PLANDE million pipol lovem and respectim cross. The Encyclopædia Britannica talem hao cross “hem main saen bilong Christian religion.” Nomata olsem, olketa tru Christian no iusim cross long worship bilong olketa. Why nao olsem?

Wanfala important reason hem bikos Jesus Christ no dae long wanfala cross. Greek word wea plande taem olketa raetem olsem “cross” long English, hem stau·rosʹ. Disfala word hem minim “wanfala post wea standap.” The Companion Bible talem: “No enitaem [Stau·rosʹ] hem minim tufala pis timba wea  olketa mekem for luk olsem wanfala cross . . . No eni samting long Greek languis bilong [Niu Testament] hem showimaot diswan hem tufala pis timba.”

Long samfala scripture, olketa man wea raetem Bible iusim nara word for samting olketa killim Jesus dae long hem. Olketa iusim datfala Greek word xyʹlon. (Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24) Disfala word minim “timba” or “wanfala stik, or wanfala tree.”

Datfala buk bilong Hermann Fulda, Das Kreuz und die Kreuzigung (The Cross and the Crucifixion), storyim why olketa iusim wanfala post for killim dae man long hem, and hem sei: “No evritaem olketa tree stap long ples wea olketa markem for killim man dae long pablik. So olketa digim hol and standimap wanfala post insaed. Olketa savve apim tufala hand bilong man and taemap tufala tugeta or nilam olketa, and plande taem olketa savve taemap and nilam leg long sem wei tu.”

Bat best pruv hem kam from Word bilong God. Aposol Paul hem sei: “From Christ baem iumi, hem mekem iumi free from datfala curse bilong Law taem hemseleva kamap wanfala curse and no iumi, from olketa raetem finis: ‘Evri man wea hange from wanfala post [“wanfala tree,” King James Version] hem kasem curse.’” (Galatians 3:13) Long hia, Paul talem toktok from Deuteronomy 21:22, 23, wea barava storyim wanfala post, no wanfala cross. From kaen wei for killim man dae olsem mekem man “kamap wanfala curse,” hem bae no stret for olketa Christian putim long haos olketa karving or piksa wea showim taem olketa nilam Christ for killim hem dae.

Long first 300 year bihaen Christ hem dae, no eni samting showimaot hao olketa wea sei olketa Christian iusim cross long worship bilong olketa. Bat long mek-foa century, datfala heathen ruler, Emperor Constantine, start for followim nao false Christian wei and mekem cross for kamap main saen bilong datwan. Nomata long wanem reason hem disaedem datwan, datfala cross nating join long eni wei witim Jesus Christ. Tru samting nao, cross hem part bilong heathen worship bifor. Datfala New Catholic Encyclopedia hem sei: “Hem wei bilong pipol wea laef bifor long taem bilong Jesus, and pipol wea no Christian tu, for mekhae long cross.” Plande nara savveman talem tu  hao cross hem insaed wei for worshipim nature, and insaed sex worship bilong olketa heathen.

So why nao Constantine markem cross for kamap saen for false Christian worship? Luk olsem diswan hem for mekem hem moa isi for olketa heathen kamap olketa kaen Christian olsem. Nomata olsem, Bible hem barava tok againstim wei for iusim wanfala heathen samting olsem for worshipim God. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) Bible hem tambuim tu evrikaen wei for worshipim idol. (Exodus 20:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 10:14) So olketa Christian garem barava gudfala reason for no iusim cross long worship bilong olketa. *