Thanks for a powerful application. I realise you have many new features to consider.

Some Spirit-filled believers may relate to me here - I'd like to see a choice for the icon displayed for the app. Personally I find the cross symbol grates on my soul.

If that's a surprise, consider how Israel had to look to (behold) the bronze snake to be healed in the wilderness (Num 21:9). Later, many of them started to see that symbol as important (every mystically powerful) rather than exercising direct faith in God.

Hezekiah stood up to this compromise and rightly broke & burnt it (2 Kings 18:4) and that's what I'd like to do.

Many in mainstream 'Christianity' have become like this where they idolise the symbol that killed Jesus rather than receiving and walking in the power of the Holy Ghost.


..and while I don't care for this personally, many iPhone users love to customise. I'm sure a choice of icon would be welcome by others.

Thank you.

Sorry, but this is not possible. Apple does not allow for this.

Saw the comment from david_from_oz and I vote for a different icon too.

Just my 2 cents here. I'm a designer. If I were going to design something that I wanted to convey was evil --- I would use the colors you've used for the Mantis logo -- black and serpent green. I suspect that for a lot of people the desire for a new logo might stem from the possibility that the colors in the logo subconsciously convey a connotation that is opposite of what the content is really all about.

...for what it's worth

This is too weird!!!


Jeff

What is weird?

This isn't exactly related to the icon, but I was showing someone from my church the Mantis app today and they had the same reaction I was just alluding to. When I opened the app, they said the colors and the sort of lizard skin background made it look like I was opening a Satanic Bible instead of the Word of God. He literally gave me a look like "can I trust you that this really is the Bible?" He was an elderly man, but still. He's not the first one I've shown this to who's had that reaction.

I love to show Mantis to people and share how it's revolutionized my Bible study. I call my iphone "My Bible which is also a phone," but I'm just saying---the colors and texture do not symbolize the content optimally. When all you have the small icon in the app store and the name (Mantis---which doesn't sound like it goes with the Bible)--I'm just saying your fighting an uphill battle with some people out the gate and from my hands on experience trying to turn on people to Mantis I can say it's not a theoretical uphill battle, it's one that I've run into first hand now a few times.

I guess it's all in how you look at it. I don't see "lizards" at all in the logo. What I see is a green cross (green to me always represented "growing in Christ") over a background of living cells, which, to me, represents all living things.

This has obvious implications for me, personally (see Col 1:16-17 for an example.)

Wow...I would have ever picked that out to be living cels. Even now, I look at it and I just can't see it. I've now had 3 individuals I've shown this to comment on the "lizard" or "monster" skin---unprompted. One of them thought I was opening a video game by mistake---so maybe he doesn't count.

I know this couldn't be high on the list of priorities, but I don't suppose we could get the option for a more bland (black on white or something) opening screen for those of us who to like to run around and show Mantis to anyone who will look at it?

I know that might seem like I'm pushing for something that's unreasonable, but two of the individuals that had the reaction I'm describing had, to different degrees, a fairly solid initial distrust reaction to that opening screen.

Sorry, but it's just not possible with the iPhone OS.

It's what's inside that counts, anyway.

That's a pity. Well, at least I have something to tell someone if I have to try to get them to "not judge the book by its cover" -- in terms of what your idea behind the load screen art was. Thanks!

Looks finebto me. Some people see demons behind everything. Good job Mantis. Keep up the great job!

The cross is bad? The cross is not a bad thing, my friend. The Cross did not kill Jesus. The cross is the vessel by which God almighty chose to score his triumphant victory over death and satan. The cross is a beautiful thing through which Jesus brought us our redemtion and it is a thing we should always be reminded of and keep on our minds.
Sometimes certain sects of Christianity, particularly Fundamentalist Christianity, get a little too gnostic, and iconoclast. I think the cross is the most appropriate symbol you can put on a bible app.

Our redemtion was purchased by the Word. The Word was Jesus. Jesus chose to purchase our redemtion through the Cross. Therefor the cross is a great symbol for the Word.

I have no problem with the green colors either but thats open to debate I suppose.

SAY WHAT!!!
I cannot believe what I am reading!

Somebody please read Titus 1:15-16.

I wear a cross around my neck to remind me every day that it was there where my savior defeated the devil and concord the power of sin.

So the people have asked for "PRAYER" to be removed from schools, and that "IN GOD WE TRUST" be removed form out money, and that the "TEN CAMMANDMENTS" be removed from the court houses, now a Christian is saying the CROSS grates his soul.... what next?
Am I the only one feeling this here?

Mantis, please do not remove or change the cross, my Savior and Lord said I need to pick up my cross and carry it daily, deny myself and follow him, why would I want to remove any visual reminder of the very thing I must embrace and follow my master? After all, he carried it on my account...

Excuse the tone, but this is getting ridiculous, the adversary is working in every body he can in America, trying to kill Christianity in one way or another... LET IT BE KNOWN! Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess, JESUS is LORD!

Luke 6:46 says it all…


God Bless......
Raul S

I'd say that this is some sort of escalation.
None of the original posters ever complained about the cross, but about the lizardy/snaky green, coupled with the cellular background that really looks like scales...

s

A statement from the initial poster.

"Personally I find the cross symbol grates on my soul."

This is what I was responding to, but I must say you are correct, it did appear to escalate the issue.
And for that I humbly submit my apology. Sorry guy's.


God Bless.......
Raul S

Well, I wasn't speaking out against the cross--only the colors and the texture that so far most people I've shown Mantis to respond to thinking I'm launching the latest Demon shoot 'em up game or something instead of the Bible. In fact, I've taken to using Olivetree in church because of that. Yes--people "see demons" where there aren't any, but IMHO, Mantis isn't helping things with the color scheme and the lizard/dragon skin thing going on there (yes, I know it's suppossed to be something else--but as a designer, I'm all too familiar with the downsides of popular perception). There are some things, and first impressions are among them, that I believe it's best to not force people to have dig deeper to find out that it's not what it appears, on the surface, to be.

The cross, IMHO, is what saves it. However, incasing the cross in a evil-looking setting gives the wrong impression to the casual viewer in my opinion and in my experience so far.

The idea that someone would feel that the cross is a wrong symbol to use is--wow--almost incomprehensible. That's like telling a fruit stand they should have a fruit tree as their symbol or something. Christ, is the source and his sacrifice is our only hope. If Christ did His sacrifice on a floogle horn, I'd still want to wear one around my neck (or shirt or whatever).

..er..I meant "that's like telling a fruit stand they should NOT have a fruit tree as their symbol or something."

*blush*

I wonder if the original poster would accuse my grandmother of idolotry for kissing a photograph of her dead husband...

The cross is the symbol of God's pure unselfishness, Jesus pure unselfishness, Holy Ghost pure unselfishness. Adam's tree was pure selfishness and action to promote self. The cross strikes the Sword right to the heart of all selfishness and we are to deny Selfishness and follow Jesus to promote the Kingdom of God. Thanks Mantis. I'm reading more than ever with your program.

haha, seriously folks?

if you're spending $18 on a bible app, then you no doubt been to/frequent a christian bookstore/bookstore christianity section. in which case, you know the cross is plastered on to most of the books/book-accessories/journals...

I do have my qualms about the logos (why use black and green? it should just say 'bible'), but I don't think it's a big deal.