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whats you take on this?



Vampires fear religious symbols
Vampirism has been around since the dawn of man, long before the birth of even the oldest surviving organized religion. Christian crosses and other religious icons hold no fear for Vampires, after all a cross is only a symbol of faith and not the faith in it's self. However, if the human who is brandishing the cross is sufficiently strong in their faith, if the belief in the icon's ability to repel the Vampyre is absolute, then the Vampyre can feel this in the human's psyche. Most vampyres find this strong mental conviction unpleasant and will leave in search of less fervent prey. The human, of course, believes it is the cross that has repelled the Vampyre and as a result their faith is strengthened further.
Although most Vampyres have little time or interest for religion, some use religion as a smokescreen in order to appear more human and so fit more successfully into human society.

I Think That Thats all Hollywood...Because since vampirism has been around for so long its hardly beliveable that crosses and christian relics have relevance...
love zani

good point!

I have to agree that idea is caused by hollywood and I believe it was added in to the myth they created to increase the "battle between good and evil" as the earlier vampire movies were meant to be in the horror genre, and as more people were inclined towards christian religious beliefs during that time, they believed that the use of their symbol in the movie to ward off "evil" would increase the belief in the "good" of their religion.

nice good reply

A myth.

You still can be religious and practice vampirism.

it has to be a myth because there are many different relgions

well there is also the exorcism rites to think of...
they all have a cross forcefully and faithfully presented to the possessed...which some say vamps are..
this could be the basis of the cross fear....
and any other religious symbols....but again...I feel it is the faith these objects are representing not the objects themselves....

This question has been touched in previous threads, but I will repost my thoughts here. I feel that it is the faith behind the symbol that effects a vampire, spirit, etc. The force of fatih is what is feared, not the object itself.

I don't think it is even the faith in the icon itself, but the desire to repel alone. It is just focused on the icon. Most people need something to focus such energy on and it is what they have been taught is the focus, so it works. If you take that same person and teach them to focus without the icon they could do the same thing. It is all a matter of what they know, how well they focus, and how strong the desire behind the focus.

You can practice vampirism but I don't know any1 who is also religious...it wouldn't be normal to combine them...

i dont know if fear would be the right word but if you look at it historicly many who were thought to be vampire in the past were excomunicated or at least at odds by the catholic church and might have actually hated what those symbols stood for as the church was taking land and killing people in the name of religeon just to gain power and land

it's like saying that a vampire cant cross moving water it just isnt true
i do know that many who are vamp do have a tendanct to be a bit teritorial and that often in the past a river or range of mountains would be the border of lands
and believe the residant vamp might have prefered to stay within familiar ground but wouldnt give it any more creadability than that

i also wonder how many of the myths were created by vamps themselves that way they could hide out in the open?

saying look the cross dosn't repell me or look i do have a reflection so i cant be a vampire so dont kill me ect.

It's just a matter of the church saying vampires are things of pure evil, while the church is purity and good. So of course they would think that something like a cross would repel a vampire. You don't find this in every culture though. Aztec/Mexican vampires often haunted temples and holy places, instead of avoiding them, so it is said.

you canot combine the two. one is the opsite of the other. good ad yingyang it is how power is balanced . someone trying to do both is not good at either. the cross is only as good as it 's beliver. your point is valid . but the movies spin a good tail

After much thought, I decided against using religious icons as weapons in my writings. I may do so at a later time, if I'm writing more classic stories (along the lines of the original Dracula). I've kept the vampires in my tales as good and evil, depending on the choics they have made. There are even some who are more neutral. I think, and it was said by a few other posters, that Hollywood, as well as the early writers portrayed vampires as evil beings, the spawn of the devil, and therefor they had a fear of religious icons. Today's vampire is an entirely different creature.

yeah, thats the mythological idea, promoted by hollywood

Interesting, touches on a few things.

Vampire are supposed to have been around a lot longer than the christian faith so the sight of a cross or other christian symbol is more to do with christianity being the religion of force for the writers of the modern novel and then hollywood film, recognised by the masses even if not revered by them.

The thought of it being the faith in a symbol rather than the symbol itself.....well, I teach shielding etc . Some of the strongest (psychic) shields are in people who don't believe, they don't believe therefore it doesn't exist. Therefore if you believe in a symbol it is the faith in that symbol that can make you feel safe, and send out a psychic rebuttal.

