Wearing religious symbols
 

I am not a Christian but I have a very nice cross that I would like to wear from time to time just because I enjoy the way it looks. There are a few other religious symbols I like the look of but I always feel strange wearing them because they are important to some, while to me they are just a nice design. It feels slightly disrespectful. How do the rest of you (religious and non) feel about religious symbols being worn by non-believers as jewelry? Does it offend you?

I, myself don't wear stuff that I don't have any apart of. Example being all those Hollister T's that have to do with surfing, I don''t surf. So, I don't wear them. Even if they are cool T's


But with that said, I do have a Yamaca (SP?) that I got from a freind who got it from a friend who stole it from a Jewish friend. I got it because my friend was wearing it at a band practice when we were in highschool and got in trouble. The dir. asked him if he was Jewish, and then told him he shouldn't be wearing that cause he wasn't.I like wearing hats and all, but if I was wearing a yamaca it wouldn't be right.

edit: I'm Christian

I don't think there is anything wrong with so long as you are wearing it in a manner that is not disrepectful to the religion it stands for.

So long as it's not done to trash the religion, there is nothing wrong with wearing the symbol of something you don't believe in. Just remember that when you do your giving that religion free advertising.

While crosses now are just nothing more than fashion accessories, but in my mind, they are symbols of a religion, same as a Star of David, if someone who held no religious beliefs wore one, I'm not sure I'd be offended, but if I knew their religiousness, I might ask why they were wearing it.

A few weeks back, a young asian guy commented on the ring thatis on my finger, it's a claddagh ring. He joked that it looked just like his. Now that surprised me that someone without a drop of Celtic blood in them, would wear one, and he had no idea o f the symbolism behind the three symbols on the ring. He just liked how it looked. Didn't bother me too much I guess, I was just surprised.

One of my co-workers wears a cross on a necklace all the time, so I always assumed she was a christian (which I am not). Although we have had a good friendship over the past 4 years that I've worked there, there was always a reservation on my part to opening up about my true feelings at times, because I didn't want to offend her. A couple of months ago I mentioned something about being christian, and she told me she wasn't. She said, "How strange that you would assume I was a christian just because I was wearing a cross!" Well what was I supopsed to do, jump to the conclusion that she was a pagan? The point is, my feeling of not wanting to offend her supposedly christian sensibilities has interfered wih our friendship, because I might have relaxed a lot more if she wasn't always wearing that cross.

I don't mind. Then again, sometimes it just gets profane (I'm not very happy about the commercialization of the word "Zen" for things like spas, sports equipment, and who knows what else). As far as personal preference goes, nah I don't mind at all. The way people treat Kabbalah like this season's pants irritated me a little at first, but there's nothing to be done about it.

I don't really understand why anyone would wear a cross if they had no christian beliefs at all... I mean, what would be the point?

A fashon accessory. Some crosses are very pretty.

I think my co-worker said something about it belonging to her grandmother or something. Personally, while I might keep something like that, I'd never actually wear it. But that's just me.

A symbol is nothing more than what you percieve it to be. Surely there's the reactions from other people that you should take into consideration but it's not as if you shouldn't shop at PacSun because you don't surf.

If I came to the conclusion that wearing a symbol if every religion in the world did something for me that I enjoyed - I'd do it. One might say that this is tactless and even disrespectful but I wear what I wear for myself.

As long as you can accept that when you wear certain symbols . . . people will make assumptions about that. As long as you are okay with that .. . then great, go ahead :)

Sweetpea

I have a jewelry box full of charms and pendants that I have worn based on my beliefs. When I was still Catholic, I wore a four-way (for the non-Catholics, its a cross, equal on all sides, with saints and holy images on each of the four ends. Normally the back is engraved with the words "I am a Catholic, please call a priest" for instances when we were mortally injured and in need of Last Rites. Sort of a *grins* "Catholic Alert" pendant, lol) I have triskellions, claddaghs, eternity knots, crones, maidens, earth goddesses.... I am not christian, nor do I associate comfortably with most established faiths that have symbolisms that can be worn. I have, for the last several months, worn either a simple triangle knot (triskelle) or a phoenix pendant, both symbols having deep, personal meaning for me rather than religious.

