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It seems that the second of the ten commandment would exclude "any shape" whatsoever to be used in worship.
(Exodus 20:4) “You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth.
Was there an exception made concerning the cross, or was the second command somehow altered or canceled ? If not, can the use of the cross in worship be considered idolatry ?
The cross originated in the Babylon Mystery Religion. There are several books with that title that fully explain the history. The BMR grew by absorbing smaller churches. About 300 AD it absorbed the official religion of Rome and became known as the Catholic Church. Churches that use the cross either deny the authority of the bible, or they misread it to suit their doctrines.
It is not reliable to let people tell you what the bible says. Many people will make up stuff because they don't know what it says, and many will make up stuff because they wish it would not say what it says. You just have to read it for yourself. Read a chapter of Proverbs every day. Proverbs has 31 chapters so you can keep your place by just looking at a calendar. There is no religion or nothing in Proverbs and you don't have to believe anything. Just read to find wisdom. When you are comfortable with that, then read the bible from Romans to 2 Thessalonians over and over until you start to remember what it says. That is the part that applies to Christians. Here is a book to help you to understand the bible. It's a free download and you can get a hard copy at any bible book store.
philologos.org/__eb-htetb/ "How To Enjoy The Bible"
There is a flood of misinformation about anything called Christian. Any answer has to be accompanied by guidance to understand it. The verse you mention was given to Jews, not Christians. Christians are defined in Romans 10:9 and 10. The epistle to the Romans clearly explains that sins don't count any more. Either you believe in Jesus and are saved or you don't believe and are lost. So your question is a misunderstanding based on muddled things you have been told, and they are not so.
Vern much of what you said is true. Churches that use the cross either deny the authority of the Bible, or they misread it to suit their doctrines.however here is some additional information on this subject.
“The Greek word for cross, [stau·rosʹ], properly signified a stake, an upright pole, or piece of paling, on which anything might be hung, or which might be used in impaling [fencing in] a piece of ground. . . . Even amongst the Romans the crux (from which our cross is derived) appears to have been originally an upright pole.”— The Imperial Bible-Dictionary, Edited by P. Fairbairn (London, 1874), Vol. I, p. 376.
The use of the cross as a religious symbol in pre-Christian times and among non-Christian peoples may probably be regarded as almost universal, and in very many cases it was connected with some form of nature worship.”—Encyclopædia Britannica (1946), Vol. 6, p. 753.
Hard to argue with real history and fact.
There is no evidence that for the first 300 years after Christ’s death, those claiming to be Christians used the cross in worship. In the fourth century, however, pagan Emperor Constantine became a convert to apostate Christianity and promoted the cross as its symbol. Whatever Constantine’s motives, the cross had nothing to do with Jesus Christ. The cross is, in fact, pagan in origin. The New Catholic Encyclopedia admits: “The cross is found in both pre-Christian and non-Christian cultures.” Various other authorities have linked the cross with nature worship and pagan sex rites.
Apparently, to make it easier for pagans to accept “Christianity.” Nevertheless, devotion to any pagan symbol is clearly condemned by the Bible. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) The Scriptures also forbid all forms of idolatry. (Exodus 20:4, 5; 1 Corinthians 10:14) With very good reason, therefore, true Christians do not use the cross in worship
For more information on this subject and others. please go to jw.org "Online Library."
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thank you for your response.
Please clarify , can you state categoricly that there is a discrepancy between the 2cd commandment and using the cross in worship and is it idolatry if a person does use the cross.
Could you please, in your response, abstain from unsolicited counsel. This is only a discussion.
Otherwise I appriciate very much your answer
Regards