2

I belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Would it be appropriate for our congregation to display a cross surrounded by the Star of David? What does this mean?

MTL
  • 19,073
  • 4
  • 51
  • 161
JMJ
  • 21
  • 1
  • 1
    I don't see any reason to suspect Judaism has attached a fixed meaning to such a configuration. – Double AA Feb 20 '17 at 00:37
  • 11
    Some Jews might perceive it as an offensive appropriation of their cultural symbol. – mevaqesh Feb 20 '17 at 00:52
  • Welcome to Mi Yodeya. You may be interested in the 12 other questions about the [tag:star-of-david], and the 70-odd questions tagged [tag:symbols-symbology]. See also http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/22915/5323 and http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/13266/5323. – MTL Feb 20 '17 at 01:42
  • 4
    JMJ, welcome to Mi Yodeya. The question that sabbahillel linked to asks about an individual wearing a necklace with this symbol, while you're asking about a congregation displaying it. While those situations are a little different, the answers are likely to be the same. If you agree that they are, you can mark your question as a duplicate. If you don't think it's a duplicate, you can [edit] your question to more clearly say why. Thanks. – Monica Cellio Feb 20 '17 at 03:00
  • 2
    What does it mean? Really, what message is the church hoping to convey? –  Feb 20 '17 at 05:18
  • I am not sure...our Pastor would like to display it. He says it shows the connection between Jewish and Christian history. – JMJ Feb 20 '17 at 10:21
  • I am inclined to agree with mevaqesh on this. Traditionally, Lutherans have been hostile toward Jews. Martin Luther's initial friendly attitude toward Jews was intended for the purpose of assimilation. The first time I ever saw such a symbol being displayed, the sense I got was of intent to dominate the Jews. The 'heart' of the Jewish people (the inside of the Star of David) is not Christianity (the crucifix). – Yaacov Deane Feb 20 '17 at 14:22

0 Answers0