Broken Cross / Peace Symbol

[TomLogan]

I heard someone today refer to the peace symbol actually being a broken cross which implies it has a deeper meaning. Does anyone have any addition info or references on this? I'm interested in learning more.

[Hemidakota]

"Known as the 'peace sign' throughout the 1960's and into the present day, this symbol is the Teutonic rune of death. 1950's peace advocate Gerald Holtom may have been commissioned by communist sympathiser Bertrand Russell to design a symbol to unite leftist peace marchers in 1958. It is clear that either Holtom or Russell deemed the Teutonic (Neronic) cross as the appropriate symbol for their cause.

"Throughout the last 2,000 years this symbol has designated hatred of Christians. Nero, who despised Christians, crucified the Apostle Peter on a cross head downward. This hideous event resembled the Teutonic cross and became a popular pagan insignia of the day. Thereafter, this sign became known as the 'Neronic cross.'

"The symbol's origin in history proves it to be the visual mystic character for 'Aum' (the split 'Y'). This is the sacred word to the Hindu. Chanting 'Aum' is supposed to help awaken 'the serpent power of Brahma' at the base of the human spine. Occultist Albert Pike also identifies this symbol as mystical in his book on Freemasonry Morals and Dogma.

The peace symbol (also called the "broken cross," "crow's foot," "witch's foot," "Nero Cross," "sign of the 'broken Jew,'" and the "symbol of the 'anti-Christ''') is actually a cross with the arms broken. It also signifies the "gesture of despair," and the "death of man.''

"The Germanic tribes who used it attributed strange and mystical properties to the sign. Such a 'rune' is said to have been used by 'black magicians' in pagan incantations and condemnations....To this very day the inverted broken cross--identical to the socialists' 'peace' symbol--is known in Germany as a 'todersrune,' or death rune. Not only was it ordered by Hitler's National Socialists that it must appear on German death notices, but it was part of the official inscription prescribed for the gravestones of Nazi officers of the dread SS. The symbol suited Nazi emphasis on pagan mysticism.''

With the arms of the cross raised in an upright position, it is "a Pythagorean emblem of the course of life, in the form of a rising path with fork roads to Good and Evil.'' It also signifies fertility, but with the arms pointing downward, it denotes evil and death.

Reference: The Peace Sign and Satanism

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Then we have another viewpoint: "The peace symbol is so familiar today that it seems difficult to believe that it hasn't always existed. But in fact it was just half a century ago that a British designer named Gerald Holtom sat down at his drawing board and invented it – and this the story of how a design of extraordinary simplicity came to be one of the most iconic images in history."

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Another venture of the history behind this symbol from another source: " The design for the familiar crow's-foot-in-a-circle we know as the peace symbol was completed February 21, 1958, by British commercial artist Gerald Holtom.

Holtom had been commissioned by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. The CND, headed by philosopher Bertrand Russell, was planning an Easter march to Canterbury Cathedral to protest the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston.

After doodling around with several versions of the Christian cross set in a circle, Holtom hit on the crow's-foot idea. This had a couple things going for it.

First, it was a combination of the semaphore signals for N and D, standing for Nuclear Disarmament. N is two flags held in an upside-down V, and D is one flag pointed straight up and the other pointed straight down.

Second, the crow's-foot has an ancient history as a symbol of death and despair--it looks like somebody spreading his hands in a gesture of defeat. The symbol is shown in a 1955 tome called The Book of Signs by Rudolph Koch, a German calligrapher, although it's unclear whether Holtom saw it there.

The circle, finally, can mean "eternity," "the unborn child," and so on. From this you can no doubt cook up a suitably apocalyptic interpretation of the symbol as a whole.

During the heyday of the peace movement, other interpretations of the symbol were also offered. A national Republican newsletter noted that it looked a lot like an emblem used by the Nazis during World War II--an apparent coincidence.

Another interpretation, widely promoted by the John Birch Society and other right-wing groups, was that the symbol was really the "broken cross," sign of the Antichrist.

One Bircher wrote that the broken cross had originally been devised by the Roman emperor Nero, who had Saint Peter crucified upon it upside down. In the Middle Ages the symbol allegedly was used to signify the devil.

I have been unable to discover any good evidence for either of these contentions.

The Birchers, you may remember, also distributed bumper stickers featuring the peace symbol with the slogan, "Footprint of the American Chicken." The far-right crowd, I tell you, they are such a stitch. " The Straight Dope: What is the origin of the peace symbol?