People who are extremely open make easier targets, if we want to go down that track if a vampire wanted you and had the psychic skill I doubt a wooden cross shaking in your hand would be of much benefit lol, but then we go back into the realm of fiction.

For me personally, if the shielding is effective then it takes work to get through, and if you don't know what youre doing then you will fail or succeed. The look of fear in an eye of a psy vamp who has leached her donor virtually dry then made the mistake of playing with someone way out her league...lol, that was a feed in itself *grins*

Vamirism is a cult. If the cross repels them, it means they are anti-crist, therefore evil. Which is definately not true. Vampirism is just a posh name for an odd craving. That craving being blood.

have to disagree with ya there kinky, there's a lot more vampire 'crave' than just blood, and whilst some use the word to cover just a blood fetish there are many who dont feed off blood at all.

Deadrose wrote: You can practice vampirism but I don't know any1 who is also religious...it wouldn't be normal to combine them...
------------------------------------------

I disagree. I know a good many vamps who are practicing catholics with no problems what so ever. Vampirism and religion are two separate things.

I believe it orginally stemmed from Excorcism to tell the truth. I believe in the start when people were found to be taking blood from others, that the church would take those people and perfom some sort of excorism to abolish the evil creature within the body of a person.

Probably back in the early ages of the church, the methods of Exorcism were probably a bit brutal. Yet, after it seemed the person died do to the spirit of the monster within then being ripped away it would be seen that "Vampirism" was something that became part of the soul itself. Yet I believe there are those who did survive this "Exorcism" and were thought cured. Yet, the next time that person saw a cross or something holy it would cause them to freak out or run in terror do to the bad memories of the last time they say something holy.

- Sin

Considering I am Orthodox and wearing a cross in one of my portfolio pics, I would have to say no *grins*

I have written stories concerning vamps and none of mine fear any religious icon .. now the entity behind the cross or whatever is a differant thing

well hollywood exargates everything

I agree with RowanTears. Each thing we do in life is separate. Each a different force. If you can keep this in mind, I think you can be alright, its when they both collide you have a situation that is not a good one. The fight only begins within, when you have good and evil fighting for your soul... That is my belief..

The first post is true. Vampires do fear religous symbols espceially if in their mortal life they were of the same faith. Although most of the time it's because they werre excommunicated from the church.

There are as many different vampiric icons as there are religious ones.
Overall, I find it foolish to think a persona relogious conviction could cause discomfort with a vampire.
Personal opinion, of course.

Well, as I see it, there could be a number of reasons.

There is a skin disease which gives it's victim horrible blisters and burns when they are in contact with the sun, sometimes thought to be vampirism (and a perpetuation of the popluar 'sunlight' belief). Some relics were (and are) made of silver and other metals... perhaps the reflection of light off of this material could have frightened those used to living in the dark by the glimmer of light.

Sounds kinda hokey to me, but let us explore more.

In Wicca, there is a ritualistic item known as a wand and an item known as an atheme. Although not always interchangable, they do serve the same main purpose, which is to channel the user's energy. If faith is strong (as mentioned in an earlier post) the cross could act as an actual 'wand' of sorts.

Another idea sparked by a previous comment... perhaps those the church wanted to be persecuted as a vampire were severely beaten with crucifixes. Then, when shown one before witnesses, the victim would flinch away, expecting another beating, and thereby "proving" their guilt. Surely, only the wicked would turn themselves from such a holy symbol.

I have many theories about everything... some more reputable than others. Let me know what you think. If you found some entertaining, if not valid, then good. Keep in mind, I am not mocking and I believe that there is a possiblility for these examples to lead into this myth. Best to keep options open.

Religious Icons can create discomfort. But, not in a physical way. It's more of a mental hurt of something you believed in turning their back on us.

thecapnmonmon,
Where did you get your info on the skin disease.. Has anyone else ever heard of this before being related as she said... I dont advertise, but that is my autoimmune disease.. that is what I suffer from... a few little differences, like not only sunlight, but stress as well.. The only thing that makes me feel good is when I get mad....... very mad..... This is the truth....

VAMPYRE SCARED OF TWO CROSSED STICKS = BULLSHIT

nope...i say its a load of codsqallop

........because it was in the script?

mmm, well, the Baobhan-Sith vampire is meant to be repelled by iron, so who knows. Everyone is repelled by something, like me and raw meat :p

My opinion is that the religious icon has no power in itself. All icons / symbols only serve to help the mind focus and concentrate on the desired effect, like in magic. The power comes only from the mind.

