Symbols are everywhere around us. In our daily interactions with life we are bound to run into something that has some sort of symbolic meaning. These symbols appear on things such as: money, commercials, books, music, personal items and of course religion. For every symbol out there, there is a significant meaning attached to them. The various meanings can represent emotions, people, business, etc. A symbol is meant to make us think about something else, often times they are able to put all those descriptive words and feelings into one iconic image. Symbols may help one remember the past or serve as a warning to danger. From a very young age we are taught the meaning of symbols. To me I knew that the oven was a symbol for pain because when I touched it while it was hot I burned myself. Another symbol that I learned when I was young was that my teddy bear was representative of safety and love. Those examples may not seem like obvious symbols, but anything that you have attached a significant meaning to and invokes those emotions when you see that object or icon is a symbol.

It seems that in every religion there is some sort of icon or symbol that represents the faith that you have in God, Buddha, or any other type of religious deity. Some symbols of religion are actual statues of the deity that you believe in or they are a singular icon. The symbol that you have for your religion is encompassing all that you believe. It puts those words that you cannot express into a representative thing, a way to help show the devotion and love that you have for your religion.

The cross is one of the earliest and most widely used Christian symbols. In the broadest sense it symbolizes the religion of Christianity. Specifically, it represents and memorializes Christ's death. Many types of crosses have developed over many years; some crosses have a specific symbolic meaning and others that have simply become culturally associated with certain groups. Depending on the area the cross is often shown in different shapes, sizes and styles. The cross also means a variety of things to different people. However, there is a common thread that seems to have been made between all the Christian meanings and that is faith.

It seems that the cross is everywhere: TV, movies, books, bumper stickers. Often times when a symbol is everywhere and seen by all it tends to lose its meaning and purpose. Or we become so desensitized to the symbol that we don't even recognize it as a symbol and it just becomes another meaningless object in our lives. However, the cross still seems to invoke those feelings of faith and trust. The symbol is safe and has a deep rooted meaning within society. The cross is a unifying symbol and even if one is not Christian one usually knows what the cross represents. As a symbol of a belief the cross is a universal symbol that reminds Christians of the sacrifice that Christ made.

Symbols are everywhere and they are used by everyone. The same symbol can have different meanings to different people. However, their purpose is the same; they are there to remind you of something else. The cross is just one example of a universal symbol that we deal with in our everyday lives. Even if one is not religious the cross probably still holds some meaning to that person. Whether we know it or not we are always affected by the symbols that are around us. We just need to know how and where to look for them.