marched behind the cross on their way to subjugating and dehumanizing entire civilizations.