It's a shame that vampires hate crosses because goth kids love them!

On a more serious note: There is a vampire movie whose name I can't recall. It shows a Yuppie kid fighting off a vampire with his wallet. The thought being that this Yuppie believed SO much in the power of money and success that it was a religious experience for him.

Therefore, religious article or not, it only has power against a vampire if you believe in it. So non-practicing Catholics are screwed, but random objects now become fodder. The possibilities (and jokes) are endless...

I was trying to bite this kid's neck and he held up a super charge baseball cap! What was I supposed to do?!

i've always felt that it was the force of teh belief in the item being used...a cross, garlic, ivy, etc or whatever......and how it ties to the weilders personal beliefs..... thus enabling a basic 'power' evoked that drives the 'evil' from the person in some form of energy.....

remember one person's 'evil' can be anothers bedtime story.....

thus a vampire drive the 'evil' of the priest using his powers........ it 's just that the general 'moral good' defines this act as THEIR evil....... well; i ramble

perspective is great when viewed from a long distance

symbols are not enough to be feard by vamps

Hollywood bull. I would have to say that it is more of a strong dislike. You know, disappointment. You believe all your life that your going to heaven or hell, but then your still here. Your frustrated, full of hate, then you just stop believing.

it wouldn't be normal to combine them...

Yeah. The whole cross thing is crap. I have many vampire friends and although most are atheists, some are very religious. As for myself, I'm not a full blooded vampire, but I'm a dhampir. A christian dhampir. I'm not highly religious or anything but who came up with the whole "all vampires are evil" thing?

The Church came up with the whole vampire thing being evil. Just ask anyone, make a general conversation with people that do not know you. Then ask them where they heard that and the church wlll always be mentioned..

hollywood does make the myth that religious symbols are "poison" to vampires.....

Hollywood does seem to like the "everything has a conctrete, tangible weakness" ploy...

The Cap'n

Christianity as a weapon or the symbols thereof is almost laughable...if a vampire is scared of those then he deserves to die a miserable awful death for being an idiot

*woots to dt*
for me crosses do mean anythign its a symbol just like anything else if you belive in what you present than thats what you belive in but as for me i have never felt discomfort or anything just from being around anyone "of the faith" i do not think that they are wrong for what they belive in or anything and i think that you can be vamp and hold a christian side if you choose these are just my thoughts on this

i hate how holly wood can screw something up so badly, i've hand no problems what so ever with religous symbols, infact i'm a wiccan who constantly wear my pentagram with full faith.

I don't think vampires can be repelled by religion. I'm Celtic, and that hasn't effected me in being a vampire. But I do agree that Hollywood f's things up a bit. But why would anyone take what hollywood says as truth? I think most people look in the wrong places to figure out about myths, and legends etc. And you have to realize most of the legends and myths on vampires have been something that has been passed down from generation to generation and changed depending on what people find interesting. How do you think stories like Dracula survive?

I agree with those who said that depends on the faith.

There are certain people who surly aren't vampires but can't stand the cross.

They simply hate what in their believes it reperesents.

For example an agnostic or atheist wouldn't have much affect in them even if they are vampires.

definate hollywood and fear programming, giving the weak a reason to cling on to a cross in salvation of the deadly monsters ...when it is ignorance and lack of faith in the god within that keeps them dead...can't kill what isn't truly alive and awake.

how can 2 pices of wood kill a vampire when there crossed?....thats nuts....hollywood messes everything up....them !@#$%....they should look at facts not there own belifes

i think you can thank hollywood for the sterotype.. if it where true .. then would a jewish vampire fear a cathlic cross... thats why i think it is a joke...
these are by the way some awsome thoughts.

If religious symbols really bothered vampyres, then the catholic/christian cross and holy water would not be the only symbols used. You would have to add the celtic ruin symbols, the satanic cult symbols, and so forth.

It is only a matter of faith, then it has nothing to do with religion. Religion is a crock of shit anyways. It is one or more persons perceptions of what others should believe. A "man" wrote the bible that is used in all religions today. Along with the other religious books that are used such as the book of morman, the coran, the satanic bible and so on. I personally do not believe any specific religion. I compile a list of things I believe and follow them.

