“So, he sets fire to the place and leaves, gets on his horse, takes out his sword, and heads out to destroy as many of these ‘violence worshipping’ abominations as possible.
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I am not a defender of the use of crucifixes, but I don’t think it is a worship of violence. Jesus did indeed die a violent and hideous death for us, truly suffering throughout. The crucifix is an attempt to remember and honor that.
However, one problem with it (from my point of view) is that it focuses the believer on the death and not the resurrection.
Now that's just plain silly. I can not think about the crucifixion without simultaneously thinking about the resurrection. How could it be any different for any Christian who knows the story?
There are some churches that have the crucifix as well as the Risen Christ statue nearby.
” However, one problem with it (from my point of view) is that it focuses the believer on the death and not the resurrection.”
Excellent post however don’t forget that St. Paul wrote, “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness: “.
A crucifix is a sermon in material substance.
So much more than just this. It is a visual expression of the mystery of God's Incarnation. It is a visual expression of the mystery of atonement, and of every human soul's call to conversion in Christ and acceptance of our own crosses in response to this call. It signifies Jesus's unreserved gift of self for the sake of his spouse the Church. It signifies the liturgical mystery of the Eucharist. Each of these elements is worthy of an eternity of contemplation; the crucifix is a bottomless reservoir of mystery offered to every Christian.