Edited August 9, 2010 by Hemidakota

[UrbanFool]

That symbol is not in any rune set I'm familiar with. And I'm also not familiar with any rune that's a symbol for death at all.

[Moksha]

Reference: The Peace Sign and Satanism

Tell that to the folks at Mercedes Benz.

The Birchers, you may remember, also distributed bumper stickers featuring the peace symbol with the slogan, "Footprint of the American Chicken." The far-right crowd, I tell you, they are such a stitch. " The Straight Dope: What is the origin of the peace symbol?

When surrounded by such people, it is best to not make any sudden moves and if confronted, know all the verses to the National Anthem.

[Just_A_Guy]

Wait - I thought it was a chicken track?

(I kid, I kid . . . )

[Dossice]

I've heard simular stories when I was a kid in Primary, especially how it was used to symbolize an individual's denial of Christ and Christianity. That would make sense in regards to the 1960's hippie movement. The "Love for All" theory is not at all Christian, especially in the terms that I have heard it from former Hippies. To commit adultery is to break one of the Lord's commandments, and to do that is to deny the teachings of Christ. I guess the Peace Symbol was meant to advertise that an individual was "up for anything," and that they weren't tied down to the modest teachings of any Christian church. Hmm, hope this helps at all.

[hordak]

I would point out that some temples have the pentagrams and the Hindus and Indians have used the swastika for centuries.

While symbols may have historical "deeper meaning" they do not necessarily carry that same mean today.

[Traveler]

That symbol is not in any rune set I'm familiar with. And I'm also not familiar with any rune that's a symbol for death at all.

I believe you are correct. There is some similarity to the ancient “z” rune if it is inverted or the more recent inverted “m”. But neither is an exact match. Also the Nazis movement was deeply rooted in Christian theology not Pagan theology. The Third Richt was reference to the 3rd and final Holy Roman Empire. At the end of WWII there were extensive efforts by Christians so involved to distance themselves whenever possible from the Nazis – the spin was to blame the Nazis movement on Paganism.

The Traveler

[UrbanFool]

The "swastika" (I hate that name.) Is a symbol for the sun. Countless civilizations used it before Hitler perverted it.

[FlaviusHambonius]

I've heard simular stories when I was a kid in Primary, especially how it was used to symbolize an individual's denial of Christ and Christianity. That would make sense in regards to the 1960's hippie movement. The "Love for All" theory is not at all Christian, especially in the terms that I have heard it from former Hippies. To commit adultery is to break one of the Lord's commandments, and to do that is to deny the teachings of Christ. I guess the Peace Symbol was meant to advertise that an individual was "up for anything," and that they weren't tied down to the modest teachings of any Christian church. Hmm, hope this helps at all.

I think what your thinking is the 'Free Love' mantra that was going around in the 60's -- especially in the mid to later 60's.

Free Love was a mindset by a particulair group of people that made love with whoever and whenever they wanted with others or even orgies etc.

Places like Haight Ashbury Park in San Francisco with the flower children really popularized these values.

I'm not sure what they were teaching you in primary or why they would even bring a subject like this up -- but 'Love for All' is definitely Christian.

[Hemidakota]

There are more than one side to each story...we simply believe what is appropriate drawing by our own research and culture learning. Even the upside cross was not created by anyone in this country. It was Peter who requested this form of execution by the Romans. I cannot any further find anything else in history to match this form of death. Adding a circle to it could be drawn from other sources throughout history. We could state – such and such was the creator – but never or less, he still receive that creative thinking from another source and not his own. In another words, he is not the original author of such when we look at it.

I.E. - even my Smart bullet concept (currently be worked on by DARPA), is nothing more than a culmination of potential ideas of snipers ‘wants’, sci-fi movies, current missile technology, thus ending up giving this concept objective and potential military application for any DoD military sniper. Yet, it is not mine to be credited when others have the ideas prior to this novel concept.

[HEthePrimate]

Yeah, peace is evil. Anybody who promotes peace and the brotherhood of man is Antichrist. Come on, get with the program!

Seriously, though, symbols are used differently by different people. For example, the swastika has been used as a sacred symbol since ancient times, but then the Nazis came and spoiled it for us. The inverted pentagram appears on some LDS temples, but means something different to us than it does to a Satanist. To assert that the modern peace movement's use of the peace symbol is antichrist is just silly.