I don't necessarily have a problem with people wearing symbols of faiths they don't practice... I do have a problem with people wearing those symbols and not having any idea what they stand for, or who get upset when someone misunderstands what they believe in. If a cross has deep personal meaning (like if a grandparent gave it to you, or it belonged to an ancestor or something), then fine. But getting peeved because someone mistakes you for a christian when you're pagan because you're wearing a christian symbol seems a little silly. I think in that case they should be prepared for such misunderstandings, and be prepared to, if not defend, then take the misunderstanding with a grain of salt.

hmm...

i guess i would ask/recommend/advise that you not wear it.

it's not that the jewlery in and of itself is sacred, but the idea of the Cross is. and if you don't have an attachment to the idea, it's at very least strange to wear it. it's a symbol of death. would you wear a silvered electric chair around your neck if you thought it pretty?

i don't mean to be rude...and i wear a cross myself. but the choice to do so came after a prayerful deliberation of what it meant, and why i was doing so. the cross is the sacred moment of Christian life...and i should hope that it be treated respectfully, even if by those who do not consider themselves Christian.

there is plenty of jewlery that will appeal to the eye, and make you look beautiful...

What sucks is I can't wear my Buddhist symbols cause it looks like a swastika. I feel like my religious freedom has been infringed upon. I used to wear my Buddhist symbols but I got tired of fighting people, especially Jews all the time.

Plus, when it was a fad, I got really confused seeing all these people wearing Buddha beads and some idiots got annoyed at me when I asked them what temple they went to.

I guess freedom of religion for some....

Ok, so the above actually did not happen to me but my friends (I'm actually Christian) - I just wanted to write it like that for effect. It got me thinking and I kinda felt bad for them.

That's the problem with commodification and double standards. Best policy? Do what you want but don't bother others. If you wear a cross, don't be surprised if someone asks you where a church is or something (at the very least, don't get offended or upset).

I see nothing wrong with wearing religious symbols. My wife wears jewelry reproductions of ancient Egyption and Greek gods sometimes. Some of these things are beautiful no matter what your religion is.

i've been thinking about this a lot recently because i want to get a tatoo but so many of the designs i like have a religious meaning and i am not religious in any way...
somehow i don't think it is right to wear a symbol of something that you don't affiliate to. it would be like someone wearing the strip of my football team, dundee united, who doesn't support them...

That sucks for your friend. Too bad 99% of the (non-buddhist) world thinks that the swastika/sun-wheel was invented by the Nazis.

I think it sort of depends. If you're not publicly sacrificing animals while masturbating with a [insert religious symbol], then that's fine. But be prepared for a lot of questions about your faith, which probably has nothing to do with the symbol you're wearing.

I've been thinking about getting a celtic knot as a tattoo. I don't believe in the celtic gods or religion. But I plan to know what it means. Plus, I'm a quarter Irish, so nobody can give me crap about it.

I was wondering this about Christians who wear pendants of Catholic saints who aren't Catholic. When I was 15 my aunt gave me a little chain with some Saint on it that I can't remember. I was raised as Baptist but I didn't think anything of it as it was a gift from my aunt(and I had no idea it was a Catholic saint) but one day one of my friends asked if I was Catholic. I said no and he explained the Saint I was wearing was the Saint of so and so. Took me a back and I stopped wearing it.

I actually carry a medal of St. Terese de Liseaux on my keychain. I'm not Catholic and don't believe in saints, but she symbolizes simplicity (she's called the Little Flower) and that's something I think it's important for me to remember. So even if my beliefs aren't exactly those corresponding to the symbol, it still has important meaning for me.

I was going to say something just like this.

I don't care what you wear. If you want to wear a cross, knock yourself out. But be prepared for people to assume you're a Christian in some form.

Just like if you want to wear a Yankees hat cause its fashionable. Just know that people are going to believe you are a Yankees fan. And a douche. I keeed.