Personally I believe that keeping your body in top condition and not exposing it to vices such as smoking and alcohol are a good start. I also believe that I am the only person that can take care of myself and no god is going to protect me. The vampyres will get me one day. I am sure of that. I just don't know what they will do to me. With my skills I think I could be a great asset to the children of Kain.

I think it depends on the vampire....if you believe in god/spirituality then it will affect you....if you are an atheist as me I say screw the cross lets feed!....lol

A grand topic and some very well considered answers.

By Faith, I am what most people know as Greek or Russian Orthodox Christian. We are not well known in the West, but we are even older than the Roman Catholics and infinitely more mystical. We believe that whether one has been Evil or Good in Life, one recognises the power of the Living God. As such, the evil person, vamp or serial killer or what have you, fears the Crucifix NOT because it is symbol, but because of the realisation of the fundamental Truth that even the most evil are MADE in the image and likeness of God. So the fear comes in having to confront the ultimate good.

The Orthodox idea of Hell is FAR worse than the tradition Western Christian imagery of daemons and torment of fire. The Hell in which we believe is that the evil soul, the soul given free will and meant to be greater than the Angels, is now in the presence of that which he has hated most in Life. And so for all Eternity, the evil soul is in that presence, in pain now NOT because of his HATE, but because he made the withering realisation that before him is Perfect Love, and his torment is that this Love never shall be his.

Side notes: 1. I am not attempting to preach. We Orthodox do not damn others nor preach negatively. We find elements of the Truth in virtually ALL Faiths.

2. I wanted to illustrate that not all of Christianity believes in the "symbology" of belief. In fact, prior to the protestant Refrormation and the advent of the Enlightenment, the concept of Crucifix or Sacrament as mere symbol was unheard of and indeed is still not believed. For one to feel terror at a thing, it must be more than mere symbol. Do I fear the swastika? No. Do I fear what it stands for in the context of Nazi Germany? Indeed I do for those of my Faith were among its victims.

3. I do not mean to imply that Vampyres are evil. All sentients have the Gift of Free Will and thus make their own choices.

Thank you for wading through this cacophony of words!!

I beleive that vampyres do not fear religious symbols..that is once again hollywood showing that. I beleive that crosses are just a peice of metal and that the faith you have in them is all in the mind..Its the power of the mind that maye repel one or not. Not a peice of jewlery.

Wickedangelbitch,

Excellent response. While you and I approach this quite differently, there is still similarity. For what is Faith but a combined spiritual and intellectual process.

And even those bereft of all faith have fears that are both primal AND intellectual.

A vampire , immortal [ooh.. aah..] or not , would fear religious symbols because where there are religious symbols , there is religion . Where there is religion , there is religious persecution . Torture , murder and other stuff that may be fun to watch but not to be part of . Especially not as the victim ...

I think crosses are an issue. I think that they stand for everything vapires aren't or choose not to be. But I believe that more tolerant religious symbols are fine. Symbols for the religions that would take us vampires in under their wing and shelter us from the rest of the haunted world are fine, in my belief.

I don't believe vamyres have any reason to fear religous symbols. I'm definately not religious, but it is a SYMBOL, not the thing itself. Perhaps, if God was real, then, yes, there would be a reason to afraid of HIM, but not the symbol...
Just my thoughts. XP
~Poser

yes some vampires fear religious symbols

Thinking about the whole "vampires can burn themselves on crosses" perhaps the cross (or Star of David or Pentacle or Pentagram or Statue of Religious Figure or wallet) being so holy it can mark a sinner with it's good is complete hollywood/ conformist religon (pardon my language) bullshit, unless it was recently forged and has yet to cool. Most of these "how to protect yourself from a vampire/ witch/ ghost/ mummy/ zombie/ alien" myths came from a time when religion was in charge of damn near everything, including protection from the harm of supernatural entities. Relgious communities were tightknit, and you see a cross, it would be like running from the gestapo in 1940s Europe. So, once again, I think some vampires do fear symbols of religion on a personal basis as a sign of things to come, but it isn't an "okay, you're a vampire now... stay away from the symbols of faith and you'll be fine."

As could be drawn from my previous statement, I agree with the point Aleks made wholeheartedly. When I first converted, I hated looking at crosses because of how people of those religions treated me and mocked my beliefs and tried to get me kicked out of middle school. I digress...

