RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4955, 13 February 1937, Page 2

RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS

—o USE FOR BUSINESS. DEPLORED BY CHURCHES. Criticism of the use of Christian symbols by business firms in their advertising campaign for Christmas goods is expressed in the February issue of the “Church News.” The comment is made in reply to a correspondent, who drew attention to the use by a business firm of a picture of the visit of the Magi to the Infant Jesus; and the article enters a strong protest “against such improper use.” The article also attacks the use of religious symbols for the manufacture of Easter eggs and hot cross buns, which it is alleged are used merely as a device to encourage the sale of these goods. “Our attention has been called to the use by a business firm of a picture of the visit of Magi to the Infant Jesus in a Christmas advertising

circular,” says the article. “We agree with our correspondent that such use is improper, and should be very strongly protested against. Unfortunately a copy of the offending circular was not sent, but the impression was' given that the figure of the Sacred Child was used., “We are glad to say that the average firm has too great a sense of religious decency, not to business caution, to vulgarise sacred subjects in this way. We feel sure that the small firm in the city that uses the name of the Holy Trinity as the trade name of its shop is offending through ignorance and not indifference to the sacredness of the Holy Name of God. “We suggested to our correspondent that she should write to the firm and express her disapprobation—and mention that as an expression of her disapproval she refused to do business with them. The universal use—or misuses—of ‘Father Christmas’ is not exactly a parallel, although Nicholas, the original of ‘Father Christmas was

a saint; but it shows how far vulgarisation may go if the practice became common.

“The Easter egg is another abuse that just missed blasphemy, but the hot cross bun with the symbol sacred to Christians is quite clearly an abuse that Catholic Christians who keep Good Friday as a holy day and not simply as a holiday, should discountenance by refusing to have the buns so marked. The religious significance of the hot cross bun has long since disappeared, and the use of the sacred symbol is merely a device to encourage the sale of these comestibles. It is evidently successful, for tens of thousands more buns are sold in the city every Holy Week.

“In fact, to many children as well as adults the only observance of Good Friday is the eating of numerous hot cross buns. As for the Easter egg, it has the merit of suggesting the victory of life over death, but otherwise —well, at the risk of being regarded as flippant, it's rotten.”