Hey there I'm Robert MacEwan the author of Ideal Absolutes. If you're new to macewan.org, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed.
Have you noticed lately how many people have become conspicuous wearers of crosses? Male and female, young and old, from Goths and punks to fashionistas in Gucci and Prada and everyone in between have them dangling around their necks or adorning their earlobes. Are we seeing a revival of faith in the post-9/11 era? With an estimated 90% of Americans professing a belief in a Higher Power and a third of those claiming Moral Majority/religious right status, it’s tempting to believe that is what’s happening. So has the dicey world in which we live driven us back to the faith of our fathers and to our knees?
No, more likely it’s driving us to the TV shopping networks and our city’s malls where “jewelry of faith” is one of the hottest selling items. The cross of Christ has emerged from its covert place under the clothes of the devout and crossed over from a spiritual symbol to the mainstream marketplace as a must-have fashion accessory for believers and non-believers alike
The Great Crossover
It’s not just crosses and crucifixes either, but other classic motifs of religious belief as well. Angels—such charmingly neutral talismanic Tinkerbell-like guardians that appeal even to those who espouse no particular religion. For the traditionalists, there are Bible charms that open to a scripture about love or the Lord’s Prayer. Pendants with praying hands, Holy Spirit descending doves and the “icthus” fish. “Footprints” trinkets to represent Christ who carries His followers through the hard times. And don’t forget rosaries–it’s not just rock superstars like U2’s Bono sporting them as necklaces now.
Are we really embracing that “old time religion”–or are we simply getting more superstitious? Church attendance, which skyrocketed for a few months after 9/11, has dropped off to its nominal levels again.
Historically speaking, humankind has regarded various types of amulets as protection from forces they cannot influence. I don’t think we in the 21st century are much different than our ancestors. Life in general, and our own in particular, often seems beyond our control. Global turmoil is escalating to scary levels, our economy’s tanking and the prognosis for the planet’s ecological future is poor at best. Our airports, cities, streets, schools and stores aren’t safe. Even the weather has turned on us, relentlessly cranking out killer storm after killer storm.
Wearing a cross—or a Star of David, or medal of the Virgin Mary or Buddha or pendant inscribed with the Chinese symbol for long life—may be an increasingly needed source of solace in a comfortless and grim world. Peace of mind is a state to be highly treasured, and if our personal “security blanket” can be chic, too—ah, so much the better.