I used to have a beautiful Pentacle Keyring.....but removed it after growing tired of the Satanist remarks, not that the ignorance of others regularly directs my actions.
But I must admit the confusion between Pentacle and Pentagram.....is frustrating.

I say do what you feel is right. I would not feel any particular menace towards you if you wished to adorn yourself with an article of jewlery that just happens to be a cross.

I do not really know why anyone would wear a symbolic accessory if they did not identify with the symbolism, but I do not think it is wrong to wear such a thing. I amo not one to wear something that puts me in a select group of people, but w/e floats your boat.

I just realized I am wearing a surfing shirt... I didn't even know what was on my shirt today until I read Wnker85's post. :lol:

I have a cross necklace as well, but it has some religious significance to me. While I consider myself a Christian, I am not an active Christian. I firmly believe in God, but I don't live my life according to the Bible right now. Maybe when I'm older and have a family.. but I digress.

I also have a cross burned into my forearm from my younger and stupider days. Some people assume it means I'm in a gang :rolleyes:

For a self-proclaimed Goth I can't believe you would even ask this...

The cross and the ankh are both worn by Goths with no particular religious connotation...

Here's the easy answer: wear it upside-down and shave a pentagram into your head. That way nobody will make the assumption that you're a Christian.

I can relate with you on this one. I wear a pentacle around my neck and it's either mistaken for the Star of David or Satanistic practices.

One rule I live by is: Do what you will and harm no one. I do not tell you what to wear/not wear, like/dislike, etc. Please don't feel that it is appropriate to have double standards.

A person should be allowed to wear what they choose, as long as they don't wear it in disrespect or mockery. The symbol may have sentimental value to them through family or friends...with my pentacle, I wear a small silver pair of feet (like little baby feet) which represents no religion, I wear it as a symbol to represent my son (adopted; age 4 mos; closed adoption till age 18) who means everything to me.

If the feet actually represented a religion, regardless if I was aware of it or not, I would be VERY offended if a person of said religion told me to take it OFF.

Think: "Who are you to judge me?" and "Let everyone here who is perfect and haven't ever made a mistake to point out/display mine."

Like it or not, symbolism has always been an important aspect of human psychology.

And while I can appreciate "pretty" accesories (I always thought ankhs were cool), I personally would not were or decorate with symbols that are meaningful to other people whose beliefs I did not share.

Wear whatever symbols you want but don't get offended if anyone asks what you associate with the symbol. I would respect someone who held a personal meaning to a symbol even if they didn't agree with the universal meanings associated. I also think it's important to understand the meanings some people may associate with a particular symbol. Especially the more contraversial symbols. For example - Don't be surprised if someone gets upset if they see you wearing a swastika.

I for one am a Christian but I would not be offended if someone was wearing a crucifix or cross on a necklace, pin or something.

And that's how people like Prince Harry think and wear swastikas and full german SS outfits.

It's only a symbol of death if you take it that way. I might consider wearing one because the cross/crucifix is a symbol of ultimate human sacrifice, and a symbol of selflessly giving to others.

I myself have been known to wear all sorts of symbols associated with spiritual traditions - ankh, pentacle, images of Durga, Ganesh, Avalokiteshvara, Bast, etc. etc.
But it's always been something I believed in or at least had an affinity for, and I was always prepared to explain it to people with questions. I would never wear a cross (even though I have been peripherally involved in the whole Goth scene where some use it as a fashion accessory) because it is not something I believe in. As for others, let them wear whatever they want, but they should know that people will be responding to that, like how I reacted to my co-worker with the cross pendant.

Isn't the cross also used to ward off vampires, or is that a religious statement as well? I might not be Christian but would still like to keep them suckers off of me.

I wear an ankh, I have since my sophomore or junior year in high school. It represents life, how can you not believe in that?

But in general, I really can't see any reason why somebody should be offended by another wearing the symbol of their religion unless that person is degrading the symbol. Though I don't personally wear any other symbols besides the ankh, I would hope that nobody would be upset with me if I chose to. I believe in the acceptance of religion just as much as the acceptance not to believe in anything and everything in between.

