GATLING@SUVM (Keith E Gatling) (01/17/90)
The word "gift" in English means a present. In German it means a poison.
Should we not use the letters g-i-f-t as a symbol for something good in
English merely because it is the symbol of something bad in German? I
think not. If *we* don't mean it to mean "poison", then it doesn't mean
"poison."
Likewise witht the peace symbol and other such things. They may well
have been used by some as symbols for their evil purpose, but as Marco just
pointed out, the cross itself has been used by the KKK. Does that mean
that we should not use it either? And remember, the cross was not always
a sign of good...it was first a symbol of a terrible method of torture and
execution. But we as Christians transformed it into a symbol of the victory
of God through Jesus. As such, can we not redeem other symbols which may
from time to time (and without our prior knowledge) have been used for evil?
In our discussion of whether the peace symbol means peace or is a sign
of the devil we walk dangerously close to the wall of superstition, where
something is to be feared or admired for its very existence, not for what it
is being used for. A cross by itself means nothing...it could simply be a
lowercase "t" or a highway marking letting you know that an intersection is
coming up. Yet in a Christian context it is symbolic of the means by which
Jesus died to for our sins and conquered death.
A horseshoe by itself means nothing. For the horse, it is something to
make walking more comfortable. For some people it is something you toss at a
pole driven in your backyard. For others it is a sign of good luck.
That sign which we use as the peace symbol may have had a questionable
history. But then most of us have rather questionable histories too. It
doesn't matter what it may have been used for by someone else. The question
is, what are we using it for. At this point I would like to paraphrase some-
thing Martin Luther said when taken to task about using popular drinking songs
for the music of his hymns..."Why should the devil get all the good graphics?"
I know why I use the peace symbol, and I know why Lauren's church uses an
upside down cross. Neither of these reasons is satanic. If the old boy wants
to use these too, that's his problem, because our use is better than his and
God's purposes will win out over his...possibly by co-opting some of his own
symbols.
keg