At Lothlorien Nature Sanctuary (a Pagan campground often used for festivals) they got a bit literal with the “bathtub” thing. There’s an Elemental shrine on each quarter of the main bonfire area. They’re protected by actual bathtubs on end. They work very well at keeping the contents contained; one of the issues with shrines at bonfires is that the items tend to wander or fall over and get stepped on by dancers.
One reason that Wiccans in particular, and many other Pagans, wear in your face symbols of our faith, or display them in our homes and yards, is that there’s a strong vein of persecution complex running through the subculture. Many of us have experienced actual discrimination for our religion, and many others like to imagine they will someday. So there’s an edginess to it, a “wanna make somethin’ of it?,” particularly in our young and our elders (the elders are the ones most likely to have actually experienced persecution, and the young the most likely to secretly hope to.)
There’s also a “getting away with it” satisfaction of making, for example, an Earth shrine in plain sight, and having your bigoted Aunt congratulate you on your lovely seasonal display.
Personally, I only sometimes wear a small pentacle, and it’s when I’m doing something where I hope to run into other Pagans and be identifiable to them. But you don’t need a hubcap sized pentacle for that; we’re good at noticing small rings and pendants.
Dressed Crosses were pretty popular in Spain during the Baroque period; quite a few are used in Holy Week parades on Saturday. A “dressed Cross” is one with a piece of cloth draped over it, usually with the INRI sign, representing that Christ has already been taken off it for burial. I’ve never seen one in a Protestant setting, but then, I don’t go to a lot of Protestant settings.
For hard-core capital C Catholics that’s pretty much required.
The important thing is to teach the kidlets that Jesus (God really) is watching you every second of every day no matter where you are. So behave (and be guilt-ridden) accordingly.
Not my schtick even a little bit but I’ve had many neighbors like this.
Time was, the Protestant equivalent would be a sampler or embroidered panel of some admonition from the Bible. I seem to remember an awful lot of those in old movies from the early days of cinema: not infrequently “GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES”, just before the camera pans to a child sneaking off with a forbidden cake.
That was true here, growing up Catholic. God and Jesus and Mary were everywhere, watching my every move. I’m now Lutheran, so there’s a much much less importance placed on statues. Virtually none.
As someone who grew up in a working class Mexican family in a mostly Mexican community in eastern Washington state, I’ve got a lot to say. My grandmother and a lot of older ladies would have a virtual forest of statues/pictures/saint’s candles of Jesus and Mary, plus crucifixes and rosaries. They would pray several minutes at least once a day in front of them. The younger generations are less over the top, but if they’re even slightly Catholic they have something.
Now why do they do this? It meant so much to them I never really had the heart to ask, but I’ve heard a number of theories: it was a replacement for the old Aztec gods the missionaries forbade them to worship and kept up from there, it was a female enclave in the traditionally male focused Catholic service (and women are far more likely to set these up), etc. It certainly was more for the homeowner than others; guests or passerbys were never expected to notice them. Final note: these are NOT a Protestant thing. When a lot of my family convert to being Jehovah’s Witnesses and Pentecostals, and getting rid of all these things was one of the first things they did.
But when they sell the house, do they remove all the furniture and furnishings, but leave all the crucifixes on the walls … especially if the new owners are Jewish?
I am assuming that here you mean crucifixes inside the home, not as lawn decoration. It’s a sacramental, a sign or object that represents the faith and centers your thoughts on God and your relationship with Him. Christ’s sacrifice is at the center of the faith; why wouldn’t you have a representation in your home?
I don’t have one in every room but do in my bedroom and my den where I hang out the most; the ones I have are crosses and not crucifixes. As mentioned, one has years’ worth of palms surrounding it since I can’t throw them out.
The first thing that came to mind on reading this is “Turtle Power!”
I think it’s more of a Catholic thing than Protestant, never heard of Jews doing it and of course Muslims never would. I’ve always thought it was just to place reminders in front of them to think about Mary or Jesus and to encourage others to as well. Plus I think some have aesthetic value as pieces of art.
