Do You Have To Be Religious To Wear A Cross?

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#17
I do think if you have no belief whatsoever in Christianity that it would be unusual to wear it, but you are free to wear what you want. Do you have any Christian beliefs? While the cross represents hope, it is also a symbol of Jesus. If you want to wear it, do so. I don't think anyone is in the right to tell you not to wear one, but you should be aware of what it represents to many.

Just ask yourself if it would bother you for people to assume you are religious by wearing it. People likely won't even pay much attention to it, but if it's not a big deal to you to wear a Christian symbol, then you've already answered your question.

I was raised Catholic, and I am slightly religious, but it's more of a personal belief for me and I do not regularly attend Church. I do on occasion wear a cross, and it's just a personal choice that we are all free to make. No one should judge you for that, the only thing they might do is make an assumption of your religioiuis affiliation, but in the grand scheme of things, so what if they do?
 
#18
You bought it, so you obviously like it - I think that's the most important thing.

I was raised Catholic, but I'm non-pratication, haven't been inside a church for years, so ot particularly religious, and I wear a cross sometimes - it's more a reminder of who gave it to me and why than a religious symbol. So, I don't see any problem in wearing a cross if one's not particularly religious. Just my 2 cents.
 
#19
There's nothing wrong with it if you are OK with it. I'm not religious, but don't wear religious symbols because they don't have any significance to me. It would feel odd to wear a cross, to me anyway, I would feel as if I was "falsely advertising" something about myself.
 
#20
I see the cross ( or in my case, the crucifix) as a statement of faith. Of course, anyone can wear anthing they choose, but unless a cross means something to you, why pick that particular symbol to wear? Unlike a peace sign or an eternity symbol, a cross has religious and spiritual connotations.
 
#22
Doesn't Juicy use a type of cross on some of their fashions and in some of their pieces of jewelery? All the people that wear those things can't be doing so for religious purposes.
 
#24
In doing some research one can find that the cross is one of the most ancient human symbols and is used by many religions. I think it is a personal choice and if you think it is beautiful, it would not be for me to judge whether or not you should wear it.
 
#25
I really do believe a cross is a Christian religious symbol in the contemporary American vernacular, so don't be shocked if someone assumes you are Christian - it is a symbol of the dominant religion on our continent.

They are beautiful - no matter what, wear it in good health (cliche, but I'm sincere).
 
#26
HauteMama said:
To me it definitely indicates being a Christian. Generally speaking, Catholics (at least around here) wear them more often than those of other denominations. To me, there are symbols of hope and then there are religious symbols. For many people, the Star of David is a symbol of hope and unity. Would you find it acceptable for a non-religious person to wear a Star of David, or would you assume they were of a certain faith?

Certainly it is up to you, and everyone has a different perspective. But to me a cross is a specific religious symbol. Unless one shares the beliefs/religion, it would strike me as unusual to wear one.
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interesting that you used the star of david as an example, because i myself am jewish and i cannot imagine ever wearing a cross. nothing against christians, of course, because hey, my dad is catholic, but my mom is jewish and we were raised that way.

regardless, to answer the OP's initial question, i wear a star of david but i'm not necessarily religious, per se. meaning, i don't regularly attend synagogue every friday or saturday, but only on special occasions (i.e. passover, yom kippur, etc.), but does it make me wrong for wearing a star of david because i'm not very religious? no, of course not. when i got married, we had a rabbi officiate and we signed the katuba, my husband broke the glass, we got married under the traditional jewish arch, we signed a jewish marriage license, while the men wore yarmulkes. but i'm not necessarily religious—but i do inherently believe in my faith, if that makes sense.

but i can't imagine a person of a non-jewish faith wearing one, same thing as a person who isn't christian/catholic wearing a cross. but i guess, to each their own. there's really no rule, is there? you have to do what you think is right and acceptable and go from there. if you feel at peace by wearing a cross, then wear it. it's for you, and nobody else.
 
#27
Swanky Mama Of Three said:
they're "mainstream" now IMO. They're on men's clothing, Ed Hardly, etc. . .
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they are, and i see them everywhere as fashion jewelry. i prefer not to ever wear one, even for fashion purposes because what it signifies to me is christiantiy/catholicism, and for me personally, that goes against everything i believe in (and my new york jewish mother would kill me...lol). :death:
 
#28
I think that any piece of jewelry that indicates your faith is a sign of your spirituality. I wear a gold mezuzah (jewish) that my parents gave me when I was 20 years old. It is on a 20 or 24 inch chain and I never take it off. I don't display it, but it is close to my heart because it means everything to me.
 
#29
I love my cross, got a million compliments today. Bought it cuz I love the Roberto Coin one and had a good size merch credit at Macy's(the worst dept store by me-Short Hills mall)and this one looked just like the Coin one at a fraction of the price due to their take 50%off take 50%off and so on sales(drives me nuts, just give me the best price). I will wear and love it. Thanks to all of you whose many thoughts I respect.
 
#30
Just because you arent particularly "religious' doesnt mean you dont believe in what the cross signifies. I have long argues that point. I am not a member of a church, but I do consider myself a believer, therefore I wear a cross. I wear a Celtic cross because of my Irish heritage and because of the fact that it stands for both Christianity and ancient beliefs of non-christians who sought "something".
I seek something, I have faith and hope, believe in the biblical creation, but I dont accept that it only is accessible to those who go to a "building" to have faith and hope and belief.
IT is whats in YOUR heart, not what you share with others.
So, yes, if wearing a cross helps you have faith and hope, then by all means wear it.
 
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