How could somebody be offended if I wore the symbol with an open mind about the religion?

I have a framed version of the Wiccan Rede given to me by a once dear friend hanging on my wall. At the top is a lovely quill, a roll of parchment and a pentacle.

And even though there is no mention of 'serving the Great Satan,' it seems that that is the logical assumption to jump to when people see it. :rolleyes:

Personally, I couldn't care less what you choose to adorn yourself with, but I'm a pretty open minded individual. I could see how some folks would be offended, but I wouldn't understand why.

Some musicians/singers wear a G clef pendant, it's a beautiful shape and I do love music, but I'd never wear one, because I'm tone deaf and can't play any instrument to save my life. Likewise, I'd never wear a cross because hey, I'm not christian. I believe symbols should be treated with respect. They carry a lot of meaning in a very small package and by using them as random fashion accessories you destroy that.

I dont really have a problem with it, as long as they understand the gravity of the symbol they're sporting. I'm not christian, but I can see how people wearing the symbol of the christian faith's lord and savior could be viewed as offensive if they're wearing it as just a fashion 'statement'.

As I said though, I'm not christian so it doesnt bother me.

personally, i'd rather non-christians not wear crosses.

i've been witness to more than one instance where a non-christian wearing a cross has called christians hypocritical.

when you wear it you're identifying yourself to others as a christian, like it or not. when you do or say things that are unbecoming of christian ideals... you're being unfair to christians by projecting yourself as one of them.

i am a christian and i do wear a cross. however, i always wear it out of sight... i'm shamed to have it hanging on my neck when i do/say things i should not.

Or you could wear garlic around your neck. It works just as well as the cross and is a great conversation starter.

All in all, if you wear the cross, people will make assumptions. However, it should not be offensive because its not like the cross symbol is trademark to "all christians everywhere! TM!"

When I was a small child...the first necklace/pendant I was ever given was an Ankh. It's stuck with me through the years...eternal life...who wouldn't want to celebrate that?

When a person wears a cross, it doesn't mean they are pure Christian. It can represent the death of a family member OR be a symbol of Faith (In Anything). It's very unfair to say it only represents one thing: Christianity.

A friend of mine and I discussed this earlier today, she wears a crystal and silver cross. She wears hers as a reminder that while she is here on earth she is to strive, struggle, work hard and succeed. The cross, to her, represents her death/rebirth (to learn more lessons; reincarnation).

I have never heard of these interpretations of the cross. It kind of seems like you could wear one and just make up whatever it means to you, but the thing is nobody else will know that and will just think you're a christian.

Funny you should say that. I attended a function a few weeks back and was in the middle of some nastiness between two people I know.

My friend Julie is Jewish. My friend Carol is Scottish. Carol was wearing a Star of David necklace. I even asked her about it and she just said she liked it. Then it started.

Julie to Carol, " I didn't know you were Jewish?"

Carol replies, " I'm not."

"So why are you wearing the Star of David?"

" I like it."

Julie then rips into Carol about how disrespectful that is to the Jewish culture etc,..and then Carol fires one back.

"If it's so disrespectful for me to wear a Jewish symbol because I like it, why are you wearing a crucifix?"

I almost fell over. Sure enough Julie was wearing, not a cross, but a freakin' crucifix.

Her reply. " I like wearing it. It's not like it means anything. It's an accessory. Everybody wears one."

Well that was the beginning of the end. I exited to the bar.

