To think that one is not influenced by what one sees and hears is naive,
and even gaivadig (haughty) in the case of saying these people don't
influence a Jew's mind. For one thing, they are televangelists because they
are persuasive. For another thing, their comments about Israel are
deceptively sympathetic.>>
In the above edition there is mention of a bochur who was not learning well
and upon examination learned that his performance was less because he
walked near a church and saw all the crosses and this vision was
detrimental to his learning. Could anyone find sources that we put credence
in the symbols of other religions to effect either good or bad? Isn't it
better to say simply that we put no credence in these things and they are
powerless symbols? It seems to me that saying a cross can cause harm is to
imbue it with an intrinsic power.