Does this signal Christianity to you?

April 7, 2024 8:44 AM

If you saw someone wearing a pendant similar to this, would you assume they were religious? (This is not the item in question, but the shape of the bird is the same.)
posted by HotToddy to Human Relations (66 answers total)

No. It would not ping as Christian for me at all.
posted by hepta at 8:50 AM on April 7, 2024 [8 favorites]

I would lean towards interpreting that as being the symbol for the Holy Ghost, so would proceed as if they were signaling they have Christian beliefs. The Dove of Peace also skews Christian, although there is a certain segment that doesn't capitalize that and just uses it as a peace symbol.
posted by BlueHorse at 8:54 AM on April 7, 2024 [23 favorites]

I suppose it might bring to mind a dove of peace, which is I guess culturally Christian, but not necessarily religious. I wouldn't assume the wearer is a believer.
posted by BungaDunga at 8:55 AM on April 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

It could be perceived as Christian. OTOH, I wouldn't assume that someone that wears a crucifix is a Christian; they might just be goth.
posted by SPrintF at 9:04 AM on April 7, 2024 [3 favorites]

Yes. Though, unlike a cross/crucifix, I wouldn't simply assume the wearer was particularly or enthusiastically religious.
posted by 2N2222 at 9:04 AM on April 7, 2024 [5 favorites]

Though, I should add, I'm an atheist raised by atheists, so I'm not exactly on the lookout for it. Anything short of a cross or an ichthys is fairly likely to pass me by.
posted by BungaDunga at 9:05 AM on April 7, 2024

I would assume they liked birds.
posted by dizziest at 9:09 AM on April 7, 2024 [12 favorites]

Ambiguous for me. There's a lot of possible interpretations and Christianity or some other kind of Abrahamic religious association is fairly likely, but I personally wouldn't ping it as automatically Christian. You've also got the dove Noah released from the Ark, a more generic dove of peace as others have mentioned, and when the Holy Ghost is depicted as a dove, it's fairly often viewed head-on with its wings spread rather than in profile.
posted by LionIndex at 9:09 AM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

I probably would if the person were from my area, but that's because it has lightly Christian overtones and there is a high percentage of active or culturally Christian people here. If I were somewhere outside of my region, I don't think I'd necessarily make that assumption.
posted by past unusual at 9:16 AM on April 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

Very dove-of-peace shaped. I'd assume some kind of Christian-adjacent hippie woo or contranstingly a fan of the Picasso dove that was used as a symbol of peace by the Warsaw Pact countries. I'd definitely expect some kind of pacifist bend though.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 9:25 AM on April 7, 2024 [5 favorites]

Yes, I'd read it as a dove of peace and as Christian.
posted by Braeburn at 9:28 AM on April 7, 2024 [16 favorites]

If it was carrying an olive branch, it would definitely read Christian to me, but it's not.

This particular bird to me reads more like millennial "put a bird on it."
posted by muddgirl at 9:46 AM on April 7, 2024 [5 favorites]

I suppose it might bring to mind a dove of peace, which is I guess culturally Christian

... the dove is also, and as far as I know originally, a Jewish symbol

I would assume peace, and either not religious or Jewish, tbh; I wouldn't associate it with Christianity at all.
posted by trig at 9:48 AM on April 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

Although the shape is all wrong for a dove. It's likely I'd just read it as a bird, if I saw it with no prompting.
posted by trig at 9:51 AM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

Yes it reads very Christian to me. Specifically Roman Catholic.
posted by Czjewel at 9:52 AM on April 7, 2024 [3 favorites]

No, not at all. But I'm in the UK. Like muddgirl, I immediately think of 'Put a Bird on it'
posted by atlantica at 9:56 AM on April 7, 2024

Yes, doves are definitely in the top 5, maybe top 3, of symbols that make me think "possible symbol of Christianity."
posted by slidell at 10:00 AM on April 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

Not at all. I'm Jewish and I wouldn't see it as a Jewish symbol either.
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:07 AM on April 7, 2024

Raised Roman Catholic and that necklace did not wake anything Catholic or religious in me.
posted by Ookseer at 10:13 AM on April 7, 2024 [3 favorites]

