Why the cross?
@freethinkingagent (2501)
July 31, 2009 11:02pm CST
The cross as a religious symbol can be found in every culture, from the Native Americans to the Chinese, India, Japan, Egypt, Sumer, the ancient peoples of Europe and central-south America.
The Buddhist Wheel of Life is made of two superimposed crosses and birds with their wings open are used to symbolize the cross in endless logos, coats of arms and badges. One of the most ancient forms of the cross is the Tau or Tav cross which resembles the letter T. This was the cross on which political dissidents were hung by the Romans, apparently. It was the symbol of the Druid god, Hu, The Egyptian’s Crux Ansata, the ‘cross of life’, added a circle loop to the top.
The Crux Ansata and the Tau cross were found on statues and other artwork throughout ancient Central America. It was associated with water and the Babylonians used the cross as an emblem of the water gods who they said had brought them their civilization. The concept of a saviour god figure dying for humanity is an ancient one. The religions of India had a tradition of the crucified saviour centuries before Christianity.
The Hindu ‘Christ’ figure, Khrishna, appears in some portrayals nailed to a cross in classic Jesus manner. Quetzalcoatl is said to have come out of the sea carrying a cross and he has been represented as being nailed to a cross.
7 responses
@shivram123 (656)
• India
2 Aug 09
i too is very sad to say tht there is no story in hinduism abt krishna being nailed in cross,it is the conversional ideas of the penta coastal mission,they understood tht for converting hindus to christianity they have to mix theie religion to hinduism inorder to make the conversion easily and effective.
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@shivram123 (656)
• India
2 Aug 09
no,he was not tied to tree,
actually the story is like this,
krishna can be only killed by harming in his toe,
the person who killed krishna was the second life of bali,who was killed by ram inorder to help sugriva,(ram said tht bali can kill him in his second life)
there is so much to explain in all the incidents happened in this story.
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@freethinkingagent (2501)
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2 Aug 09
I agree that there is nothing in Hindu scriptures that say anything about Krishna being nailed to a cross. But one tradition I have heard says he was tied to a tree and shot with an arrow, which visually would look similar to being crucified.
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@freethinkingagent (2501)
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2 Aug 09
Wonderful I have not heard that one, i did hear another that said he was accidently shot in the ankle by an arrow while hunting a deer. But I have not heard this version. I would like to know this version as I believe you have great knowledge of the stories and their interpretations. Also I have not heard of Ram before.
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@rameshkumaar57 (5908)
• India
2 Aug 09
I am very sorry to disagree with you on the so called "The Hindu 'Christ' figure, Khrishna, appears in some portrayals nailed to a cross in classic Jesus manner.
Kindly note there has never been any portrayal like this about Krishna or for that matter any other Hindu gods. For your kind information, Krishna was born more than thousands of years ago before Christ.
Our Hindus religion is one of the oldest religion in the world, and Christianity came much later.It is basically the Christian Missonaries, who in order to convert people from other religions,make pictures like this and circulate them.
I can assure you that the cross is not a religious symbol which is found in our Hindu Culture.
@rameshkumaar57 (5908)
• India
2 Aug 09
For your kind information Krishna was never executed and I will be very happy if you are able to show any pictures of the same. Please note that in ancient India as well as in Asia, there was no such thing as crusification.
This kind of barbaric practice was followed only in Ancient Europe.Once again I would like to empasis that the cross was not a symbol as far as India as well as in the entire Asian region.
@rameshkumaar57 (5908)
• India
2 Aug 09
I am sorry that I will not be able to comment on Jesus, because I know only a little about Christianity. As I studied in a Christian College for just a year, I do not know much about Christianity except the usual things about Christ, Bible etc. My only point was to mention about Krishna and how Hindu religion was there before Christianity was born.
So I dont think I will be the right person to comment on this discussion.
@freethinkingagent (2501)
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2 Aug 09
Correct there is not a an instance of Crucifixion in lower Asia, Why are you misunderstanding this post? I never thought I would get a Hindu to point out the differences. The whole post is for people to tell me why Jesus is NOT like the other gods mentioned here. You have though been able to point out the differences in Krishna, and how he is different. Now can you tell me the differences of the others pertaining to Jesus and his Crucifixion? You have drastically misread this post, it is not to say they are alike, but to say how they are Different. Thanks
And the similarity is the story like I said that Krishna was tied to a tree and shot with an arrow, which in visualization is like being crucified, also There is one story where he was killed with an arrow that shot him in the ankle because he was mistaken for a deer, and yet there are other variations to this story. So you have said how Krishna is different, but now tell me how Jesus is different from the others please. thanks
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@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
3 Aug 09
this post is so very informative and interesting….sorry I cant really add anything worthwhile as whatever I wanted to say has already been said by Ramesh and Shivram…however, let me say that I find an amazing similarity between the names and pronunciation of Krishna and Christ. BTW, I am still awaiting a proper answer to the main question…’why the cross’…what do you think, why is this symbol so important to all civilizations? Even the swastika as mentioned, is somewhat akin to a twisted cross! I think Islam is the only religion that has no relation with the cross.
