Covering the sacred with the profane

exminister

exminister

Well-known member
I grew up with a very strong Bible believing grandmother who made sure I went to church every week from a very early age. My parents weren’t church goers at that time so she took it upon herself to get me there and I have many memories of sitting right next to her during the main service. The Bible was very important to her and as a young teen she bought me a red letter white leather version with a zipper to close it. She wrote “Dear one, this book will keep you from sin and sin will keep you from this book. love, Grandma”. It is a special book to me even after all these years.

One correction she made to me a few times is to NEVER put anything on top of a Bible. Not a piece of clothing or another book except another Bible. “Don’t cover the sacred with the profane”. I wonder if anyone else had such parenting. I still honor that today. I sort of cringe otherwise.

Galatians 3:28
John 18:36
1 Peter 1:3-4
Ezekiel 44:23

Of late I have been seeing a lot of Bible believing churches covering crosses with US flags. One church has a big cross in front, the trestle type, and they have attached an open US flag to it so that you barely see the cross. It’s like the cross is a hangar.

I cringe at this each time I see it. Isn’t the cross sacred? It’s importance is eternal. The US flag is the profane in the oldest sense of the word as thought of in 1950s Christianity and before. Anything temporal is profane, that which passes away. If I put a secular book on the Bible it would be the same. I dishonor the cross or the Bible but putting something of lesser value on it.

Does anyone else feel like I do? Has modern Christianity just lost their way and are more into this world rather than the glory of the next? Has the sacred lost its value? Would it be ok drape any countries flag on the cross? Even my favorite sports team?

Was my grandmother just wrong?
 
G

Grosnick Marowbe

New member
Hall of Fame
exminister said:
I grew up with a very strong Bible believing grandmother who made sure I went to church every week from a very early age. My parents weren’t church goers at that time so she took it upon herself to get me there and I have many memories of sitting right next to her during the main service. The Bible was very important to her and as a young teen she bought me a red letter white leather version with a zipper to close it. She wrote “Dear one, this book will keep you from sin and sin will keep you from this book. love, Grandma”. It is a special book to me even after all these years.

One correction she made to me a few times is to NEVER put anything on top of a Bible. Not a piece of clothing or another book except another Bible. “Don’t cover the sacred with the profane”. I wonder if anyone else had such parenting. I still honor that today. I sort of cringe otherwise.

Galatians 3:28
John 18:36
1 Peter 1:3-4
Ezekiel 44:23

Of late I have been seeing a lot of Bible believing churches covering crosses with US flags. One church has a big cross in front, the trestle type, and they have attached an open US flag to it so that you barely see the cross. It’s like the cross is a hangar.

I cringe at this each time I see it. Isn’t the cross sacred? It’s importance is eternal. The US flag is the profane in the oldest sense of the word as thought of in 1950s Christianity and before. Anything temporal is profane, that which passes away. If I put a secular book on the Bible it would be the same. I dishonor the cross or the Bible but putting something of lesser value on it.

Does anyone else feel like I do? Has modern Christianity just lost their way and are more into this world rather than the glory of the next? Has the sacred lost its value? Would it be ok drape any countries flag on the cross? Even my favorite sports team?

Was my grandmother just wrong?
Click to expand...

Your Grandmother was wise.
 
M

MennoSota

New member
exminister said:
I grew up with a very strong Bible believing grandmother who made sure I went to church every week from a very early age. My parents weren’t church goers at that time so she took it upon herself to get me there and I have many memories of sitting right next to her during the main service. The Bible was very important to her and as a young teen she bought me a red letter white leather version with a zipper to close it. She wrote “Dear one, this book will keep you from sin and sin will keep you from this book. love, Grandma”. It is a special book to me even after all these years.

One correction she made to me a few times is to NEVER put anything on top of a Bible. Not a piece of clothing or another book except another Bible. “Don’t cover the sacred with the profane”. I wonder if anyone else had such parenting. I still honor that today. I sort of cringe otherwise.

Galatians 3:28
John 18:36
1 Peter 1:3-4
Ezekiel 44:23

Of late I have been seeing a lot of Bible believing churches covering crosses with US flags. One church has a big cross in front, the trestle type, and they have attached an open US flag to it so that you barely see the cross. It’s like the cross is a hangar.

I cringe at this each time I see it. Isn’t the cross sacred? It’s importance is eternal. The US flag is the profane in the oldest sense of the word as thought of in 1950s Christianity and before. Anything temporal is profane, that which passes away. If I put a secular book on the Bible it would be the same. I dishonor the cross or the Bible but putting something of lesser value on it.

Does anyone else feel like I do? Has modern Christianity just lost their way and are more into this world rather than the glory of the next? Has the sacred lost its value? Would it be ok drape any countries flag on the cross? Even my favorite sports team?

Was my grandmother just wrong?
Click to expand...
You are sharing a cultural upbringing that became your norm. It sounds like a good practice that helps you recognize the importance of the scriptures. However, what you share is merely outward perception. On the outside the Pharisees and Sadduccees were white as snow, but Jesus condemn the blackness of their souls. We must be careful to focus on our relationship with God rather than the perception we portray to others. Tradition does not save us. Tradition does not mean we are in close fellowship with God. Tradition for traditions sake can often be an idol that distracts us from fellowship with God.
 
exminister

exminister

Well-known member
jamie said:
She wasn't wrong, that was her belief.

We have freedom of religion, we can cover our Bible or not cover it.

The U.S. government doesn't care. We don't worship the Bible.
Click to expand...

I understand about freedom of religion. We can be Muslim if we want to be. And the government is of no concern here to me. So, I assume you are saying the Bible and crosses are not sacred as I was taught. Just material we can do what we want to do with any old way and it doesn’t matter.

I know there is a proper way to handle the flag respectfully. There are detailed procedures for what to do if we fly them at night and even proper handling of retiring them. I think it is burial. This I assume you feel the same way about and that is we can do whatever we want with the flag. I couldn’t imagine a when I was young that the US flag would be an article of clothing like pants or bikini.

My father was an Army veteran. He instilled in me a reverence for the flag. While alive he always put out a flag every day. The flag was NEVER to touch the ground. I got reprimanded once for that. At his funeral he had the Army play taps and my mother was handed the flag covering his casket folded carefully by them. I could keep it together. It was very moving.

So I have lots of feelings about these things. I am definitely out of step with what I see today on these matters. It is not the church I grew up in or the parents/grandmother I had.

Part of me understands these are objects, simple material and they can be discarded as anything else, but the lessons learned really stick with me. I don’t think I will ever lose the cringe factor. I feel it says something about the church that does such a thing and that they have put on par the cross and the country. Well, Israel preferred a king like other countries. So we have that option as well.

Live and let live.
 
exminister

exminister

Well-known member
MennoSota said:
You are sharing a cultural upbringing that became your norm. It sounds like a good practice that helps you recognize the importance of the scriptures. However, what you share is merely outward perception. On the outside the Pharisees and Sadduccees were white as snow, but Jesus condemn the blackness of their souls. We must be careful to focus on our relationship with God rather than the perception we portray to others. Tradition does not save us. Tradition does not mean we are in close fellowship with God. Tradition for traditions sake can often be an idol that distracts us from fellowship with God.
Click to expand...

Yes, you are right.
But what is inside is exhibited outward. It is not what goes into the mouth that is important but what comes out of it. I don’t know if that means I might treat Christian objects with any more respect or reverence. Perhaps reverence is overrated but I have some strong feelings about it. Glad I had a chance here to express it. I hadn’t consciously thought about it before.
 
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