Why is the symbol of the cross used in Catholicism

[steevo]

Why is the symbol of the cross used in Catholicism ? It makes no sense to me and never has done.

I appreciate that the sign of the cross and the SUN of god may ACTUALLY relate to ancient times when there were stars in the sky in the shape of a cross and the sun would RISE on the 25 December (or it's equivalent date) and would appear to be on the stars, showing the "SUN of god" on a cross.

In PUBLIC, the leaders of the catholic church say that the cross (which is their main symbol) represents Jesus dying on the cross. Ok, all well and good but if, for example, Jesus had been stabbed to death would they use a sword as their symbol ? If he had been hung would they use a noose as their symbol ?
Something doesnt tally with the catholic church.

[shellygurrrl]

Mmm. Interesting. However, I don't pour everything into any one symbol so the cross is just that. A symbol, and you can take it or leave it.

[shellygurrrl]

Furthermore, the cross can be a very positive symbol in a person's life. There's nothing wrong with holding tight to a fixed outlook on these things.

[oiram]

The Cross, the Symbol of Our Faith
http://www.christianhomesite.com/cherryvale/text/cross.html
There is power in the cross. "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation." Romans 1:16 "... If I be lifted up from the Earth, I will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32)

There is a drawing power in the the story of the cross that appeals to my sense of logic and rationality. The cross explains to me why I die (it is the penalty for sin) and tells me a logical way by which I can be delivered from death (through the substionary death of God's son).

The cross draws me emotionally - the idea that the Creator God loves me such as to send his son in human flesh to suffer and die in my place in order to deliver me from sin and death. There is something about that story that naturally and powerfully draws people.

The power of the cross makes Jesus unique among all the world leaders and religious teachers. One third of Matthew and Mark and one fourth of Luke and one half of John are devoted to describing the last hours of Jesus. By contrast, the biographies of other notable men are not written with such an emphasis on his death. But the biography of Jesus was written that way because his death was the climax of his life and his stated means of world conquest.

There have been many "messiahs" and other individuals who have tried to gain a world following, who have tried to attract others to them - Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Caesar, Mohammed, Napoleon, Lenin, Hitler and Stalin. All of them but Jesus sought power by military might or by the force of their teachings. How different is the Christ whose plan was to draw all men unto himself through his death, the most humiliating and detested and ignominious death of his day! Jesus' plan for world conquest is the most unique and novel plan in all history. This fact alone draws me as the fact of Jesus' death itself draws me.

And it is in the story of the cross that WE find power and incentive and inspiration to seek reconciliation, to confess OUR sins, to ask forgiveness, to change OUR attitudes, to change pride into humility, to suffer for the good of others, to sacrifice our wants and desires for the good of our family and our fellow man, to learn the skills needed to get along well with people...

No wonder the supreme symbol of the church is the cross! Imagine wearing a guillotine around your neck or a mini-electric chair. That is what Christians do when they wear some symbol of the cross. Imagine if you were the parents of the Christian girl murdered at Littleton High School and somehow you came into possession of the gun that blew her brains out. Would you carry that gun around you and revere it and prize it and hold it up for all to see?

Ironically, that is what we do with the cross where Jesus was executed on our behalf. We treasure it. We love it. We value it. We prize it because God transformed the most horrible experience of suffering and pain and evil and humiliation into history's greatest good. And so for us the cross symbolizes all the bad in our lives ... that God can transform into something good. It stands for God's power to change whatever is tormenting and destroying and hurting us into some blessing.

When I survey the wondrous cross,
On which the prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it Lord that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my Lord.
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.
Christian Crosses
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/images/symbols/crosses/cross_small.jpg (http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/symbols/cross.htm)The simplest and most common cross is the Latin cross, pictured at left. It may not have come into use until the 2nd or 3rd century. The empty cross, usually favored by Protestants, reminds Christians of the resurrection, while the crucifix, with Jesus on it, favored by Catholic and Orthodox churches, is a reminder of Christ's sacrifice.
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/symbols/cross.htm
Something doesnt tally with the catholic church. You absolutely Right!

WARNING! The inverted cross has more recently been appropriated by Satanists as a symbol meant to oppose or invert Christianity
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/images/symbols/thumbs/cross-inverted-75.gif (http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/symbols/cross.htm)An inverted cross is the cross of St. Peter, who, according to tradition, was crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die the same way as Christ. As Catholics believe the pope to be a successor of St. Peter, the inverted cross is frequently used in connection with the papacy, such as on the papal throne and in papal tombs [photo]. It also symbolizes humility because of the story of Peter. The inverted cross has more recently been appropriated by Satanists as a symbol meant to oppose or invert Christianity.
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/symbols/cross.htm
Don't I wunder; do you see what I can see! To me something is clearly very wrong with this two "double crossing" ones and they are definitely NOT representing the Original!
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/images/symbols/crosses/papal_cross_wegast.jpg (http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/symbols/cross.htm)The papal cross is the official symbol of the papacy, and may be used only by the Pope. The three bars of the cross most likely represent the three realms of the Pope's authority: the church, the world, and heaven.
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/images/symbols/crosses/russian_cross_thb_clipart.gif (http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/symbols/cross.htm)The Russian Orthodox cross consists of three bars, the lowest bar low and slanted. The top bar represents the "INRI" sign placed over Jesus' head. The meaning of the slanted bar is not known for sure, but probably represents St. Andrew's cross (which looks like an X). St. Andrew is believed to have introduced Christianity to Russia. The crosses in the above right picture sit atop the domes of the Kremlin. Note that they have a slightly different lower bar.
http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/symbols/cross.htm

http://www.designboom.com/history/cross/17.gif (http://www.designboom.com/history/cross_2.html)THE LORRAIN- OR ORTHODOX CROSS
the cross lorraine, named after the region in france of the same name; the form of the cross is used primarily in the russian orthodox church, the upper bar represents the inscription, abbreviated, INRI, that pilate had placed above jesus' head, the slanted bar is lost in legend, maybe the slanted bar forms a st. andrew's cross, it is a symbol for white lead in alchemical texts.
http://www.designboom.com/history/cross_2.html