Strange Cross

[Savanah]

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday, I visited a beautiful church that I had seen while on vacation. I was very excited until I walked into the atrium/lobby and looked up to see an Egyptian ankh, the ancient symbol associated with the worship of the Egyptian god, Osiris ( it looks like a cross on the bottom with a loop on the top), in place of the true cross that we are all used to seeing. I could not believe it! I asked one of the church ushers, why they would have such a symbol in their church. :twitch She responded that it was an ancient Christian symbol. I nearly fainted before bolting the building.

I am heartbroken, I can't believe that such a symbol would be used in a "Christian" place of worhisp!

I should add that this is a "megachurch" with thousands of members. I am very interested in hearing what you all think.

Thanks,

Savanah

[Ladybug]

It's also known as the Egyptian Cross and was used by the Copts.

[Savanah]

Ladybug,
I did see that on a internet site, but the site, stated that by employing the use of the ankh, the Coptic Church was acknowledging that their church owed a debt to Osiris. Is this your understanding? Do you think the use of the ankh is biblical? I am seeking the truth.

Thanks

[Berean Girl]

Are not evangelical christians, they are part of the eastern orthodox church with more of egyptian traditions.

The ankh is NOT christian.

:shocked

[Ladybug]

There are many things you can find on the internet, especially when people are trying to be legalistic; not saying you are, but some people who post things on the internet. From what I can gather, they adopted it as their own because it was a cross; the church did this frequently with pagan practices in its early history. Perhaps the Egyptians didn't know what a 'real' cross looked like. :idunno

I wouldn't say that I'd think everything was honkey-dorey going to a church that had such, unless it was included in a display of crosses throughout church history, but I would quiz them as to why they chose to include it when it's not commonly seen in our churches today.

[Sing4Him]

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/NiseyG/ankh.png


The Ankh is defined as: The symbolic representation of both Physical and Eternal life. It is known as the original cross, which is a powerful symbol that was first created by Africans in Ancient Egypt.

The Ankh is commonly known to mean life in the language of Ancient Kemet (land of the Blacks) renamed Egypt by the Greeks. It is also a symbol for the power to give and sustain life, the Ankh is typically associated with material things such as water(which was believed by Egyptians to regenerate life), air, sun, as well as with the Gods, who are frequently pictured carrying an Ankh. The Egyptian king is often associated with the Ankh also, either in possession of an Ankh (providing life to his people) or being given an Ankh (or stream of Ankhs) by the Gods. This can be seen in the picture of King Senworsert below who is holding two Ankhs to his chest. There are numerous examples that have been found that were made from metal, clay and wood. It is usually worn as an amulet to extent the life of living and placed on the mummy to energize the resurrected spirit. ...It is usually held to the nose of the deceased king by the Gods to represent the breath of life given in the after-world.
http://www.swagga.com/ankh.htm


kind of cross, the ankh, had long been a central religous symbol. It was non-anthropormorphic, not even animal-like. The gods had all been animal faced-human figures. Anknaton's benevolent sun, was the only other symbol that was so esoteric.

This cross implied all the "god ideas" that are very infinite in nature. As monotheism is at the core of Christian beleif, the ankh seemed a good choice to symbolize the belief in one all powerful God.

The Ankh symbol often was being used as a Christian talisman. The illustration, here, of a Christian 3th Century bust with a transitional "ankh becoming a cross", was found in the 1960s in the Fayuom ,Egypt, acheological region. It was often worn as an amulet to extend one's life and placed on the mummy to energize the resurrected spirit

http://www.crystalinks.com/ankh.html