On August 10, 1995, the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, the highest court in Germany, ruled that the installation of crucifixes in state schools is unconstitutional. This is not about Catholic religious schools, but about schools in which all children partake in lessons, regardless of their denomination or worldview. The distinguished Catholic persons of the CDU/CSU and the Church have harshly criticized this ruling, questioned it and publicly defamed the highest judges of this country. In the case of the crucifix, there is talk of a "Christian symbol", of "Christian values", of "Western culture", etc., which must be preserved. The judges responsible have been pilloried in the public media, and the Catholic state government in Munich will do what it decides itself.

Anyone who has studied the Bible and history knows that crucifixion was the worst form of death penalty imposed in the Roman Empire. Our Lord has suffered this death penalty for our sake. Galatians 3 refers to Deuteronomy 21:23, where it says, "for he that is hanged is accursed of God." At the moment of the crucifixion, the sin and curse of mankind lay on the Lamb of God, so that through the shed blood the redeemed might receive reconciliation, the salvation of the soul and the blessing of God.

By making the sign of the cross, people think they can bless themselves, secure protection, avert hardship, and drive away evil powers. Fields, objects, houses, livestock — everything is included in the Trinitarian blessing. This list could go on. In Bavaria, many housewives still make three crosses over the bread before they cut it. However, all of this has nothing to do with faith, but only with superstition. The sign of the cross, whether made by hand or worn as a symbol, becomes a talisman or lucky charm. Children of God have nothing to do with that. The biblical believers do not make the sign of the cross by bringing their hand to their forehead, mouth and chest and saying to themselves: "In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". No and again no! Those who have become believers live under the blessing of God, which came to us by salvation accomplished on the cross at Golgotha. We have experienced the Word of the cross as a power of God and testify that we were crucified with Christ, buried with Him through baptism and resurrected to a new life (Romans 6).

Everything that served our Lord and Redeemer — from His entry into this world until His ascension — was unique. Mary, the chosen earthly vessel who was deemed worthy to receive the divine substance, is not mentioned again in any of the letters of the Apostles from Romans 1 until the end of Revelation. In Bethlehem it was the inn and the manger in the stable. The cross on Golgotha fulfilled its purpose, as did the linen cloths and the tomb. But we do not worship a place or an object, but give glory only to the God of heaven, who has become our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The early Christians would have been careful not to display a cross, because under Nero, who had made the bloody persecution of Christians his goal in life, many of them were still crucified and killed. The sign of the cross goes back to Constantine, the multiple murderer within his own family, and was only later adopted by the Roman Imperial Church. According to what is written in the Encyclopædia Britannica, there was no crucifix (cross with body) at all until the 10th century. It was not until the First Crusade in 1096-1099, that the Blood Pope Urban II made a call for assistance and in which he promised the bearers of the crosses and crucifixes immediate remission of sins and even heaven itself, that under the symbol of the crucifix, as it was called, "slaughter all unbelievers". When the falsely so-called Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the middle of the city was captured, the blood of the inhabitants of Jerusalem flowed down the streets. The crusader responsible for this, Godfrey of Bouillon, who dedicated his sword to the Mother of God, let out the battle cry: "Deus lo vult." — God wills it. Officially, it was about defending the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land. Even now, high-ranking men of the "The Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre" are preoccupied with the Jerusalem question. They are not only concerned with supporting Israel's 65,000 Catholic Palestinians in their "struggle for existence against the Jews", but above all to assert the Vatican's claim to ownership of the Holy Land. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michael Sabbah, a Palestinian, a declared enemy of Israel, is the highest-ranking Knight of the Holy Sepulchre after the Grand Master. They are obviously also making a pact with the Muslims among the Palestinians against the Jews. The Knights' own claim to Eretz Israel is clear because Mary is venerated as the "Queen of Palestine".

