Why do Catholics leave Jesus on “the Cross” & Protestants do not? The Encyclopædia Britannica calls the cross “the principal symbol of the Christian religion.” Nevertheless, true Christians do not use the cross in worship. Third , they object to the Crucifix because it is Catholic and to condone or display the Crucifix is to make a statement in favor of Catholicism. There are Protestants who use the crucifix with the statue of Jesus on it, I know that the Lutherans do (I was baptized Lutheran and went to Lutheran churches a few times in my life). So I'm wondering if it's just because it's not a tradition with most protestants, or if there is a real doctrinal objections to the practice. Others don't use it because the Bible says you should not worship pictures and not make pictures of God. This is, of course, nonsense. Most Protestants use an empty cross and rely on the mental image of a living, risen Jesus. Of course not. Why do Protestants use a cross, instead of a Crucifix? What is a good argument for why we wear the crucifix. The Church requires that a crucifix be visible during the celebration of Mass to remind us of the sacrifice of Jesus on the altar of the cross, which is made present for us each time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. A crucifix is a depiction of Jesus on the cross–that is quite a difference. In the column, Gellman answered the question by essentially saying that over the years, crucifixes came to be worn by Roman Catholics, while Protestants normally wore empty crosses ? ... then Christ’s work on the cross is insufficient or of no effect as the apostle Paul says. For example there a few doctrinal reasons as to why one shouldn't display a crucifix instead of an empty cross. I used to be SO OFFENDED that Catholics would display the Crucifix at Mass!! That’s why it is written into the creed that we say every Sunday. Some Protestants suggest that because Catholics often depict Jesus on the cross it means that they believe he has not risen. Hanging in a prominent place above the office door, was my Saint Benedict crucifix. An important reason is that Jesus Christ did not die on a cross. Catholics are adamant about the Resurrection of Christ. This difference was keenly brought to my attention when a faithful Protestant friend brought her children to the Right to Life office one day. Mar 3, 2013. THE cross is loved and respected by millions of people. What arguments do the protestants (Not all protestants the Episcopal church I grew up in had a crucifix behind the altar) meaning Baptist and non denominational fundamentalist like my s-i-l use against it. I am a Catholic and i know Jesus is there when we saw a cross and is our mediator. If you took a picture of your child at the beach, does that mean your child is still at the beach because the picture shows the child at the beach? 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