{"id":48469,"date":"2022-06-14T10:48:40","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T15:48:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=48469"},"modified":"2022-06-14T10:48:40","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T15:48:40","slug":"should-i-get-rid-of-the-crucifixes-on-my-wall-and-my-t-shirts-with-religious-slogans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-i-get-rid-of-the-crucifixes-on-my-wall-and-my-t-shirts-with-religious-slogans\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I get rid of the crucifixes on my wall and my t-shirts with religious slogans?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

Hello,<\/p>\n

I am a recent convert. I was baptized for the remission of sins just a few days ago. Now I’m wondering. I have crucifixes hanging on the walls in my home, and I often wear shirts with religious sayings on them. For example, I wear a hat that reads “Jesus is Lord” and t-shirts with this saying as well. I always took it as my way of confessing Jesus is Lord to men (Matthew 10:32). I converted from Roman Catholicism, and this is fine to wear as a Catholic, but now I am wondering as a member of the church of Christ, should I not wear clothing like this? Should I take the crucifixes off my walls?<\/p>\n

Thanks.<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

In part, the answer to your question lies in your attitude toward these things as well as the attitude of others. My guess is that as a Roman Catholic, you had hung the crucifixes on your wall as a display of your devotion to God. Those who visited your place would be impressed by how religious you were. But consider Jesus’ admonition: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full<\/em>” (Matthew 6:1-2). Having religious icons on your walls doesn’t make a person religious. It is how you live your life that is important.<\/p>\n

Then, there are those who treat these man-made icons as if they were holy in some way. In doing so, they are treating the icons as idols. See\u00a0Is having a symbol of Christianity idolatry?<\/a><\/p>\n

If your t-shirts are being worn as a conversation starter, then there is no problem. But if you are wearing them to say, “Look at me! I’m a Christian!” then we are back to the problem of trying to look religious instead of focusing on being religious.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: Hello, I am a recent convert. I was baptized for the remission of sins just a few days ago. Now I’m wondering. I have crucifixes hanging on the walls in my home, and I often wear shirts with religious sayings on them. For example, I wear a hat that reads “Jesus is Lord” and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[365,953],"class_list":["post-48469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-modesty","tag-religious-icons"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10351,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-having-a-symbol-of-christianity-idolatry\/","url_meta":{"origin":48469,"position":0},"title":"Is having a symbol of Christianity idolatry?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 10, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is having the name of Jesus displayed anywhere tantamount to idolatry, or is it a \"denominational symbol\"? [To clarify, I might ask, \"Is the written name of Jesus equal to an idol, if displayed openly?\"] Years ago, I bought a car from a young lady. On the trunk lid\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61155,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-for-women-to-wear-some-items-of-mens-clothing\/","url_meta":{"origin":48469,"position":1},"title":"Is it wrong for women to wear some items of men’s clothing?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Sometimes when I'm at home I'll wear some of my husband's clothes because they're very comfortable for lounging (basketball shorts, t-shirts, things like that). I'll also wear his basketball shorts outside in the yard when I'm playing with the kids, once again because they're very comfortable and also much\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52436,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-all-right-to-wear-religious-clothing-so-long-as-we-are-not-showing-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":48469,"position":2},"title":"Is it all right to wear religious clothing, so long as we are not showing off?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 27, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Luke 20:46 and Matthew 23:5 warns us about people wearing religious clothes just to show off. \u00a0Yet, some groups claim a need to wear special clothing because they can't be like the rest of the world.\u00a0 Are they okay as long as they don't do it to show off\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":82278,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-about-people-leading-studies-while-wearing-t-shirts-with-inappropriate-prints\/","url_meta":{"origin":48469,"position":3},"title":"What about people leading studies while wearing t-shirts with inappropriate prints?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good day, sir, I don't know if it's just me, but it doesn't sit right with me that brothers can lead a study on Wednesday wearing t-shirts with big spider prints in front and prints of the joker. What's your take on it? Thanks. Answer: \"But beware lest somehow\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5041,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-for-a-christian-woman-to-wear-pants\/","url_meta":{"origin":48469,"position":4},"title":"Is it wrong for a Christian woman to wear pants?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 29, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it wrong for a Christian woman to wear pants of any kind? I always see references to not wearing tight pants but very little on the actual subject of whether pants are wrong, immodest, or a man's clothing. The Bible teaches that there is to be a definite\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19279,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/must-a-woman-dress-plainly-or-wear-a-covering-at-all-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":48469,"position":5},"title":"Must a woman dress plainly or wear a covering at all times?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a head-covering lady and a modest dresser. I see that you have links to different head covering sites\u00a0for ordering them.\u00a0 Do your ladies wear them all the time or just for church and praying? Also, about modesty: Are their dresses or skirts plain or with prints? 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