If one knows history and knows what has happened with the sign of the cross and in the name of the crucifix religion, namely through Roman Catholicism, then one will be careful not to regard such a symbol as a Christian sign. Only that which goes back to Christ and His Word is Christian; only that which goes back to the Apostles is apostolic, only that which goes back to the Bible is biblical. All the traditions of the Church do not do justice in any way to these three facts. When compared closely, nothing can be traced back to Christ, the apostles, or the Bible. The Creed, for example, which was formulated hundreds of years after Christ in various councils, should not be called an "Apostolic Creed" at all, because it also has nothing in common with the Apostles and the teaching of the Apostles. The violent Christianization and the cruel Inquisition by the bearers of the cross and crucifix cost the lives of millions of people. Countless Jews and people of other faiths, who could not kiss the crucifix because they saw idolatry in the whole affair, preferred martyrdom. Crucifix and instruments of torture often hung on the same wall in the prisons. Two words are written in the heart of every believing Jew as a term forever and ever: "Schma Israel — Hear Israel!" What Israel was to hear is written in the First Commandment.

It is contrary to the first commandment to make any image or likeness before which one casts oneself down in devotion. God Himself accepts only worship that is directed towards Him in His Spirit and in the truth of His Word. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24). Not a place, not an object, not a symbol, not an image, not a likeness, but God, who by His nature is Spirit, accepts only worship that occurs in the Holy Spirit. That alone is worship. Where other things are included in the worship, whether Mary, saints, patron saints or relics — there is idol worship, direct idolatry, which is an abomination to God. Many Bible passages could be mentioned in this regard. Two tribes were taken out of the twelve tribes of Israel because they practiced the worship of idols, namely, Dan and Ephraim. Ephraim, who even received the firstborn blessing by the crossed hands of Jacob (Genesis 48), has forfeited his birthright because of his idolatry (1 Kings 12:25-32) and, like Dan, no longer belongs to the complete list of the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation 7:3-8. In the prophet Hosea, Ephraim is repeatedly mentioned in chapters 3 to 13 by name and rebuked for his worship of idols. God does not make empty words: He means what He says, and says what He means. His commandment is a holy requirement, and His Word is a holy commandment.

We do not want to go into detail here about what happens in pilgrimage sites, churches, and so on. In any case, the word to every individual who follows Jesus is still valid today: "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." [Matthew 10:38] and "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." [Luke 14:27] The personal cross is not made of wood or metal, it consists of the suffering, ridicule and scorn that believers endure when they truly follow the Lord. Just as the Redeemer took up the cross at the end of His ministry and went via Gethsemane to the place of execution, so every believer takes up his cross on the day of his conversion, figuratively speaking, and experiences that he has been crucified with Christ and will henceforth have to bear His reproach. Once again, it must be emphasized that wearing a man-made cross and crucifix is like a talisman and has nothing to do with faith but with superstition. Since the fall of world communism in 1989/90, the wearing of crosses has become fashionable, especially on necklaces.

Biblical believers believe as the Scriptures say, they are concerned with the salvation work of God, which was accomplished once and for all on the cross at Golgotha, when the Son of God cried out: "It is finished!" — namely, "…And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." (Ephesians 2:16), "… And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself…" (Colossians 1:20), "…Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." (Colossians 2:14). Anyone who has experienced the act of reconciliation of God with humanity, as it happened on Golgotha, in all its redemptive effects, does not wear a visible, external cross made of gold, silver or wood, let alone a crucifix. Only those who have not experienced it inwardly do that. Once again, it should be emphasized that what happened on the cross is not about any symbols, which are then made into a kind of idol and false god using a seemingly magical formula, but it is about the experience with God, who was in Christ and reconciled the world to Himself. Both the cross and the tomb are empty, the Crucified One has risen and ascended to heaven. The Risen One is not a man-made dead object that people carry. He is the living Lord who carries His own. He will soon come again and take all who have been crucified and died with Him, in order that they would live with Christ, to Himself in glory.