@freethinkingagent (2501)
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4 Aug 09
Most crosses, especially the anciant cultures the cross was actualy an astrological symbol representing the sun, and the solstice/equinox for example. Today when someone says cross they automatically think of the cross of Jesus or a crucifiction Roman Cross. The Egyptian Ankh for example is an Egyptian cross. I believe some one said Egypt had no crosses, well they were wrong.
@shivram123 (656)
• India
3 Aug 09
hi all,
i was stuck(not struck) in sudipta's reply and found out a wonderful information which i think will makes us little more near to the answer for the main question,first of all let me explain how the name cross came from inside hinduism(i assumes tht cross came frm swasthika coz of the period difference)
swasthika is a brief transformation of the idol of lord ganesha,he has the names karimukh and ibhasya because of his head rejoining.
if we take kari+asya it comes to the formation of word cross
and
if we add kari+asya+ishta(ishta means 'person who accepts' or 'beloved')it comes to formation of word christ
it was only because sudipta said abt krishna and christ,i just tried some sanskrit grammers in these words
regards
shivram
@freethinkingagent (2501)
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4 Aug 09
Wow! thanks! This is very exciting for me. I love words. And finding new meanings. Thanks for this reply. So could the name in sanskrit also mean, "he who excepts the cross" or "he who is beloved of the cross"?
@systems (459)
• India
2 Aug 09
Hi Bro.. please tell us from where did you quote the words
"The Hindu ‘Christ’ figure, Khrishna, appears in some portrayals nailed to a cross in classic Jesus manner."
Please tell the references...
@freethinkingagent (2501)
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2 Aug 09
The reference is from an online source, not an academic source. Academically the only stories I know are the two I stated in an earlier example. The post is not about Krishna being nailed to a cross in as much as it is a question about what Makes Jesus any different from any of the other "savior gods" or "Christs" to have come before him. The Krishna excerpt is an example of how some people have tried to parallel Jesus with Krishna and other deities. I am amazed how every one is focusing on only the Krishna thread, I should have know this would happen how ever with as many fine Hindus that are present at my lot. The post though as I said is how is Jesus different form the others. Missionaries most likely as has been stated are the source of the drawings of Krishna and Vishnu on a cross. But hey can you tell me how he is different from any of the others? Thanks.
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@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
3 Aug 09
This is how wars used to get started. When people start spreading rummers about other peoples religions of which they know nothing about. I am surprised you didn't try to say the Mogen David was bent crosses or something so that you could say that Jews used the cross too.
The christians based their religion on pagan beliefs with a little bit of Judaism mixed in, because they were Jews. As time went on, they tossed out as much Judaism as they could and kept most of the pagan beliefs that Constantine had incorporated into their religion. Their rituals are pagan based, the cross is pagan based, the need for icons is pagan based, and the need for multiple deities and saints to pray to is pagan based.
However, christianity is disimilar to Hindu beliefs. The Druids did mix Pagan and catholic rituals and beliefs together to come up with a very interesting religion.
The Native Americans and belivers in Buddha also have nothing in common with christians unless they have recently converted. And I cannot fathom why they ever would.
Shalom~Adoniah
@freethinkingagent (2501)
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3 Aug 09
LOL, that's a good one. I will have to remember that one for a later time. I wrote this (and a few others) to show how some say Christianity is just the same old thing that came before it. Some point out similarities to other religions, Unfortunately I did not get anyone to elaborate on how they were different except from the Hindus, I am very upset I could not get comments from Christians to state the differences, or to flat out deny the accusations on this tread and the others I wrote, except to quote the bible. Seems the only people astute enough to know the differences are Hindus and the Jews, Shame. There are some very good rebuttals to all the comments I have made on these last posts, but alas, I couldn't get any to refute any but this thread. Shalom Adoniah
@blessing2u (496)
• Philippines
1 Aug 09
For the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the cross is the symbol of their faith because it is through the cross that the shed blood of Jesus Christ washes away our sins. It is on the cross that Jesus Christ was crucified to pay for the sins of man. It is on the cross that culminates the offering of lambs because the perfect Lamb, Jesus Christ was offered once and for all.
@freethinkingagent (2501)
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1 Aug 09
The first symbol of the Christians was the fish, Christ arrived in around the time of the procession of the equinox from Aries to Pieces. Thus before his baptism he was the Lamb of God (Aries), and afterwards the "fisher of Men" and many parables with fish in them which correspond to the age transition of Pisces. The sign of Pisces being the fish or two fish swimming around each other can be written in astrological short hand as a cross that is formed between them, So the first symbol of Christians, the fish, and the later Cross are actualy one in the same.
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