The Malady Of The Cross :: Crucifix Scares Kids, People

London: The 'Cross' is a symbol of the Christian faith all over the world. But this report will tell you it's actually the otherwise, at least for the people of West Sessex.

A church (St John's) in Horsham, West Sussex, decided to remove the crucifix, after Reverend Ewen Souter found it to be "a horrifying depicition of pain and suffering." The 10ft cross has now been replaced by a stainless steel cross.

"The crucifix is the oldest and the most famous symbol of Christianity," said one long-standing member of the church.

"Pulling it down and putting up something that would look more at home on the side of a shopping centre is not the way to get more bums on seats. Next they will be ripping out the pews and putting sofas in, or throwing out all the Bibles and replacing them with laptops. It's not just right," the member added.

But Reverend Ewen beleives that the modern new cross will present "a positive message of hope."

"It was a scary image, particularly for children. Parents didn't want to walk past it with their kids, because they found it so horrifying," he said.

"It wasn't a suitable image for the outside of a church wanting to welcome worshippers. In fact, it was a real put off. We are all about hope, encouragement and the joy of the Christian faith. We want to communicate good news, not bad news, so we need a more uplifting and inspiring symobol then execution on a cross," he added.

Source: The Bangalore Mirror