No, I would assume they bought in in 2010 or so when "put a bird on it" was a byword for women's fashion. That bird silhouette looks exactly like the sparrow/swallow designs that were popular then.
posted by Frowner at 10:14 AM on April 7, 2024 [5 favorites]

Oh, totally.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 10:15 AM on April 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

This is not an overtly mainline Protestant or evangelical symbol IMHO.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:16 AM on April 7, 2024

Yes. I am a former Catholic, who was raised by Catholics that practiced before the changes in the church in the 70s, and the dove is 100% a Christian symbol. It is what signified the end of the flood that Noah had to build an ark for, and it also symbolizes the holy ghost.
posted by momochan at 10:18 AM on April 7, 2024 [5 favorites]

The dove of peace symbol, especially an outline that looked very much like the one on the necklace, was very popular amongst various Christian churches in my hometown growing up. I've seen that specific iconography a lot on Christian bumper stickers, advertisements for church events, etc. yet very rarely just to indicate "just a bird".

Went to the website of one of the big churches in my hometown and, yep, there it is, they're still using a very similar dove icon in their logo.
posted by eschatfische at 10:18 AM on April 7, 2024 [6 favorites]

I would feel 80% confident that the person wearing it was wearing it as a Christian symbol unless I already had evidence that they were not Christian.
posted by rustcellar at 10:26 AM on April 7, 2024 [5 favorites]

No. I *might* interpret it as a dove of peace if I knew or suspected the person was Christian, but most people I know aren't so I probably would think it's just a bird.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 10:27 AM on April 7, 2024

Meant to add: being a dove is what takes it out of “just a bird” iconography. Like an eagle wouldn’t be “just a bird” either.
posted by rustcellar at 10:28 AM on April 7, 2024 [5 favorites]

It would spark a sense along the lines of, "They they might be Catholic, but hard to know."
posted by kensington314 at 10:29 AM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

Catholic here, and if it was pointed downward I would immediately think "dove of peace, yo" -- but this way, I am less convinced.

However, as a general reference, seeing a dove I first think of "peace" before any other allusion.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:39 AM on April 7, 2024 [3 favorites]

Another take! What if OP was considering something like this as a gift, and their intended either is or isn't Christian in a way that it might or might not be a good gift? Maybe OP likes it as a gift and is trying to figure that out? Does that change the connotation at all?
posted by Snowishberlin at 10:44 AM on April 7, 2024

UK: it would be context sensitive, but I would assume that there was a non- trivial chance that the wearer was Christian or viewed themselves as spiritual in some way.
posted by JJZByBffqU at 10:56 AM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

I'm Catholic, would not identify this as a specifically Christian signal unless I knew the person was Christian already. It's close but not quite there
posted by Polycarp at 10:56 AM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

I’m Jewish and it does evoke some recollections of synagogue decor and younger Hebrew school class decorations for me. My first impression of someone else wearing it would be that they are loosely aligned with what Americans might call “Judeo-Christian” beliefs and probably identify as “spiritual”. I also just don’t like it very much aesthetically, gives me Live Laugh Love decor vibes, but that’s not what you’re asking.
posted by Mizu at 10:58 AM on April 7, 2024

I'm with JJZByBffqU ... absent other clues, I would interpret that this person is culturally Christian or spiritual. You would need more details to know if they were picking a non-cross symbol as a way to distance themselves from the mainstream or to denote a very specific devotion.
posted by mmascolino at 11:10 AM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

I had to read the comments to understand why anyone would think that, but then, I'm Jewish and unfamiliar with a lot of Christian imagery.
posted by epanalepsis at 11:16 AM on April 7, 2024

Yep, that's the Holy Spirit and it means you are a particular sort of Christian, maybe an Episcopalian nun. You're not an Evangelical. You probably even talk about the Trinity in church.
posted by Jane the Brown at 11:22 AM on April 7, 2024 [4 favorites]

It does remind me of a peace dove at first glance, but as Frowner said it's really not the right shape. However I think in that pose it might read to some folks as a dove.

