yes you say you do not give 'worship' to these figures,the cross ect....but the bible says you must not make a carved image of any sort that is in the heavens ,or on the earth........wouldnt you agree that a cross is an image?EX20:4......jehovah says that he is a spirit and therefore wants to be worshiped with spirit....And while we are on the subject of the cross....the bible does not indicate that jesus died on a cross as such....he died on a torture stake......the cross...symbol of the cross has been carried over from non christian beliefs.Infact the imperial bible dictionary acknowledges this saying:"the greek word for cross 'stau.ros',properly signified a stake,an upright pole,....even amongst the amongst the romans the 'crux'is an upright pole.If we are urged to worship in spirit and truth ...let us all be searching the truth.
here are some scriptures that talk about the Cross. this is NKJV ok.
first here is jesus talking about the Cross...and that we should all be reminded of..
Mat 16:24Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Mat 26:2"You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."
Mat 27:35Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." i can go on and on with these verses. do a word study please on crucified.
this is what i found in blueletterbible.com you can read more if you like.
Another reason may have been the way the Romans used crucifixion. A Roman citizen was never crucified- they were put to death by the quick method of beheading. Only slaves, political rebels, and the lowest criminals were put to death by crucifixion. The cross was a symbol of shame for the Romans. The Roman writer Cicero wrote.
Even the word ‘cross' must remain far, not only from the lips of the citizens of Rome, but also from their thoughts their eyes their ears.
Summary
Jesus was put to death by the terrible method of crucifixion. Although we are not told why the religious leaders did not organize a group of people to stone Him, it is likely due to the curse associated with crucifixion. Crucifixion was reserved for the slaves, political rebels and the worst criminals. The New Testament writers spoke of Jesus' death, it was not to emphasize the horrible suffering that He endured on our behalf. Rather it was to proclaim the victory that Jesus won in paying the penalty for sin
also Peter was crucified, and i belive upside down.
and i agree with my brother from a previous post, there is nothing wrong with haveing a pic of jesus , or a cross hanging in your home, just don't worship it. But we worship our King. And i don't know what church you speak of regarding worshiping idols, catholics are known for praying to saints, and praying to Mary.