Thank you for the explainations of your religion's Hell, Vlad. I enjoyed reading them very much. Yeah... I kinda stole and tweaked your example... sorry 'bout that.

The Cap'n

(I feel like I'm repeating people now... argh)

what a funny article...
why is it believed that vampyres have no faith? i have stated before and thus i will state again...
being a vampyre is a condition..we are not evil or immortal or all that hollywood crap...we are normal people suffering with something that is out of control.
we believe, have faith...and proudly wear our symbols..
*snorts* interesting read though..even if it nearly made me piss my pants in laughter

Agreed! I don't know what made everyone so convinced that vampires are evil. I'm sure many of them are members of a religion themselves. The whole idea was bullshit from the beginning.

obviously not. vampires do not fear anything religious for they have been around much much longer than any religion

good read, and i agreewith his post, it makes lots of sence

in my personal experiance, i fear no religious symbol. for the reason that a symbol is just something that a person uses to express their religion. i am pagan and wear a pinnacle. a symbol shouldnt scare, fear, or warn off anyone. to each his own.

true

on the contrary im quit fond of crosses i wear one round my neck and have the same cross tattooed on my chest! and other symbles do not bother me eather!

Very good points brought up . It is not the symbol , but the faith behind it . A point lost to many .
I do not understand a "vampire" whom wears a cross though . I personally see this as a contradiction of beliefs , in a way .
This is my opinion and it is not intended to offend anyone . I in turn am NOT a christian and am not too keen the christian religion either . So maybe this is my reason ? Though I am not too keen on any orginized religion for that matter .
What does ward off a true immortal if it is not a religious symbol ?

no reason to fear

Well a symbol of cristanity would only hurt evil, and vampires aren't nessarly evil...

theres not even much true faith anyways

Funneh thing is I don't I actually wear a cross on my sterling silver chain its pretty out there but it is my favourite cross

I'm not sure but thats a good point

my point of view is this... if a being believes in the symbol and its strength and they fear its symbolism it will hurt them or affect them... but if they don't believe in the symbolism or power behind it in essence they are immune to its affects.

it's a hollywood thing, although there is the posibility of being possessed by some type of vampiric demon in which case a cross or something sacred could scare or burn them.

Vampires have taken on a new face, their old one...

In the olden legends about vampires they were demons, (or possibly angels) that had found disfavor from God, and thus all things of him were to be feared.

well, i'm happy to hear someone agrees with me.

I agree with you Bat. A creatures own personal beliefs must be taken into account when it comes to what can hurt them. If a being truly believes that a cross, even if it is only a symbol, can hurt them, then I believe it would hurt them.

It is true that hollywood has changed so much to do with vampires religious symbols is only one of them

I am not referring to superficial influences like the use of holy water as a weapon or the crucifix as a deterrent because I do not believe those are good examples. Personally, from a chaos magic perspective, such things work simply because the individual believes them to work as opposed to any innate nature of the objects. I would imagine that during the conception of these tools against vampires, early clerics believed that their god would protect them through the medium of his symbols (i.e., crucifix) and therefore their unshakable belief in the power of these tools made these tools effective defenses against vampires. Now, today, most Westernerns are familiar with and have grown up with the idea that holy water and the crucifix exhibit power over the vampire. They are beliefs which have trickled down to us through the Church, then legend, then folklore and then through the fantastic medium of entertainment media. Thus, culture had armed the Westerners of the Buffyverse with the power to use these tools simply because they had accepted (even if only subconsciously) the power of these symbols over their adversary

ty Pestilence!So many varying responses and what impresses me most is the intelligent and calm debate in the many diversified answers,See this proves we can debate a topic as adults in a rational manner....