Yeah, if you can get close enough to start a conversation with cloves of smelly ass garlic hanging round your neck. :p

I sometimes wear a Star of David pendant - my close family friend (so close we call him Uncle) and former pastor gave it to me. It means more to me now that his mind has gone to Alzheimers. He valued his family heritage and spoke of it often. For me to wear it is more in honor of a loved one and with thoughts of those who have lost lives because of it. If I wear jewelry for fashion I don't wear a symbol other than a heart or something more benign. Some symbols carry too much meaning to be simplified into a fashion accessory.

seIt all comes down to semantics, symbols are an aspect of the communication of values, we attribute different values and meanings to different kinds of symbols - the problem is that not everybody attributes the same values to the same symbols. If you are wearing a cross it does not mean that you are a christian but if you are aware of the symbolic significance that wearing it has to other people then I think you should be repectful about it. I'm not a nazi but if I chose to wear a swastika for it's aesthetic qualities I'd upset a lot of people, but because I understand the values that are attributed to it I wouldn't dream of doing that. If you are aware of what you are wearing signifies with respect to it's context then be mindful of that.

No way would I have left that situation. I would have ordered a couple more drinks and dug in for the duration.

The cross represents christian faith, not faith in general. And the association of crosses and death are entirely within a christian context. If you want to show that you have lost someone close, why not wear a black ribbon? It's a classic. Death and the transitory nature of life in general, why not a skull? It works in most cultures.
To use a very christian symbol as a representation of reincarnation is just weird. Use a wheel or something instead!

If it is a personal memento I can understand if you wear a symbol of a faith that isn't your own, but as a fashion statement or a symbol of something else entirely? Prepare to be mocked.

I'm a Catholic, and although I don't really inquire when I see yet another person wearing a religious symbol while going about my daily routines, it wouldn't offend me if a non-Christian wore a cross. The cross that I wear is, to me, more sentimentally tied to a specific event in my spiritual development than to the principles of Christianity as a whole.

One thing that -will- irk us Catholics, though, is when people wear rosaries as jewelry. They're shaped so that it's possible to wear them as a necklace or bangle (and I can even imagine that someone with absolutely no familiarity with them might think they actually were necklaces), but that isn't what they're intended for. They're devotionals meant to be used for a very specific purpose. So if you've seen Christians get irrationaly angry at people wearing what looks like a crucifix, it might have actually been a rosary.

Isn't there a thing in Christianity that is against being obsessed with worldly things such as wearing crosses etc..?

You quoted my post - which was mainly about how a friend of mine displayed the cross she wears and what it means to her. I was merely stating that not everyone considers it a symbol of a religion, namely Christianity.

Pip, you seem aggressive in your post. I suggest you take a deep breath and re-read my post. If people feel that they are above others enough to mock them, then they need a serious reality check and take some serious time to GROW UP.

I wear a pentacle. Funny thing is, maybe I'm alone in this, but I don't view my pentacle as a statement of my religion, I see it as my symbol of protection. I don't feel complete without it around my neck.

I was raised Christian, but I was blessed at birth as Wiccan. I once wore a cross. At that time, it didn't represent what religion I followed but my relationship with Jesus.

Seems to me it would be like wearing a Bush for President button because you liked the colors. Even thought you may not be a Bush supporter that is what people will think about you. It wouldn't make me mad, but could certainly cause confusion.

Yes, I would. Or a Katana, does that mean I'm disrespectful to someone who follows bushido?

Jewelry in it's most basic form is nothing more than adornment worn because you either like how it looks, or like how it makes you look. For some people certain symbols have special meaning, ok, good for them. Just because this symbols means X to you dosen't mean that it will mean the same thing for another person, to someone else it may mean Y. Example: go out and find 20 Christians, same or different denomination, and ask them "What does the cross mean to you?", I can garantee that you're going to get at least 10 different answers. Heck, you may get 20 different answers. To another person it may mean nothing and only be an expression of what they find attractive.

For a person to assume that any personal adornment, jewelry or otherwise, 'means' anything more than the fact that the person who is wearing it liked the look of it is their own mistake, especially if they are wrong. Another example, or a few; If you saw a person who was wearing all black would that mean that they're a 'goth'? Or same situation, a person wearing all black, would that mean that someone they loved has died and they're in mouring? Opposite situation, a person wearing all white, does that mean that they practice Kabbalah? The answers to all of those questions are obviously no, and though the color of ones clothing could be argued as being a completely different situation it is still the same principle.