HEP

Edited August 9, 2010 by HEthePrimate

[Dossice]

I think what your thinking is the 'Free Love' mantra that was going around in the 60's -- especially in the mid to later 60's.

Free Love was a mindset by a particulair group of people that made love with whoever and whenever they wanted with others or even orgies etc.

Places like Haight Ashbury Park in San Francisco with the flower children really popularized these values.

I'm not sure what they were teaching you in primary or why they would even bring a subject like this up -- but 'Love for All' is definitely Christian.

Yes, I meant "Free Love" lol, not "Love for All." Aha, well they never tought about Hippies in Primary, just the peace symbol. They vaguely mentioned that one time, so I'm surprised I even remember! I put two and two together because the peace symbol was a large motif of that time and especially of Hippie decor. The mindset you mention is definitely the one that I had in mind, so thanks for elaborating. But don't you agree that "Free Love" is uncomparably Un-Christian and too liberal for any religious institute that teaches of Christ? I mean, that totally dethrones the sanctity of marriage and chastity. That's what I was trying to get at in my previous post.

[FlaviusHambonius]

Yes, I meant "Free Love" lol, not "Love for All." Aha, well they never tought about Hippies in Primary, just the peace symbol. They vaguely mentioned that one time, so I'm surprised I even remember! I put two and two together because the peace symbol was a large motif of that time and especially of Hippie decor. The mindset you mention is definitely the one that I had in mind, so thanks for elaborating. But don't you agree that "Free Love" is uncomparably Un-Christian and too liberal for any religious institute that teaches of Christ? I mean, that totally dethrones the sanctity of marriage and chastity. That's what I was trying to get at in my previous post.

Yes, I agree with you on that point Dossice.

Actually the so called hippie and flowerchild movement didn't last all that long. Sure they still had pockets of communes that lasted for years after the fact.

Haight Ashbury for example turned into a filthy, trodden down area during the height of the free love period.

A lot of runaway kids from all parts of the country headed for ths frisco area thinking all would be well and like uninformed kids will be -- thinking that just because it was in California, that it was supposed to be warm and pleasent.

Well it didn't quite turn out that way -- they went their unprepared -- a lot of girls had to prostitute themselves out just to eat and possibly have a roof over their head-- the haight ashbury area became way over populated in a short period of time.

Most youngsters were wacked out of their gord on drugs, usually LSD.

What in the beggining was a Lovefest eventually turned into a Slumfest with a bunch of dissillusioned kids.

[Hemidakota]

That is because they are running our government and corporations.

[Dossice]

Yes, I agree with you on that point Dossice.

Actually the so called hippie and flowerchild movement didn't last all that long. Sure they still had pockets of communes that lasted for years after the fact.

Haight Ashbury for example turned into a filthy, trodden down area during the height of the free love period.

A lot of runaway kids from all parts of the country headed for ths frisco area thinking all would be well and like uninformed kids will be -- thinking that just because it was in California, that it was supposed to be warm and pleasent.

Well it didn't quite turn out that way -- they went their unprepared -- a lot of girls had to prostitute themselves out just to eat and possibly have a roof over their head-- the haight ashbury area became way over populated in a short period of time.

Most youngsters were wacked out of their gord on drugs, usually LSD.

What in the beggining was a Lovefest eventually turned into a Slumfest with a bunch of dissillusioned kids.

Yes, you're correct and definitely know your history! However, the liberalism of that movement did sweep over the strict society of that time, so even though the stems of the movement were crushed, the effects have lasted even to this day. I once knew an individual who's mother lived in San Francisco across from a Hippie commune in the late 70s, and my mother even recalls that back when she went to high school (early 70s), she had few friends because the vast majority of her school was littered with students that had no moral restrictions, most in thanks to the movement in which people did whatever they wanted, whenever, which I've also heard was in part a rebellion against their "old-fashioned" parents.

I see this mentality regenerating itself even to this day, I just graduated (thankfully a year early) from a school where 14 year old boys & girls were caught doing hard drugs and orgies in public bathrooms. Yikes! Although there is no formal name for this modern movement - can I call it stupidity? or lack of responsibility/concern on the parents account? - history is definitely repeating itself and causing an uproar of immorality. Whether the peace symbol has backing to the simular mentality of the Hippie Movement is beyond me, but one can assume, if their mentality diverged away from God-loving principles, that it may be a symbolic gesture, or at least an unconscious one.

