What does it mean if someone gives you a crucifix?

Is your job extremely dangerous?

 

Does it burn when you touch it?

 

...You've been marked.

 

+1, could be a do-gooder trying keep you safe.

or, he could be like the creepy old lady that keeps coming by my fish counter, saying that god blesses me and leaving really really ill-informed christian literature on our display (to the effect of "How do we know Christ was telling the truth? Well, from what we know about his life, a man like that would never misrepresent himself" that's verbatim. it's ridiculous). She means well... but good cripes it's creepy. Long story short, I don't like being looked in the eye.

 

It means that sooner or later he's going to go up to you and give you "the talk"

he is going to try an convert you...

 

That night, when through the mooring-chains
The wide-eyed corpse rolled free,
To blunder down by Garden Reach
And rot at Kedgeree,
The tale the Hughli told the shoal
The lean shoal told to me.

'T was Fultah Fisher's boarding-house,
Where sailor-men reside,
And there were men of all the ports
From Mississip to Clyde,
And regally they spat and smoked,
And fearsomely they lied.

They lied about the purple Sea
That gave them scanty bread,
They lied about the Earth beneath,
The Heavens overhead,
For they had looked too often on
Black rum when that was red.

They told their tales of wreck and wrong,
Of shame and lust and fraud,
They backed their toughest statements with
The Brimstone of the Lord,
And crackling oaths went to and fro
Across the fist-banged board.

And there was Hans the blue-eyed Dane,
Bull-throated, bare of arm,
Who carried on his hairy chest
The maid Ultruda's charm --
The little silver crucifix
That keeps a man from harm.

And there was Jake Withouth-the-Ears,
And Pamba the Malay,
And Carboy Gin the Guinea cook,
And Luz from Vigo Bay,
And Honest Jack who sold them slops
And harvested their pay.

And there was Salem Hardieker,
A lean Bostonian he --
Russ, German, English, Halfbreed, Finn,
Yank, Dane, and Portuguee,
At Fultah Fisher's boarding-house
The rested from the sea.

Now Anne of Austria shared their drinks,
Collinga knew her fame,
From Tarnau in Galicia
To Juan Bazaar she came,
To eat the bread of infamy
And take the wage of shame.

She held a dozen men to heel --
Rich spoil of war was hers,
In hose and gown and ring and chain,
From twenty mariners,
And, by Port Law, that week, men called
her Salem Hardieker's.

But seamen learnt -- what landsmen know --
That neither gifts nor gain
Can hold a winking Light o' Love
Or Fancy's flight restrain,
When Anne of Austria rolled her eyes
On Hans the blue-eyed Dane.

Since Life is strife, and strife means knife,
From Howrah to the Bay,
And he may die before the dawn
Who liquored out the day,
In Fultah Fisher's boarding-house
We woo while yet we may.

But cold was Hans the blue-eyed Dane,
Bull-throated, bare of arm,
And laughter shook the chest beneath
The maid Ultruda's charm --
The little silver crucifix
That keeps a man from harm.

"You speak to Salem Hardieker;
"You was his girl, I know.
"I ship mineselfs to-morrow, see,
"Und round the Skaw we go,
"South, down the Cattegat, by Hjelm,
"To Besser in Saro."

When love rejected turns to hate,
All ill betide the man.
"You speak to Salem Hardieker" --
She spoke as woman can.
A scream -- a sob -- "He called me -- names!"
And then the fray began.

An oath from Salem Hardieker,
A shriek upon the stairs,
A dance of shadows on the wall,
A knife-thrust unawares --
And Hans came down, as cattle drop,
Across the broken chairs.

......

In Anne of Austria's trembling hands
The weary head fell low: --
"I ship mineselfs to-morrow, straight
"For Besser in Saro;
"Und there Ultruda comes to me
"At Easter, und I go

"South, down the Cattegat -- What's here?
"There -- are -- no -- lights -- to guide!"
The mutter ceased, the spirit passed,
And Anne of Austria cried
In Fultah Fisher's boarding-house
When Hans the mighty died.

Thus slew they Hans the blue-eyed Dane,
Bull-throated, bare of arm,
But Anne of Austria looted first
The maid Ultruda's charm --
The little silver crucifix
That keeps a man from harm.

The Ballad of Fisher's Boarding-House
Rudyard Kipling

EDIT: Not saying anyone is going to stab you or anything, I was just reminded of this poem

 

wow

 

Maybe he is hunting Dracula. If he hands you a cross, and your hand bursts into flame, he can then add you to his list of suspects.

 

Does it look expensive? Maybe it's stolen and he just wants you to hold it for a while until the heat dies down.

In reality he probably either assumed you were Christian and considered it a thoughtful gift or knew that you weren't and was attempting to share his faith with you. Either way, you handled it in the correct manner.

 

First part I agree with, but not so sure about handling it correctly. Depending upon my mood and sense of humour at the time, he may have got a very pointed response or an attempt at humour from me. I don't like people trying to fob their belief systems onto me and by not stating that politely, you may be in for an attempted conversion or other unwanted attention aound this topic. I worked with a rabid born again type once, and it was painful.

 

My view is that if it's just a co-worker or boss giving you what they think is a meaningful gift, there's no reason to be rude about it. If, however it does turn out to be the first step in this guy's attempt at a "conversion" then he can be respectfully rebuffed when those motives become apparent.

 

He probably wants to nail you to a piece of wood.


... I was tempted to stop typing after the word "you."

 

maybe it isnt a cross. maybe its a wierd hammer or something.

 

My view is that non family, non good friend should stay the hell out of anyone else's spiritual practice unless specifically asked. It's a 'loaded' gift. However, I doubt I would have been rude, blunt yes, but not rude. Probably. Maybe.

 

It was a prototype for the Stanley FubarTool.

 

i think im on drugs

 

For what it's worth a Crucifix and a Cross are two different things.

 

Yep. If it is a crucifix, he is probably a Catholic, and either thinks you are, or is going to approach you about his beliefs.

 

Last time someone presented me with a crucifix and their "beliefs" it burnt an impression on my forehead.

Meh,......it made the fangs go away. Looking back, I should have been more grateful. Poor guy.