I have/had worn Crosses, Pentacles, Ahnks, a Rath Gras Cross, Zodiac figures (chinese and other), Celtic knots, and the Greek symbol for long life (just to name a few). Just because I have worn these things does not mean that they have any special meaning to me other than that of their attractiveness. Sure, some have more meaning than that, and I've been asked questions about many of them. Sometimes my answer is "I just liked how it looks." and sometimes it's a small speech about my belief/meaning of it or what the common believe/meaning of it is. Other times it was a gift and the meaning of it for me is purly sentimental. Often if there was no meaning in it for me the person asking would have a fragment of symbology that I gladly listen to as I'm always curious.

Really though the way I see things is this: Don't assume anything about a person or their beliefs because of their attire (clothes, jewelry, tattoos, whatever). If you've got a question, ask it. If you have a particular meaning or belief associated with a symbol thats great, I have them too, but don't be angry if someone doesn't share your belief. On the other side of things if you don't share the beliefs of a person about a certain symbol you wear and they ask you a question about it, don't get angry at them! They can't read your mind and had no way of knowing.

So boiling my opinion down: don't assume anything; it just makes an ass out of you and me (ass-u-me), and live and let live.

I think you overestimate my reaction. I respectually requested that Livia, and others reading the thread, to not wear the cross if it wasn't personally significant. I don't think that make me assume anything. I'm perfectly willing to leave it to people's consciences whether or not it's significant to them.

But as i pointed out...it's a symbol of death. If you don't believe in the ressurection, that's all it is. And i don't know about you, but that's a little creepy in my book.

First of all I think you mean 'respectfully'? Last I checked 'respectually' wasen't in the dictionary.

Secondly, a large part of my entire point was the fact that any symbol, be it a cross or otherwise, inherently means nothing. Any meaning attributed to a symbol is the result of a personal, religious, or cultural choice that only applies to someone who buys into it.

So a cross isn't a "symbol of death". It's a symbol, and if you think that it, without belief in the resurrection, is a symbol of death that's /your/ belief. That meaning dosen't apply to anyone else unless they too have that same belief.

I agree with Cylvre. I would wear the symbol of an electric chair if I thought it was attractive. I would wear a death's head ring if I liked the design. My question was to see if people thought it was offensive for people not of their religion to wear the symbols of that religion. You seem to be saying that the symbol does not mean the same to me because I am not a memeber of the religion and that the meaning of the symbol in those circumstances is offensive to you.

I wouldn't find stuff like that offensive... i'd just think the wearer was a knob.

I count the masses of people having tattoos with Oriental words on them in that category too. Especially the ones that don't know what it says. :rolleyes:

The world is full of assholes. Don't be one. And yes, i made a spelling error. :rolleyes:

Yes. And. Yes, symbol means something becuase of what people do with it. And. This symbol has had a lot done with it. So it means things. Becuase of my belief in the ressurection, what was a symbol of death becomes a symbol of God's confrontation with human violence, and God's merciful victory over that violence.

The Romans would very much disagree. They used it as the symbol of the power of the state to kill, and to kill painfully.

Wikipedia

The cross is a way of killing someone. Very slowly. If you think electric chairs and deathsheads are cool...i guess i can't stop you. But this ranks as one of the most cruel ways to kill someone ever invented. If you think that's beautiful...i think that's kind of sick. These aren't fake people that were killed.

But, as i've said before. If you don't find it personally meaningful, I'd kindly ask you not to wear the cross.

i know what you mean. the whole religion thing seems really neat and cryptic and mysterious, but people assume things about you when you try to use thier symbols. i really like the whole holy vs. unholy game, like in movies like constantine and vampire stories and stuff, and people just get really mad and say i'm gothic. makes me mad. it's stupid.

I dont think there is anything wrong with you wearing the cross, the only thing wrong (like someone above said) would be if you got upset when people start asking you if your christian or assuming you are.

This thread really made realize that occasionally, I will wear my kairos cross, for the main purpose of wearing it as an accessory, though it's actually a very good conversation starter.....

something to ponder.