Tis a matter of preference as to what one believes where religious symbolism is concerned though :)

I believe that Vampires are not effected by religious symbols because if they have been around for longer than religion than it should not hurt Vampires. Also, I agree that hollywood has had much to do with all of this.

i may hate certain religions but i dont fear thier symbols

Vampires may fear them because the symbols harm them in little way but that just holds them off till when they get the right timing and knock it away and kill ya as said it just holds them off it doesn't kill them

vampsrock, your posts lead me to believe that you don't know what vampires really are. They are not undead beings, they are not evil. Those are concepts invented by Hollywood. Do a little research before posting on the matter. No offense to you, but I've grown tired of people who misunderstand vampires.

i think that if anything it would only hurt a select few... but only in an emotional way. i mean from what i've gathered vampires have feelings =p if that is so than they can feel regret... so they could regret what they can't achieve because there are many "rules/guidelines" the church throws up that will "prevent" their members from practicing certain things, you get a vampire that regrets alot of the time and you find that they regret what they cannot follow. it's not like they are going to walk into a church and be struck dead. i mean hell i should be dead for being a witch, therefore "evil" if that's the case, and i show up to church ever single week to run their soundboard

I agree that it would be more of a mental/emotional pain. I can't imagine a vampire hurting from a cross. It's like a witch melting from water.

Good analogy. I still feel that vampires, like everyone else, are only evil if they choose to be, so religious symbols can cause them no harm, emotional or physical

i agree with bat on this statement .. she brings a good stand on the point in my option.. this is very intresting topic.

Vampires shouldn't fear religious symbols unless they're in the hands of a "true believer." There are very few people with that sort of status.

ok dont belive they do cuz i am a vampire and i dont fear symbols

I totally agree that vampires don't fear religious symbols. There wouldn't be any point to in my opinion. !/2 the symbols are things other religions came up with to "ward off evil," but nothing says a vampire must be truly evil. Laying in the shadows and enjoying the night does not make one evil. It's killing that does except to save yourself.

not true we fear nothing except fear itself

while carried on by hollywood and writers and cusch i think these sort of myths date back to a time when fear of vampyres was more prevalent.

such a fear of something the church could not control (such a "pagan" and faithless idea, the drinking of blood and creatures in human form who abide in the darkness) that at least in terms of religios symbos such an idea likely was propigated by the church itself. at a time when christianity as a faith was more prevalent and in many cases (sadly) all that people had to hold to, i can see where it would quickly gain hold, and is many such things are, eventually passed off as fact and carried though the ages.

i dont know that thare are any vampyres that fear religious symbols, are damages by them etc. however i do think its a matter of personal tase wether one would want to be exposed to such things

Vampires do not fear symbols. Even Lucifer can see symbols & not fear them or run or do things like they show in hollywood. Its all movie & shows.

But, does the Vampyre fear bleesed symbols? Many faiths believe in the power of blessing. Firebender was correct in stating that Lucifer would not fear symbols.

That said, I DO believe that he would fear a blessed symbol wielded by someone of unshakeable faith. Scripturally we know that all of Hell trembled when Christ descended there and set free all righteous souls in its grasp.

Exorcisms are not found solely in the Orthodox Christian or Roman Catholic faiths. MANY "tribal" religions also have highly stylised exorcism rituals.

I believe that a Vampyre who had or HAS faith WOULD fear a blessed symbol because Faith is not of the empirical, rational realm of thought but transcends to the mystical - that which is real and yet defies empirical proof of its own existence.

My proof? Simple really, this discussion is self referential thus implying existence. Furthermore, implying existence necessitates agrrement among those having discourse on the subject. Once real, then the empirical rational mind can take over and anthropomorphise the subject.

Fear - that is - fear of something outside of empirical experience must find its root in that which cannot be directly perceived. Myth, Faith, and lack of Faith are ALL attempts to deal with non-experiential epistemology.

This thread is brilliant. I must say however that we are skirting a deeper issue that should be explored. Soon I will do a thread called Conundrum.

The idea of fearing a cross or other holy article is drawn from faith. Christians use holy symbols to pray (Cross, rosary, hold water, ect....) and if having "the faith of a mustard seed" they can accompish anything within God's will. The holy item is meant to be a comfort and focus point of the prayer to protect themselves from the vampire, demon, ect. A visual stimulus. Like when Peter walked on water with Jesus, he focused on Him and was able to do so. But when he took his eyes off of Jesus and feared the waves pounding around him he lost faith and began to fail.

Sorry if that was over religious, I hate to offend.

where did you heard/read that he walked with GOD over the waters. I have knowlage of HIM walking on water but alone during a rather very early morning, while everyone was looking & searching for HIM he came from the sun, walking over the waters. Everyone stopped & gazzed at HIm looking puzzled of how could HE do it. But I do not reacll hearing or readin someone walking with him over waters. This is uselly used for darks theory as far as I know, as vampires & dark souls can as well do it. " "

It is a reference from the Bible. It is isn't a debate about Jesus being God or anything, it is just an example of how the Christian faith follows and how they would see a cross as valid protection. A cross is just a peice of metal/wood/whatever it is made of. I am stating that it is that faith that builds up the thought of protection. I think you read into that wrong.