I don't know that the dove definitely gives Christian for most people, not like a cross or a fish. But it might for some. I happen to like the dove as a spiritual symbol so if I saw someone wearing it I might watch my language around them until I got to know them more 😂
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 11:22 AM on April 7, 2024

I would also assume it was a Christian thing unless I knew the person wasn't.
posted by drezdn at 11:26 AM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

I think we're seeing here what I've always believed: social context matters. If you're devoutly Christian or live in an area where that's a dominant culture, you're more likely to see it as a Christian symbol. If not, you may see it as part of the "put a bird on it" craze, or as just a bird.

FWIW, I was raised Jewish, and I had no idea the dove could be a Christian symbol until my non-Jewish husband told me he was strongly convinced it is. This was years ago, and I remember being so angry that a religion could co-opt and claim a part of nature as solely theirs. One person's symbol of belonging is another's symbol of exclusion.
posted by nadise at 11:29 AM on April 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

Grew up fundamentalist Christians, would not remotely occur to me that someone would be wearing it for Christian Reasons. But I also just know a lot of people who love birds and doves (including pigeons). Also, everyone I grew up with was loud and annoying about their Christian iconography and this is way too subtle for their tastes.
posted by brook horse at 11:33 AM on April 7, 2024

Jewish and no it wouldn’t register as religious to me.
posted by johngoren at 11:44 AM on April 7, 2024

In the Atlanta, GA, USA area, I would assume it was a Christian symbol (but I'd probably assume the person was of one of the less unpleasant denominations).
posted by hydropsyche at 11:48 AM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

I would suspect the person wearing it was Christian especially if it was a constant necklace and not just worn as an accessory one day - but yeah, a peace-seeking one, not a fire-and-brimstone one.
posted by warriorqueen at 11:49 AM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

I would just see it as a bird. If someone told me it’s meant to be a dove, I *might* wonder if it were a religious thing but I’m not at all certain that I would.
posted by Stacey at 11:56 AM on April 7, 2024

Yes it would. Subtle but yes.
posted by chasles at 12:05 PM on April 7, 2024

Grew up Catholic in a heavily Christian area and I would absolutely assume that meant Christian and/or Catholic sensibilities
posted by jeweled accumulation at 12:35 PM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

Yes.
posted by rhymedirective at 12:39 PM on April 7, 2024

Am Christian, would not view that as religious.
posted by maryellenreads at 12:55 PM on April 7, 2024

Grew up Catholic in the Great Lakes area, and if they just wore it on occasion (or if I'd never met them and they didn't bring up religion), I'd probably figure it's just a bird and wouldn't necessarily assume it had religious significance. There are other dove designs I would consider more unambiguously Catholic/Christian.

But yeah, if they wore it ~all the time, that might make me eventually wonder about whether it had religious connotations.
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 1:01 PM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

I wouldn’t assume it, but I would wonder for a few seconds. I grew up in a religious area and I recall seeing this type of stylized bird as a “dove of peace” symbol in childhood, so it triggers something in my subconscious, I think. For some reason I associate it with the Catholic Church, maybe the Anglicans or the United Church. Not evangelical churches.

But these days I would also not assume that the wearer of such a necklace was religious without ascertaining more about them.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:23 PM on April 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

I see a religious symbol only because I was raised Catholic in the 70s/80s and we had banners with doves on them. But I wouldn't assume the wearer is Christian because the number one symbol of Christianity to me is a cross and number two is the Ichthys/Jesus fish.
posted by kimberussell at 1:32 PM on April 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

Christian or Jewish.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 1:54 PM on April 7, 2024

I agree that this was briefly the shape of “put a bird on it” era items, though that was relatively short-lived, compared to the peace dove. I also agree this isn’t the exact shape of the exact peace dove I’m thinking of, though there’s plenty of variation and it’s close.

But I wouldn’t think they were NOT Christian, you know?

So if someone wanted to clearly signal that they were NOT Christian, I wouldn’t suggest wearing it.
posted by kapers at 2:35 PM on April 7, 2024

I mean, if we are talking about the US, the vast majority of people are “Christian” in the sense they were raised in that tradition (or one of many traditions). They might be wearing it as a sign of faith; they might be wearing it because “a person with whom they have a positive relationship who is more religious” gave it to them and it’s ambiguous enough that they are happy to wear it; they might be wearing it because it’s subtly religious and that separates them from more overt Christians; they might be wearing it because it’s a symbol of their specific faith group; they might be wearing it because they like birds or think it’s pretty. Add in that it might be a symbol of a different religion, and the only way to know for sure is to ask or get to know them better.