On August 10, 1995, the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, the highest court in Germany, ruled that the installation of crucifixes in state schools is unconstitutional. This is not about Catholic religious schools, but about schools in which all children partake in lessons, regardless of their denomination or worldview. The distinguished Catholic persons of the CDU/CSU and the Church have harshly criticized this ruling, questioned it and publicly defamed the highest judges of this country. In the case of the crucifix, there is talk of a "Christian symbol", of "Christian values", of "Western culture", etc., which must be preserved. The judges responsible have been pilloried in the public media, and the Catholic state government in Munich will do what it decides itself.

Anyone who has studied the Bible and history knows that crucifixion was the worst form of death penalty imposed in the Roman Empire. Our Lord has suffered this death penalty for our sake. Galatians 3 refers to Deuteronomy 21:23, where it says, "for he that is hanged is accursed of God." At the moment of the crucifixion, the sin and curse of mankind lay on the Lamb of God, so that through the shed blood the redeemed might receive reconciliation, the salvation of the soul and the blessing of God.

By making the sign of the cross, people think they can bless themselves, secure protection, avert hardship, and drive away evil powers. Fields, objects, houses, livestock — everything is included in the Trinitarian blessing. This list could go on. In Bavaria, many housewives still make three crosses over the bread before they cut it. However, all of this has nothing to do with faith, but only with superstition. The sign of the cross, whether made by hand or worn as a symbol, becomes a talisman or lucky charm. Children of God have nothing to do with that. The biblical believers do not make the sign of the cross by bringing their hand to their forehead, mouth and chest and saying to themselves: "In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". No and again no! Those who have become believers live under the blessing of God, which came to us by salvation accomplished on the cross at Golgotha. We have experienced the Word of the cross as a power of God and testify that we were crucified with Christ, buried with Him through baptism and resurrected to a new life (Romans 6).

Everything that served our Lord and Redeemer — from His entry into this world until His ascension — was unique. Mary, the chosen earthly vessel who was deemed worthy to receive the divine substance, is not mentioned again in any of the letters of the Apostles from Romans 1 until the end of Revelation. In Bethlehem it was the inn and the manger in the stable. The cross on Golgotha fulfilled its purpose, as did the linen cloths and the tomb. But we do not worship a place or an object, but give glory only to the God of heaven, who has become our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The early Christians would have been careful not to display a cross, because under Nero, who had made the bloody persecution of Christians his goal in life, many of them were still crucified and killed. The sign of the cross goes back to Constantine, the multiple murderer within his own family, and was only later adopted by the Roman Imperial Church. According to what is written in the Encyclopædia Britannica, there was no crucifix (cross with body) at all until the 10th century. It was not until the First Crusade in 1096-1099, that the Blood Pope Urban II made a call for assistance and in which he promised the bearers of the crosses and crucifixes immediate remission of sins and even heaven itself, that under the symbol of the crucifix, as it was called, "slaughter all unbelievers". When the falsely so-called Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the middle of the city was captured, the blood of the inhabitants of Jerusalem flowed down the streets. The crusader responsible for this, Godfrey of Bouillon, who dedicated his sword to the Mother of God, let out the battle cry: "Deus lo vult." — God wills it. Officially, it was about defending the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land. Even now, high-ranking men of the "The Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre" are preoccupied with the Jerusalem question. They are not only concerned with supporting Israel's 65,000 Catholic Palestinians in their "struggle for existence against the Jews", but above all to assert the Vatican's claim to ownership of the Holy Land. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michael Sabbah, a Palestinian, a declared enemy of Israel, is the highest-ranking Knight of the Holy Sepulchre after the Grand Master. They are obviously also making a pact with the Muslims among the Palestinians against the Jews. The Knights' own claim to Eretz Israel is clear because Mary is venerated as the "Queen of Palestine".