Yea maybe I did ^_^!

Quite alright, it is hard for me to put into words my train of thought. I could have wrote it wrong. Sometimes I understand my logic and then I look to others after I talk and they look like I have just farted in public...

LOL okay sorry about it. :P its all good. ^_^

i totally agree with the first post

Okay...I know I'm new here, & not really "vamp," but...how does being a vamp automatically make one evil? That seems more like a stereotype or generalization than a fact, but that could just be me...

I don't really think anyone fears symbols alone, they fear the things people have allowed them to represent. For example, to some, the pentagram is beautiful- a symbol of the elements, humans, & spirit combined. To others, it inspires fear, because it has been used to represent things that it was not originally meant to.

Symbols are merely that. Our actions are what stain them.

the myth that is vampires fear religious symbols is like saying that driving a wooden stake through someones heart would only kill a vampire and its not true

Which leads back to the difference between real vampires and the image Hollywood has given them.

I would have to say I agree with Lord Noctem, that it's not the item itself, but the users' faith that may repell.

My personal experiences are that I fear none. Regardless of how strong their faith might be. I see only another charm and not a repellant or a means to hurt me. However Hollywood has put superficial ideas in peoples head and the only one that diverts me is the wooden stake.

I must say i agree with Lord Noctem and Ikarus Valencia. The item is not the weapon but the faith of the beholder is the weapon.

Firebender, Maculate was correct in her rembrance of that Scripture. Peter DID in fact walk on water after Jesus called him out of the boat, as a test of his faith.

Gospel of Matthew

14:25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

14:26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

14:27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

14:29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

*remembrance* Sorry for the typo lol

jtandmoongoddess ty for agreeing on my standpoint ,it is a topic thats evolving rather civily im impressed .now i do have a question for one of the ppl who replied


Minsk why do you agree with the very first post .Please elaborate more all input is appreciated :)

I also believe that religious relics have no power against Vampires...We're stronger than that...

The fear to me doesnt necessarily come from the religious symbol itself but from the idea behind it. If you are unsure of yourself, if you feel torn between good and bad. If you do not feel strongly in what you believe you are, then yes, in your mind the religious symbol can harm you. I dont even want to use the word harm, its more that it can give you a feeling. Maybe for some a feeling of guilt. No matter what the feeling, it all comes from within. I consider myself a very spiritual person and I will tell the truth when I say, at first I was afraid to come here. So many things and feelings in my life I felt were "wrong" that I have come to realize arent. They are a part of me. I can still have my faith and be "me" and there is nothing wrong with that. It actually makes me feel stronger...

I applaud you. One's firm belief in themselves and their spirituality is what gives them a sense of ethics. There should be no reason to fear a religious symbol if you are firm in your own beliefs.

I kinda like religious symbols.....no fear here.....

im a psy and i wear ahnks of corse they are my fav i dont have a problem with other religious symbols i was brought up in the church of christ and i do still have a christian belief even though some of the stuff is a bunch of crock

i dont believe in fear
fear is in the eye of the beholder
fear and pain do not exist they are imaginary, ive learned how to control the first one, the other is still making me bleed inside...
but anyway all that hollywood bullshit really sucks, religion is not that strong
but i believe in some things, just cuz i can

I am a psy vampire and i have an ankh tattooed on my arm.....i also wear celtic crosses and they do not bother me at all nor do the religious symbols some of my friends wear.......it's all just a myth

I believe that Vampire are immune to certain symbols. Garlic, mirrors, holy water are all put into reality because Hollywood wants more action in there movies. I do however believe that when the churches turned there backs on the Vampire race that a certain spell "prayer' was put on all holy symbols such as a cross.

you can't fear a symbol. just what is behind it and the power in the thoughts of the symbol.

always
S

I beleive that the so called fear of crosses is no more than a roose, a hoax to help humans feel more secure when they run off to church. I mean, my friend, who is also a vampire, is a devote Catholic and goes to church every chance she gets. And I can't tell you how many times in the past people have tried to repell me using crosses, and I still ate them.......

Love,
C

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