I wouldn’t touch them. They’re load-bearing crucifixes.
ETA:
[QUOTE=Anthony Jeselnik in Caligula]
My girlfriend has the greatest story as to why she isn’t religious anymore. When she was a kid, like 12 years old, her parents nailed a 25-pound crucifix to the wall right above her bed. About two weeks later, in the middle of the night, the crucifix falls off the wall and leaves a two-inch gash in the back of her dad’s head.
[/QUOTE]
This thread reminds me of a story in the rather interesting book ‘Tank Men’ by Robert Kershaw, an American (I believe) tank commander related how in the Second World War he was fighting his way across France when they stopped in a destroyed French village. Two members of his crew who were devout Catholics came back with a small statue of the Virgin Mary which they had liberated from an abandoned house and insisted on carrying it inside the tank with them. The Commander being a good God-fearing Protestant lad, and that the tank was cramped enough as it was, initially objected but they insisted and he relented, so the statue was jammed in.
A few days later they were involved in a fierce battle with enemy tanks when whang their tank shuddered from a glancing blow, the metal behind the statue of the Virgin glowed cherry-red with heat then faded where the round had struck and almost but not quite penetrated. Needless to say that he thought taking the statue along was perhaps not such a bad idea after all.
I know this is a sceptical board but I thought it was a rather nice image and story.
I grew up Catholic, though I’m somewhere between agnostic and atheist nowadays; Mr. Athena also grew up Catholic, and is solidly atheist.
That said, my grandparents had a Mary-in-the-bathtub in their backyard, and every time I see one I giggle. It’s just such a silly thing! So when my good friend was heading back to southern California, through Tijuana, and one of the ubiquitous road vendors had a Mary painted in all Mexican-vibrant-paint-glory, she bought it for me.
It now sits in a corner on my landing. I love it to death. I’m not gonna put the bathtub there, but dammit I got the Mary.
Being agnostic, just in case, I put a Buddha among the ferns in my backyard. All I need are a couple Islamic arabesques scattered about, and I will be covered, in the case I’m wrong about this God thing.
There is a concept of a patron saint, I think that is the term, which is a kindred spirit in a ascended state which is a guide. This also goes for the mettles that christina’s and particular Catholic commonly wear.
I believe its to represent the cavern/grotto at Lourdes and Her appearance there. I can’t find any record in a fast search of it being used before say 1860 or so. As for the actual use of bath-tubs ---- less skill and time than building a real grotto out of rocks.
As for icons, statues, and even our simple Protestant crosses your answer will differ from person to person. I find that sometimes it works as a key-object to center my thoughts. But the reasoning someone else has could be quite different.
BITD, a body-less cross was always viewed as Protestant. Growing up Catholic, they never wanted us to forget the reason for that cross. Stick a body on it and you felt bad, then you went to confession where the point was truly driven home. Mary’s in bathtubs were pretty tame stuff, there’s an almost life-sized one a block from my home(up on a 2nd story patio, outlined in white lights, visible from the street), been there for as long as I can remember. I’m wondering if the same family still lives there, or have successive owners felt “obligated” to keep Mary in situ?
Infants of Prague with their seasonal outfits aren’t as common as years ago, I’ll see an occasional one in a basement window, looking steadfast but forlorn.
Now, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen life-size statues of saints that used to adorn my childhood church here in South Philly. A St. Lucy with her eyes on a plate; St. Rocco and his wounds being licked by dogs; St. Sebastian pierced with arrows( I wonder if the name of that car came from his particular road to Heaven?) St. Agnes with lilies, emblematic of her virgin status which prompted her martyrdom. We WERE spared a St. Agatha though, thank you Jesus. They all disappeared in the late 60’s I believe, when they brought in those electronic candles. It just wasn’t the same after that, although all the old, black-dressed ladies we’re still as faithful as ever. God bless 'em.
They work very well at keeping the contents contained; one of the issues with shrines at bonfires is that the items tend to wander or fall over and get stepped on by dancers.