If one knows history and knows what has happened with the sign of the cross and in the name of the crucifix religion, namely through Roman Catholicism, then one will be careful not to regard such a symbol as a Christian sign. Only that which goes back to Christ and His Word is Christian; only that which goes back to the Apostles is apostolic, only that which goes back to the Bible is biblical. All the traditions of the Church do not do justice in any way to these three facts. When compared closely, nothing can be traced back to Christ, the apostles, or the Bible. The Creed, for example, which was formulated hundreds of years after Christ in various councils, should not be called an "Apostolic Creed" at all, because it also has nothing in common with the Apostles and the teaching of the Apostles. The violent Christianization and the cruel Inquisition by the bearers of the cross and crucifix cost the lives of millions of people. Countless Jews and people of other faiths, who could not kiss the crucifix because they saw idolatry in the whole affair, preferred martyrdom. Crucifix and instruments of torture often hung on the same wall in the prisons. Two words are written in the heart of every believing Jew as a term forever and ever: "Schma Israel — Hear Israel!" What Israel was to hear is written in the First Commandment.

It is contrary to the first commandment to make any image or likeness before which one casts oneself down in devotion. God Himself accepts only worship that is directed towards Him in His Spirit and in the truth of His Word. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24). Not a place, not an object, not a symbol, not an image, not a likeness, but God, who by His nature is Spirit, accepts only worship that occurs in the Holy Spirit. That alone is worship. Where other things are included in the worship, whether Mary, saints, patron saints or relics — there is idol worship, direct idolatry, which is an abomination to God. Many Bible passages could be mentioned in this regard. Two tribes were taken out of the twelve tribes of Israel because they practiced the worship of idols, namely, Dan and Ephraim. Ephraim, who even received the firstborn blessing by the crossed hands of Jacob (Genesis 48), has forfeited his birthright because of his idolatry (1 Kings 12:25-32) and, like Dan, no longer belongs to the complete list of the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation 7:3-8. In the prophet Hosea, Ephraim is repeatedly mentioned in chapters 3 to 13 by name and rebuked for his worship of idols. God does not make empty words: He means what He says, and says what He means. His commandment is a holy requirement, and His Word is a holy commandment.

We do not want to go into detail here about what happens in pilgrimage sites, churches, and so on. In any case, the word to every individual who follows Jesus is still valid today: "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." [Matthew 10:38] and "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." [Luke 14:27] The personal cross is not made of wood or metal, it consists of the suffering, ridicule and scorn that believers endure when they truly follow the Lord. Just as the Redeemer took up the cross at the end of His ministry and went via Gethsemane to the place of execution, so every believer takes up his cross on the day of his conversion, figuratively speaking, and experiences that he has been crucified with Christ and will henceforth have to bear His reproach. Once again, it must be emphasized that wearing a man-made cross and crucifix is like a talisman and has nothing to do with faith but with superstition. Since the fall of world communism in 1989/90, the wearing of crosses has become fashionable, especially on necklaces.

Biblical believers believe as the Scriptures say, they are concerned with the salvation work of God, which was accomplished once and for all on the cross at Golgotha, when the Son of God cried out: "It is finished!" — namely, "…And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." (Ephesians 2:16), "… And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself…" (Colossians 1:20), "…Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." (Colossians 2:14). Anyone who has experienced the act of reconciliation of God with humanity, as it happened on Golgotha, in all its redemptive effects, does not wear a visible, external cross made of gold, silver or wood, let alone a crucifix. Only those who have not experienced it inwardly do that. Once again, it should be emphasized that what happened on the cross is not about any symbols, which are then made into a kind of idol and false god using a seemingly magical formula, but it is about the experience with God, who was in Christ and reconciled the world to Himself. Both the cross and the tomb are empty, the Crucified One has risen and ascended to heaven. The Risen One is not a man-made dead object that people carry. He is the living Lord who carries His own. He will soon come again and take all who have been crucified and died with Him, in order that they would live with Christ, to Himself in glory.