Edited August 9, 2010 by Dossice

[FlaviusHambonius]

The movement did sweep over part of society, but mainly within that younger age group. I imagine some of the people of that generation who were more liberal minded probably carried that over into their later years -- to what degree is the question.

Many of the young people of that generation were against the war in Vietnam, and many protested it.

Because of the young people who did protest the war, and the eyes that were eventually opened up more and more as time passed on to how wrong (IMO) that war was -- even to older folks -- I think was a good thing.

And I think your right, many just did things out of rebellion -- but many really believed in their cause.

As Hemi pointed out -- the protesters of that generation were the baby boomers of WWII and are indeed running the country today.

As far as the 'mentality regenerating itself even to this day as far as the promiscuity issues -- I think that has been here for many moons and will remain so -- but your absolutley right in the fact that it has escalated so much as the years go by -- I think much of it has to do with a Father figure missing from that childs life -- many single mothers do a fantastic job -- but I think many kids fall through the cracks -- but it also happens even with the child with both parents.

But I think you make a great point -- it comes down to the responsibility and concern of the parents -- once that waivers, usually trouble lurks not far behind.

[FlaviusHambonius]

Just a follow up about liberalism Dossice,

A quote from Winston Churchill:

Any man who is under_ and is not a liberal has not heart and any man who is over_ and is not a conservative has no brains.

I can't remember the ages -- but you get the idea.

I often wonder what kind of Ideaology or thought's John Lennon would have today as a older man.

[Moksha]

The inverted pentagram appears on some LDS temples, but means something different to us than it does to a Satanist. To assert that the modern peace movement's use of the peace symbol is antichrist is just silly.

HEP

So you are saying symbols can mean different things to different people and that efforts to lump them together with an unfavorable meaning is primarily driven by a desire to demonize people with differing ideas? Yikes! That does not bode well.

[mormongandhi]

Hey,

I actually wrote a post on the subject: Mormons, Jesus and the Peace Symbol. A lot of the information I got there is from CND's own site (the ones who actually started using the symbol)... Check it out:

mormons, jesus and the peace symbol latter day satyagraha

[skippy740]

Tell that to the folks at Mercedes Benz.

Mercedes Benz is a 3-pointed star and is not the same as the "peace" sign.

Besides, the peace sign is the footprint of the great American chicken!

[Carl62]

Haight Ashbury for example turned into a filthy, trodden down area during the height of the free love period.

A lot of runaway kids from all parts of the country headed for ths frisco area thinking all would be well and like uninformed kids will be -- thinking that just because it was in California, that it was supposed to be warm and pleasent.

Well it didn't quite turn out that way -- they went their unprepared -- a lot of girls had to prostitute themselves out just to eat and possibly have a roof over their head-- the haight ashbury area became way over populated in a short period of time.

Most youngsters were wacked out of their gord on drugs, usually LSD.

What in the beggining was a Lovefest eventually turned into a Slumfest with a bunch of dissillusioned kids.

What's interesting is if you watch The Beatles Anthology, George Harrison talks about how excited he was about going to Haight-Ashbury (San Francisco) and experiencing what he thought was going to be a week of peace, love, artistic and spiritual awakenings. What he ended up seeing was nothing but a bunch of drop-out kids all strung out on drugs. I think he was disillusioned with the whole Summer of Love thing like so many others were. Take away the drugs and the free love and I think we really could have been on to something (Woodstock was great though:D).

[Elphaba]

The peace symbol as we know it in the modern day was designed in 1958 by Gerald Holtom, a professional designer and artist in Britain for a march planned to protest nuclear weapons. It originally had nothing to do with the free love movement, nor did it have anything to do with the cross or Christianity.

Wiki really is our friend.

Peace symbols - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elphaba

[MichaelCraig]

I'm not sure how it is in other parts of the country or the world for that matter but it appears to me that many of the youth of today are really into the 1960's era music and art. My 19 yr old middle son loves tie-die and has several posters like Bob Dylan, Bob Marley etc. I may be naive but it looks like he's not interested in the "free love" part of that era especially knowing his long time Italian girlfriend would call her Dad in New Jersey and he'd have to live on the run for the rest of his life. He also is really into natural food and prefers to buy fresh veggies etc and cook them himself in light olive oil. I think that's pretty cool considering it was just a few years ago kids his age didn't know there was any other type food besides BurgerKing or McD's. :)

[slamjet]

What it used to mean, who cares. Most anyone who wears it have no clue. They're into what it means today. Counter-culture, question authority, free love, LSD, flower power, etc.