Islam Hates the Cross

Cardinal Keith O'Brien Urges Christians to 'Proudly' Wear Cross

BBC: Britain's most senior Roman Catholic Church cleric has called for Christians to wear a cross every day.

In his Easter Sunday sermon, Cardinal Keith O'Brien will tell worshippers to "wear proudly a symbol of the cross of Christ" each day of their lives.

The leader of the Church in Scotland, he will voice concern at the growing "marginalisation" of religion.

His comments come as a case is going to the European Court of Human Rights to allow employees to wear crosses.

In his Easter message, Cardinal O'Brien is expected to refer to remarks made by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 that Christians "need to be free to act in accordance with their own principles".

Former nurse Shirley Chaplin, from Exeter, and Nadia Eweida, from Twickenham, who worked with British Airways, are taking their call for all employees to be able to wear a cross at work to the European Court of Human Rights.

Both women lost their discrimination cases in 2010. Read on and comment » | Saturday, April 07, 2012

ACLU Lawsuit Could End 70-Year Tradition
May 23, 2011 – Cross dispute could stall commencement

Jesus Did Not Die On Cross, Says Scholar
THE TELEGRAPH: Jesus may not have died nailed to the cross because there is no evidence that the Romans crucified prisoners two thousand years ago, a scholar has claimed.

A penitent is nailed to a wooden cross to mark the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday in the town of Pampanga , Philippines. `photo: The Telegraph
The legend of his execution is based on the traditions of the Christian church and artistic illustrations rather than antique texts, according to theologian Gunnar Samuelsson.

He claims the Bible has been misinterpreted as there are no explicit references [to] the use of nails or to crucifixion - only that Jesus bore a "staurus" towards Calvary which is not necessarily a cross but can also mean a "pole".

Mr Samuelsson, who has written a 400-page thesis after studying the original texts, said: "The problem is descriptions of crucifixions are remarkably absent in the antique literature.

"The sources where you would expect to find support for the established understanding of the event really don't say anything."

The ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew literature from Homer to the first century AD describe an arsenal of suspension punishments but none mention "crosses" or "crucifixion."

Mr Samuelsson, of Gothenburg University, said: "Consequently, the contemporary understanding of crucifixion as a punishment is severely challenged. >>> | Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Attack on Christianity! Devon Nurse Loses Crucifix 'Ban' Claim at Tribunal
BBC: A Christian nurse moved to a desk job after refusing to remove her crucifix at work has lost a discrimination claim against her employers. >>> | Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Post-Christian Britain Interprets Laws In Favour of Islam and Against Christianity: Show you’re a Muslimah by wearing a hijab – okay; show you’re a Christian by wearing a crucifix – no way! >>>

Crux Vaticana Restored to Its Former Glory
THE TELEGRAPH: The Crux Vaticana, a golden reliquary said to hold fragments of the cross on which Christ was crucified, has been painstakingly restored.

A pictures of the Crux Vaticana before (left) and after it was restored. Photo: The Telegraph
The jewel-encrusted golden cross stands about a foot high and was given by the Byzantine emperor Justin II to the people of Rome in the sixth century.

It is one of the most valued treasures held in the Vatican's collection of religious artefacts.

Art experts said on Thursday the two-year restoration rendered the cross much closer to what it would have looked like at the time that it was made.

The restoration involved removing the brightly coloured jewels that had been added to the cross in the centuries after its creation and replacing them with a circle of pearls.

While there are purported fragments of Christ's cross in churches around the world, the Crux Vaticana is considered the oldest reliquary. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Thursday, November 19, 2009

Cardinal Against FPÖ’s Use of Cross
WIENER ZEITUNG: Schönborn says cross is a ‘symbol of reconciliation’. / FPÖ unimpressed by all-round criticism.

Vienna. Viennese Archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn has spoken out for the first time in the ongoing "hate debate” regarding the Freedom Party’s (FPÖ) controversial campaign for the European Parliament (EP) election.

Schönborn yesterday condemned the FPÖ’s use of the cross in their campaign, saying it was a "symbol of reconciliation,” after the right-wing party came under fire for using posters on which they said the Occi- dent needs to be preserved as a bastion of Christianity.

FPÖ leader Strache, who is warning of a growing "Islamisation” (meaning Muslims becoming more and more powerful) in Austria and Europe, refused to apologise for his statements and actions but accused other parties and the Catholic church of being "faint-hearted” and "cowardly”.

In his Ascension Day sermon at Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Schönborn warned the cross may not be misused as a "symbol for the fight against other religions or people”.

Strache was criticised for wielding a cross when holding a speech at a demonstration against the extension at an Islamic cultural centre in Vienna last week. He said at the demonstration that someone "needs to protect our Austria from these left-radicals who do not take people’s problems seriously”. Three people were taken into custody and six were taken away injured as left-wing counter-protestors fought with special police forces at the event. >>> By Thomas Hochwarter | From hardcopy, Friday, May 22, 2009