crosses in fashion

HannahMaryTaylor

Are we spitting on religion?

Two Christian women from Strasbourg in France claim that their rights were violated when employees barred them from wearing crosses at work.  Society has become hyprotical and unfair when it comes to religion by allowing religious symbols to be bought and worn on the streets, but not entered into a work place.  They have allowed employees to ban the wearing of a cross/ crucifix at work as it is not seen as a recognised requirement of the christian faith.  Bishop of Peterborough, Donald Allister told the Telegraph last month “Ok, if you say wearing a cross isn’t a compulsory part of Christianity, we agree, but it is a duty of a Christian to be public about their faith as well as private, and that is clear New Testament teaching.”   If you can’t wear a cross symbolising your religion in a work place, you shouldn’t be able to go into a shop and see crosses over the front of clothes and know that people wear them all the time, whether it is a child to school on a non school uniform day or just generally day to day.  

  Tattoos, jewellery, home design and fashion clothing are covered in religious symbols that are meaningless to the owner or wearer.  These are the most common used and abused religious symbols; doves which symbolise purity and peace, dragons which symbolise the devil, the phoenix which represents the resurrection of the dead and eternal life over death, the peacock which symbolises immortality, the cross which represents Christ on the cross, anchors which are the symbol for hope and steadfastness and rosary beads which show a devotion to the Virgin Mary.  Why do people have them?  Apparently it makes them deep and edgy, isn’t that a goths job?   Christians should hold ‘take back the cross’ protests.  Does the cross even mean anything anymore?  I think we have devalued the meaning.

It’s not just christians who’s religious symbols and faith are being abused, the Arab community, the Jewish faith, and more also suffer the same.  Although it’s not a religious symbol, a keffiyeh scarf which is used to symbolise pro-palestinian views has a strong tie to the Arab community and has now become an accessory in many stores.  Remember when all the stars were wearing red Kabbalah bracelets? Madonna, Britney and Paris Hilton used to wear them regularly, which was supposed to show their adherence to the Jewish faith, but it was clear that the bracelets were just a fashion accessory.  The Judaism's sign and Islamic and Jewish symbol for life, fertility and protection against the evil eye is being sold in Topshop and Urban Outfitters.  Celebrities also wear rosary beads and crosses as fashion accessories, showing how meaningless the symbol is becoming in society.

Personally I don’t own and wouldn’t wear an item of clothing with a religious symbol on, but people do and that is fair enough, but banning other people from wearing the cross at work or in school is simply ridiculous and confusing.  You can’t enforce one rule and let others do another, make up your mind society!!