I didn't know that.

http://www.germandressdaggers.com/Panzer%20Section%20Divisional%20markings%201%20to%203.htm

http://www.teachpeace.com/peacesymbolhistory.htm

When I read this, I thought there might be some mass hysteria going on.

The only thing I vaguely remember was that in a litany of abuse during Vietnam demonstrations.

"Dirty happies! Communists! Satanists! Traitors!", etc. To be fair, 2 out of 4 were incorrect.

Who knew there's some nutty scholarship around the peace sign?

appealed to me, I never heard anyone relate it to satanism.

I learned that in Sunday School.

It was about the same time I first heard about the reversed Satanic messages in popular songs.

Peace symbols were an important part of my church during the Viet Nam era. The church was very focused on efforts to stop the war.

It's interesting how different churches saw it in such different way.

"peace sign is a symbol of devil worship" was most common. It was crazy bullshit back then and it's crazy bullshit now

Mercedes. (1st Panzer)

a webpage making such claims

It's not clear how standardized division markings were. A number of site claim and inverted Y with two bars || as the 3rd Panzer symbol, but it's not standardized even when I find it:



The Mercedes-Benz tristar dates from the earliest days of the company



and the tristar-in-circle was in use in WWI



Since Hitler was ferried about in a luxury Mercedes-Benz, and since the company did actually manufacture tanks during the war, it's easy enough to imagine that a tank crew here and there might have jokingly placed a cartoon of the company symbol on their tank -- or converted an inverted Y into the now more-recognizable Mercedes-Benz symbol by drawing a circle around it -- and made comments like "Hitler has a Mercedes, and now he's given us one too!"

there were several of them

Wikipedia gives the following symbols for the Wehrmacht's 3rd panzer division:


But the SS also had its own 3rd panzer division "Deaths-head"

Or an X?

And then some!

Nothing separates a fool from his money quicker than a reprint of a perfectly fine project.

As a caring adult, and long-time graphic designer, I feel for the students who will now have to deal for the first time with a fickle client. But better they learn now, and on the customer's dime (or Euro, as the case may be), than to learn so later, when conceivably the customer holds them (or their employer) responsible and they have to pay for the reprint.

Do you look at things with an eye to warning clients that they might have a problem with the product or do you just do what they ask?

My philosophy (as both a broker and designer) is to give the client what they want, not what they've asked for.

I would have definitely questioned the peace sign as a symbol capable of being perceived as anti-Christian, especially given the nature of the client (a religious school). I was unaware of the association with the Panzer divisions, but that would now be another point I'd bring up in any future discussion with this symbol in a project.

After the proofs are signed off, however, and a project is printed (and especially if the client has gone against my advice), I'm more than pleased to reprint it. Usually at a lesser cost, if possible, since these situations are always a sore point for everyone involved at the client's office, and the more we can ease that pain the better they'll think of us when the next project comes up.

My snark was addressed more to the "adults" in this situation who didn't completely proof their students work. Whenever you're dealing with students, especially young students, it's best to err on the side of over-analysis than it is to blithely approve whatever they hand you.

It amazes me how many things get printed with misspellings or phrases that could be completely misinterpreted.

I would have seen the peace symbol as innocuous. Not sure what the context was in these books, though.

Others believe that contraception is against god's will and they refuse to dispense it.

And some think certain articles of clothing are too revealing for church. (Few of them, if any, would draw that line in the same place, of course.)

As long as religious beliefs are special, as long as we continue to protect them from real criticism and analysis, someone will always try to play the trump card of "These are my beliefs! I don't need to justify them!" and if that person is in a position of power or influence, they'll affect others.

..... kinda creepy!