The Precarious Cross Symbolism

I recently had a curiosity that came to me several months ago divinely answered.  It was not of existential importance– a triviality really, but the manner in which it came to head felt significant at the time as well as the moment the answer came.  I have a picture of my grandma before she died on my bookshelf and it sometimes catches my attention from time to time.   She was wearing a necklace with a cross prominently showing that I honestly never noticed before and wondered what came of it after she passed.

My Dad recently remembered that I asked, asked my aunt who happened to be in the room at the same time what came of it, and low and behold, she was wearing it under her shirt at that very moment.  Another really strange coincidence with really weird timing.  To me it confirmed somebody else was obviously in the room.    

A light hearted sentiment was then expressed in the comedy of the conversation that followed was how the particular cross necklace aesthetic reminded my aunt of the Nazi's, which really was disturbing to me as I thought about it more deeply later.    This simple opinion shift in the heart of even a single human I would think of as a sign of at least one successful work of the devil during that era of history, even if the Nazi's themselves ended up being defeated.    I'm sure Satan would be happy with that result as it's clear what he thinks of the cross.

I followed my nose and did a little research as I remembered from history that the swastica used by the Nazi's was an ancient symbol for goodness, well-being, and the sun.  It is older than Christianity, but was spontaneously and independently used across multiple religions to represent similar "positive vibes" from times even before these religions were talking to each other and spreading symbols.   A divine seeming manifestation from the time before Jesus.  As a symbol, it has a pretty curious origin story.   For 15,000 years its been representing goodness and now in 2026, universally represents evil.   Thats some scary power wielded successfully by the devil there.

As interesting as that symbol's story was, it did not sufficiently explain why the cross necklace was evoking even the slightest reminiscence of Nazism to me until Google reminded me of the use of the Iron Cross on Nazi military uniforms and then it started to make sense.  So, as agents of evil, the Nazi's successfully killed the swastica but only injured the cross.  I have faith in another generation or two, the Nazi influence will fade and be forgotton and the cross will recover as long some other future agency of evil doesn't try to co-opt it again.  

I have a feeling this is all pretty standard tactic– it happened the same way with the robes the KKK wore.  Those white robes we now associate with hate and evil Spain still uses in religious parades. They are aware of how the robes seem to the more anti-christian propaganda prone Americans and children so now all the robes come with special pockets to hold a bunch of candy for them to give everybody when they go on parade.  I think its a great response on multiple levels.  Kids, like a lot us, just need a little candy thrown at them to associate something as allied with Goodness.  

This is why I like the Catholic's preference of the crucifix instead of the cross.  The crucifix, with Jesus's body still hanging grisly on it, is going to be a harder thing to represent something thats not in sync with Jesus, whom we all know what he stood for quite well.   It is more armored against time and fashion trends.   Nobody is going to wear it for fashion anyway because there is a dead body on it, which may make is less common on garments and buildings, but this I think is on purpose.  Jesus' dying there was not meant to be easy to see.