TL;DR: symbols are complicated and often ambiguous.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:58 PM on April 7, 2024

Without an olive branch in its beak, it looks more like a gull to me.
posted by Enid Lareg at 4:31 PM on April 7, 2024

For sure Catholic but not so Catholic they want to wear a cross about it.
posted by Iteki at 5:03 PM on April 7, 2024 [6 favorites]

That example has a forked tail, which would lead me to read it as a swallow, rather than a dove. Swallows have a whole lot of meaning themselves, but it isn't especially Christian.
posted by Fuchsoid at 6:47 PM on April 7, 2024 [5 favorites]

No, not remotely. And I was raised strict Roman Catholic.
posted by Salamander at 7:43 PM on April 7, 2024

No, but if I knew a person was a Christian, I may assume they were wearing it for that reason. if I didn't know they were a Christian, I would just assume they thought it looked nice.
posted by dg at 9:20 PM on April 7, 2024

No, not at all. To me that necklace absolutely reads as a very particular style of bird necklace that was popular amongst millennials in the 2000s and 2010s. (Although at that time the bird was usually a little bigger and preferably laser cut from colorful acrylic.) I also agree that the forked tail makes me think it’s supposed to be a swallow, not a dove.
posted by peperomia at 1:42 AM on April 8, 2024

Yup. I had weird Christian babysitters when I was a kid and I remember little bird silhouettes like that all over the place. I don't know exactly what kind of Christians they were, but they were real Stephen King fundie rage-monster types. Somebody wearing a necklace like that would send me scurrying in the other direction.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:48 AM on April 8, 2024

I know a couple of coworkers who wear crucifix necklaces and I'm not 100% sure either of them are Christians (neither has even mentioned regular churchgoing or other elements of practising Christianity to me, though I know them both well and have worked with them both for over a decade - although I realise that the absence of those conversations doesn't mean they're not committed Christians either).

That necklace does look like a dove of peace to me, but I wouldn't automatically assume someone wearing it was Christian, because apparently I don't even assume that wearing a crucifix necklace automatically makes a person Christian.
posted by terretu at 8:53 AM on April 8, 2024

Generically culturally Christian -> generically spiritual -> other: I don't think I would *assume* the person was Christian, but I also wouldn't be surprised if someone said that was why they were wearing it.
posted by velvet_n_purrs at 9:54 AM on April 8, 2024 [1 favorite]

Absolutely yes, and quite possibly a niche Christian group.

I was raised in a cult, the Way Ministry, and this kind of general motif is what members wore instead of crosses or crucifixes. Crucifixes were especially disfavored.

It absolutely is not the kind of bird silhouette strongly associated with "put a bird on it," which is more along sparrow, swallow, robin, or finch lines.

The exception to the niche Christian associations for me would be if the bird was part of an overtly nautical accessory. Sometimes they're painted like that in nautical watercolors.
posted by verbminx at 4:35 PM on April 8, 2024

Response by poster: I was not expecting such a diversity of responses! Thank you all for your input. Not sure I'm any less confused than I was to begin with but at least now I know it's a well supported confusion!
posted by HotToddy at 7:07 AM on April 9, 2024 [2 favorites]

TIL that wearing a dove has some sort of Christian religious connotation. Would have never occured to me before reading this thread.

I associate doves with being a symbol of peace but I didn't know there was a specific dove called "dove of peace", or that it was a Christian thing, until I read this thread. I thought the dove was a generic peace symbol, peace in the sense of not being at war.

I'm not sure if a "dove of peace" is more along the lines of being a peace spiritually or what it means.

If I saw someone wearing this I'd probably assume they like birds, might ask if they are a birdwatcher or something. Seems like the sort of gift someone would get for someone if they know they are into birdwatching and don't have any other gift ideas.
posted by yohko at 6:22 PM on April 10, 2024