<p>There is a difference between a cross and a crucifix–a crucifix includes an image of the crucified Christ. Protestant churches generally do not display crucifixes (for various historical and theological reasons). Therefore, a crucifix really is primarily a symbol of Roman Catholicism.
However, the word “crucifies” refers to placing a person on a cross in order to execute him. It doesn’t refer to a crucifix over a cross.
Personally, I think the poster (if it ever actually existed, by the way) was in bad taste, because it refers to an important belief of the church.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>We have a winner! :D</p>
<p>When the Air Force Academy plays BYU in football, the freshmen cadets get to make signs for the game. The winner a couple years back was “Our Mormons are better than your Mormons.”</p>
<p>I’m generally a big believer in humor, and also “getting it out there” without having to worry about political correctness and tippy-toeing around sensitivities. I think we’d all be a lot more healthier for it.</p>
<p>I guess I’m in the camp of not seeing it as disrespecting religion as it’s become an everyday word used in competition that is far removed from its origins. Then again I’m not Catholic. </p>
<p>I am trying to imagine a similar sort of example that might hit home to me to make me appreciate being offended. I’m a woman, I’m blonde, I’m waspy, I’m a professor and all my family are nerds. My family of origin were what many refer to as “white-trash” (though I love and admire them dearly!). I can usually find humor in jokes about women, blondes, wasps, professors, nerds and people that live in trailer parks. I and my family are US citizens, and we get our share of hearing anti-American globalized statements living here in Canada. They disrespect my identity and heritage, but it’s okay. I teach in some very ‘politically incorrect’ countries and while it can be shocking and offending at times, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy the openness and FINALLY a chance to argue with someone about it! Written and verbal statements can be disrespectful, or perpetuating stereotypes, but it’s also a means of expression and finding out what people really think. </p>
<p>I’m a giant fan of expression. I guess we all are but we just have different lines that we draw about what is and is not crossing it. But once we start stifling expression, making people afraid of saying the wrong thing or offending others, we mostly stop having the important conversations and we have no room to debate others’ thoughts or learn from each other.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>White people of European descent are the majority, and Asians are overrepresented at elite institutions of higher learning considering the relatively small Asian population in the United States. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if either group should suffer at the hands of race-preference affirmative action programs.</p>
<p>–</p>
<p>The god and redeemer of the Catholic faith was tortured, and had his hands and feet nailed to a cross. He died an excruciatingly painful death from asphyxiation. Jesus’ crucifixion is the supreme symbol of ultimate suffering and selfless sacrifice. It’s in poor taste to ridicule or make light of his death, regardless of whether or not one believes he is divine. </p>
<p>[School X] is going to rape [insert name of all-girls school here]!
[School Y] is going to gas [insert name of Jewish school here]!</p>
<p>–</p>
<p>It’s fair to argue in our PC world that people should stop being so sensitive to every little thing, but this is mean-spirited, venomous hostility.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>First, let me agree with many that the poster in question was not in good taste. However, as far as I am concerned very little having to do with high school athletics is in good taste, and this doesn’t trip my wires much.</p>
<p>Second, again, would you mind giving a coherent explanation of:</p>
<p>“ridicule” – How did this poster ridicule Catholicism, or Christianity in general? I don’t get that. Yes, it was naughty and transgressive, but I can’t translate it into a statement that belittles Catholics.</p>
<p>“obvious connotations about Catholics” – What obvious connotations about Catholics? Obviously, using the world “crucify” was a reference to the fact that the opponent was a religious school. But that’s not a connotation. What negative statement about Catholics was connoted here? And why was it specific to Catholics, vs. Christians in general, other than the fact that the opponents were Catholics?</p>
<p>“demeaning” – How demeaning?</p>
<p>“remember the horrors of 9/11” – How does 9/11 come into play here at all? I assume by the horrors of 9/11, you aren’t referring to President Bush’s monumental geopolitical-historical gaffe calling for a “crusade” against Islamists. That WAS offensive, although I don’t think he intended it. That’s somewhere on the same spectrum, at least, of this poster, although far more serious.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>These are good examples kwu, I think it really helps to see how it reads with different groups. </p>
<p>But I would argue that the difference is ‘crucifying’ as a verb has made it into everyday lexicon, especially when it comes to competition.</p>
<p>crucify [ˈkruːsɪˌfaɪ]
vb -fies, -fying, -fied (tr)
- to put to death by crucifixion
- Slang to defeat, ridicule, etc., totally the critics crucified his performance
- to treat very cruelly; torment
- to subdue (passion, lust, etc.); mortify</p>
<p>Re kwu (post #45):</p>
<p>I had thought about that example, and it helps me, at least, define where my line is. I find “Gas the [Jews]!” pretty offensive. On the other hand, “Circumcise the [Jews]!” would not bother me much. Nor would “Watch us cut the rest of their d***s off!”</p>
