CROSS (Christianity)
Similar symbols already appeared in pagan cultures, before Christ. It was only adopted by Christians when the Roman emperor Constantine abolished condemnations on the cross, at the beginning of the 4th century. In addition to representing the death of Christ, the cross symbolizes God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, on the top, bottom and side ends respectively
STAR OF DAVID (Judaism)
Two pyramids – one pointing upwards and the other inverted – represent the union or balance between heaven and earth. It is said that David, an important king of Israel, had the symbol engraved on the shields of his army as a protective amulet. From then on, the Star of David became identified with the Israeli people.
CRESCENT MOON WITH STAR (Islam)
Scholars surmise that, even before Islam, nomadic Arabs worshiped the Moon by traveling at night. When the symbol was adopted on the flag of the Islamic Ottoman Turk empire, it came to be identified with Muslims. Even so, many believers deny the use of any symbol to represent the Islamic faith.
OM (Hinduism)
It is the written form, in Sanskrit, of the main Hindu mantra. Mantras are words, poems or texts chanted during meditation to aid concentration and invoke deities. Several texts from the Vedas – the Hindu holy scriptures – begin with Om – pronounced Aum – and it means “that which protects”
SWASTIK (Jainism)
This symbol – which also appears in Hinduism and Buddhism – would be a design with four Greek letters gamma (G), representing the four winds, the four cardinal points, the four seasons and other concepts of nature related to the number four. Later, Nazism bent the symbol and popularized the swastika with a negative meaning.
DHARMACAKRA (Buddhism)
Although many do not consider Buddhism to be a religion, the philosophy also bears its stamp. The circle from which eight spokes depart is known as the Wheel of Dharma. In turn, dharma are the Buddha’s teachings to achieve enlightenment, including the Noble Eightfold Path, with eight paths that lead to the end of suffering.
YIN-YANG (Taoism)
By studying the shadows projected by the movement of the Sun, the Chinese created a type of infographic indicating the length of days and nights throughout the year. This balance, fundamental to agriculture, came to represent the importance of opposites and the presence of one inside the other – a black ball in the white part, and vice versa.
KHANDA (Sikhism)
The double-edged sword in the center of the circle symbolizes the one God, whose infinity and perfection is represented by the circle. The sword on the left refers to spiritual power crossing political power, symbolized by the sword on the right. The political meaning, rare in religious symbology, is a result of the persecutions suffered by Sikhs throughout history.
NINE POINTED STAR (Baha’i Faith)
This Persian religion, founded in 1844, preaches that religious leaders throughout the centuries, such as Mohammed and Jesus, are sent by the same God. The doctrine lists nine religions – represented by the points – that fulfill this definition: Sabeism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Bábí faith and Bahá’í faith
CONSULTANCY – Pedro Lima Vasconcelos, graduate professor in religious sciences at PUC-SP
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