SIGNS OF THE CROSS: PROFESSIONS OF FAITH MAKE PUBLIC STATEMENTS

Copies of the Ten Commandments are showing up in the front yards of Cape Girardeau residents and others in the region.

A sign with Psalm 103:2 offered a spiritual message on the front lawn of a Cape Girardeau home.

Easter symbolism is displayed on this flag attached to a front porch in Cape Girardeau.

The Virgin Mary graces the backyard of a Cape Girardeau home.

You don't have to visit a church on Sunday to see signs of the Christian faith displayed. More and more often, people are making their professions of faith visible.

Whether it is a cross dangling from a necklace, a WWJD bracelet, a statue of Jesus or Mary displayed in a garden, or a fish displayed on the bumper of a car, signs of Christianity keep popping up across Southeast Missouri.

For many people it is a passive means of sharing their faith rather than an aggressive one. "It's not offensive at all," said Dr. Andy Pratt, director of the Baptist Student Center at Southeast Missouri State University.

Religious symbols "give us a sense of belonging" and offer a way of communicating that belonging to other people, he said.

Using symbols "is a way of identifying ourselves with our faith," Pratt said.

Here's a look at some of the symbols seen most often:

Cross

Whether you see it on a lapel pin, necklace or other jewelry, people wear the cross proudly.

But just wearing a cross doesn't mean a person is Christian. For some people "it doesn't mean anything," said Larry Holloway.

"Jesus died on the cross, and that's why we are saved, through him," Holloway said. People often forget that the image of the cross isn't to be worshipped but worn as a reminder of Christ's sacrifice, he said.

For early Christians, the cross was considered a degrading symbol. The Romans used crosses or simple stakes for executions. It wasn't until sometime around the fifth century that the cross began to make appearances in Christian contexts.

Eric Cunningham started wearing a cross on a chain around his neck June 1, 1977. That's the day he was born again and devoted his life to God.

"I thought at the time that you don't always get the chance to tell someone about the Lord and that you love him, so this is one thing that I can do," he said.

It's certainly not the only way he expresses his faith, but it's one that gets noticed. Cunningham, who is the attorney for Cape Girardeau, said that once during a trial an opposing lawyer wanted to object that Cunningham was wearing the cross because he thought it might create more sympathy with the jury. The lawyer never had to make the objection, Cunningham said.

Most people who ask about the cross aren't offended that he wears it, Cunningham said. "The people who approach and ask me aren't offended or they wouldn't have asked," he said. "Jesus said that 'If you confess me before men I will confess you before the father,' and this is one way to confess him before men."

Statue of Mary, the saints

Many homes display a statue of Mary or the saints in yards or flower gardens much like people would display family photographs.

The statues are "like three-D pictures of our family of faith," said the Rev. J. Friedel, director of Catholic Campus Ministries at the university.

It's the same principle as carrying a photograph of a loved one in your wallet, he said. People often have the misconception that Catholics are praying to the statues or images of the saints. That isn't true.

"They are used to remind us; it's a touch stone with people," Friedel said. "The saints are our heroes." People go to them for assistance with prayers or because of a devotion or closeness.

Images of Mary, the mother of Jesus, are often seen in grottos because "Mary is a reminder for us of what it is to be a disciple, and so when we look at her she is the first and best disciple," he said. Mary is the best model of "how to live our faith." The grottos are ways of honoring her.

While Mary is seen most often, people also choose other saints that they feel a closeness with and display their images in statue form.

Marilyn and William Kiehne, who attend St. Mary Cathedral, chose St. Francis of Assisi to adorn their garden and yard because the saint was most often connected with the outdoors.

The Kiehnes have a large statue of St. Francis in the front yard at 949 N. Cape Rock Drive and a smaller statue in their back yard.

Marilyn Kiehne said it's comforting to look out her window each morning and see the statue. "He's one of our favorites."

When August Birk offered to carve a statue from an old tree in their yard, the Kiehnes quickly suggested St. Francis.

The statue now sits atop a concrete base and has been coated with polyurethane to help preserve its wood.

Ten Commandments signs

Yard signs displaying the Ten Commandments have been showing up across the region. The blue and white yard signs closely resemble real estate signs. One version simply lists the commandments and the scripture reference, and a second version displays them as if they were written on two tablets.

It doesn't matter how the signs are designed but that they display the word of God. "The world has gotten so crazy that we've got to do something," said Larry Holloway, who displays a sign in his yard at 923 N. Cape Rock Drive. "We've got to obey God's laws because the laws of the U.S. aren't working."

Much of the nation's problems stem from taking God out of public schools and education, Holloway said. "We allow everything else." Once you remove religion from one area of life, it becomes easier to remove it from other areas, he said.

Holloway, who attends First Assembly of God Church, received his sign there. The SEMO Lifesavers are also distributing the signs for a nominal fee to cover the cost of printing.

Christine Stephens of SEMO Lifesavers said the signs are being distributed as quickly as they are ordered. "People are concerned about the condition of our schools and the dangers for our children," she said.

Maybe if enough signs are posted, government leaders will listen to what the people want. "If we have signs posted all over Southeast Missouri somebody is liable to notice."

Icthus

While most people recognize this as the fish symbol, its proper Greek name is icthus. The word is actually an acrostic in Greek for "Jesus Christ, of God, the son, the savior."

It is most frequently found on T-shirts, key chains and bumper stickers. Early Christians used the symbol as a means of identification, since the apostles were referred to as "fishers of men."

The symbol was used as a password during times of persecution by the Roman government.

Religious depictions aren't just common to Christians or Orthodox believers, other world religions also use them. Hindus and Buddhists also display symbols. "It's a focus to what's beyond," Friedel said.

Islam and Judaism do not depict God in any art form primarily because they don't "think it will do justice to the reality," he said.

Religious symbols are meant to be an inspiration. But they won't work "if our actions and lives don't match them," Friedel said. "Then they would just be empty symbols. The hope is they will inspire us and remind us."

In his office, Friedel have various pictures depicting Jesus as a Native American, black man, traditional Bedouin, Greek, or Mayan Indian, a crucifix and an image of Mary.

All the images "remind me of who I'm working for all day long," Friedel said.