<p>
I agree with this. And even if you think it is blasphemy, remember we have no laws against blasphemy in this country, thank God (lol). People are way too easily offended in today’s world.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Um… why? For one there’s plenty of people who don’t believe “he” actually every historically existed. For them Jesus’ sacrifice is no more meaningful than say, Harry Potter’s parents deaths. Plus, for someone who’s not a believer, Christianity and its basic tenets don’t really make sense, so there’s nothing there to respect. </p>
<p>I am kinda curious about why you say he died by asphyxiation. I could understand someone crucified dying from exposure if the conditions were bad, or perhaps bleeding to death over a long period of time, but why asphyxiation?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The cross isn’t, but the crucifix certainly is a symbol of Catholicism and not the Protestant religions for the most part. That’s a distinction I’ve wanted my Jewish children to know about.</p>
<p>Ah. Yep, that’s what I was scrolling to the end of the thread to post, PG. The cross is not the same thing as the crucifix.</p>
<p>I think it’s taking it a little far to get all whipped up about this, and I’m a practicing Catholic. The poster is meant to stir up spirit for their team. Sacred cows make delicious hamburger, as someone once said.</p>
<p>If you think about it hard enough, is it offensive? Well, sure. But you have to delve down deep through a lot of layers of meaning in order to get to the offensive part. Most people don’t go around all day concentrating on how Christ was crucified… It’s kind of a downer to constantly think about the suffering of Christ. The church encourages us to remember and to meditate on the crucifixion of Christ, but it doesn’t insist that we relive it all day long. It would have to be at the very forefront of your mind at the time you saw the poster for it to be offensive to you. Otherwise, you have to go a’huntin’. I kind of feel like if you have to think for a moment to decide whether or not to be offended, then you’re not really offended, and you need to find better things to do with your time.</p>
<p>It’s not the same, but it reminded me a little of that Family Guy episode where Brian makes a crack about the Titanic and everyone in the room gasps, and Brian asks in a feeble voice, “Too soon?”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>What about “massacred”, “trounced”, “slaughtered”, etc? Those are all real, painful things that happen to real people. Should victims of domestic abuse complain about sports teams being “beaten”?</p>
<p>Thanks, Pizzagirl and others, for the explanation of the crucifix/cross distinction, which I will admit noticing but never thinking about much (and never knowing that “crucifix” referred to a cross with the body of Christ on it). Note, however, that the OP him- or herself read “crucifix” into the poster at issue. It referred to crucifixion by using the word “crucify”, but as far as has been reported it didn’t depict or refer to a crucifix. Catholics may own the crucifix as a symbol, but not the crucifixion itself.</p>
<p>Nor would “Watch us cut the rest of their d***s off!”
Jesus!! - what high school did you go to?? Inset winking smiley face here…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Well, that explains a lot. I guess I should have noticed you used “cross” when challenging my statement about crucifixes. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>[Football:</a> York crucified by Christian; EXETER 3 YORK 1 | Sunday Mirror Newspaper | Find Articles at BNET](<a href=“http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20000917/ai_n14509181/]Football:”>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20000917/ai_n14509181/)</p>
<p>[Why</a> is it baseball players get crucified for HGH or steroids? - Yahoo! Answers](<a href=“http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/question/index?qid=20071218134802AAEeZk6]Why”>http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/question/index?qid=20071218134802AAEeZk6)</p>
<p>[Sligo</a> Weekender - 2009/03/03: Basketball: Saints are crucified in semi-final](<a href=“http://archives.tcm.ie/sligoweekender/2009/03/03/story37628.asp]Sligo”>http://archives.tcm.ie/sligoweekender/2009/03/03/story37628.asp)</p>
<p>[Darren</a> Dreger crucified - Cult of Hockey](<a href=“http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjournal/blogs/hockey/archive/2009/05/19/darren-dreger-crucified.aspx]Darren”>http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjournal/blogs/hockey/archive/2009/05/19/darren-dreger-crucified.aspx)</p>
<p>This ship has sailed.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I can’t speak for all Protestant denominations, but I know that it’s THE symbol for us Baptists too.</p>
<p>Well, I don’t know about your areas, but in my area, THE symbol of Catholicism is the BVM in half an upended bathtub. So far as I know, no other church claims this symbol. Not just in my area, either; I’ve seen THE symbol in plenty of other areas, too. </p>
<p>Heck, there’s one house in a neighboring county which has the BVM in its front yard sheltered by plexiglass (or similar material) on all sides, with a round fluorescent light for her halo. Yes, a working round fluorescent light. I find this amusing, and refer to this installation of THE symbol as “Our Lady of the Kitchen Light.”</p>
<p>Okay, okay, I’m leaving now; stop pushing! Wait… what are all those stones for…??</p>
<p>:: runs! ::</p>
<p>I’m glad I don’t drink coffee, Owlice, or I’d be cleaning it out of my keyboard right now!</p>