SIGN OF THE CROSS

Warm Greeting to you, Friends and Foes:

J’ai fait la grasse matinée ce matin, quelle volupté ! (* I slept in this morning, what bliss!”*) Ever wondered why Pentecostal Christian churches don’t make the sign of the cross before praying?

It seems to have all started in the 1500s with the Protestant Reformation. Basically Reformers found, among other things, the selling of indulgences to be unacceptable. The Catholic Church had been accepting monetary payment to supposedly absolve a person of their sins or release them from purgatory and people were in fact paying. The sale of indulgence was actually a way to fund the early stages of construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. How blasphemous? These people really make me pass for a Saint… God help us all.

Additionally, Reformers also criticized Latin being the official language of the Roman Catholic Church because the average churchgoer could not understand Latin mass. So in essence, the Reformation was born to challenge the authority of the Catholic Church as well as that of the Papacy. The end result being: no more Latin, no more Saints, no more pleading to Virgin Mary. As such, there doesn’t seem to be a deep spiritual reason why Pentecostals don’t make the sign of the Cross when praying. The idea seems to be doing away with all “unnecessary rituals” associated with the Catholic Church.

PS: Reformers were not quite “Kumbaya”. The Protestant Reformation led to over a century of religious wars in Europe that killed millions of people. 

I leave you now to consult my favorite Theologian and get back to you if I learn something new.

E-Hugs Friends,

Love,

Liv