The history of crucifixes in Anglicanism is a murky one to be sure, with Cranmer calling for banning them on the one hand, but with several pivotal Anglican theologians, such as Lancelot Andrewes and John Cosin using them in their own parishes. Even Queen Elizabeth kept a crucifix in her chapel all her life. That being said, I wish to gauge everyone's thoughts here on whether or not they believe a faithful Anglican should use crucifixes.
My feeling is that a balanced responsible Anglican approach is that there should be a crucifix in the vicinity of the pulpit for we preach Christ Crucified, and either a plain cross of a christus rex in the vicinity of the altar as we worship Christ Risen. That is pretty much the Anglican approach that I have most encountered, however I am open to other approaches.
My Church is an Anglican Church in the catholic tradition - Anglo Catholic - and there are a lot of Cricifixes in the Church, along with a statue of the Virgin Mary with Jesus and an Icon of the Virgin Mary, stained glass windows etc. I do think that all these serve as powerful reminders of Christ's sacrifice and Scriptural events.
I love the empty cross. It's a promise and an anchor for me, and an object for meditation. Often when praying I gaze at the empty cross instead of bowing my head and closing my eyes. It's become my north star, so to speak, and I've started wearing a small crucifix.
I havent seen this before (but maybe thats because Ive only ever been to about 3 churches in my lifetime). What Ive seen usually is ornate crosses in the nave and behind the altar, and a crucifix in the side chapel
What about Marian shrines and statues. Are they appropriate to AngloCatholicism or only Roman Catholicism?
I hadn't heard this before, butI like the sound of this. My Church does have crucifixes behind the alter in the side chapel.
My Anglo Catholic Chuch has a statue of Mary with Jesus, in front of which is a stand where people can light candles. When I was much younger I attended an evangelical Anglican Church and you certainly wouldn't have found any crucifixes or statues of Mary in that Church.
I agree. There is room for both the plain cross (not empty) and the crucifix. Placing the crucifix behind the pulpit teaches us of Christ's supreme sacrifice. However only the plain cross should be placed on the Lord's Table or on the outside of the church symbolizing for one thing, Christ's resurrection.
I prefer Byzantine icons (not prints, painted by monks, nuns, or laity in a spiritual place) to statues especially those mass produced, plaster or wooden. Crucifixes teach us of Christ's supreme sacrifice on the cross; plain crosses his resurrection- both powerful elements of our faith.
What I would say about all statutes and icons is that the key point is what the purpose of the statute is. Is it just decorative, perhaps designed to tell a Biblical story such as a stained glass window - in which case that's fine. Or it is designed as a focal point of prayer? If so, this needs to be approached with caution. Praying before a crucifix is not wrong per se, but one needs to be very clear about who they are praying to, to Christ not to an image or statute. Praying before a statute of Mary or other saints is more troubling, since even if you are praying to the subject of the image and not the image itself, Mary is not God. This is a Catholic fallacy, to pray to that which is not God. This is a practice clearly condemned by the Second Commandment.
I think we need to be careful with our terms here. When we say "Catholic fallacy" we need to mean Roman fallacy. By nature we are Catholic and there can be no "Catholic fallacy" anymore there can be a "universal fallacy." More to the point I think there ought to be pastoral concern where a shrine, pilgrimage site or statue/icon is being abused it ought to be removed but St John of Damascus has a good answer to iconoclasm write large.
I was following the (I think fairly well known) convention that Catholic with a capital "C" means "Roman Catholic".
I don't think crucifixes are problem if you don't bow down and worship them. This goes with pictured of Jesus as well
Mostly, I like a plain cross. But sometimes we should look at a cross with a representation of Christ hanging on it. It depends on my state of worship. I made one with Christ looking more Jewish, with His hair having side locks. I read that Yemenite Jews grow them out long this way, and have done so since the 2nd temple times. Sometimes, I think things like this are too graphic, too brutal. Why should we look upon it. He endured it for us... the sights, the sounds, the smells, the touch (pain). But then I remember that Christ said that He must be lifted up like the bronze serpent in the wilderness... the people of Israel had to LOOK upon it to be saved. Yeshua Upon the Tree