You can go down any street in Utah County and almost everyhouse has a metal star on it or the garage/shed. Some mormon actually gave me one. When I ask anyone about the stars on their homes, they get dodgy and say something like, "I've never noticed that." Come on! They are everywhere.

Someone told me once they are related to people who have had family members in the military. However, it could be that they are just a fad, kinda like stucco. ;-)

One thing I know, in Utah, the amount of stars is overwhelming to the amount of servicemen/women. They don't do military service, they go on missions.

There is a certain type of star for kids in military service. It's white star on a field of blue. Multiple such stars mean multiple kids in service. A gold star on blue means that a child has died in the line of duty.

I don't know what kind of stars that are being discussed, but I could see ignorant Mormons putting up these stars for no reason, thinking it was just patriotic since so few of them actually serve. Or worse, because they have a kid on a mission, and they don't see how disrespectful that would be to parents of deployed children.

I just reread the original post, and realized it said metal stars. The military stars are normally on cloth. I am guessing its just some Utah fad.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2013 08:39AM by forbiddencokedrinker.

It is a fad. Even my very, very inactive younger sister has several. I was also given one. I threw it out. (I'm sure they didn't make them in R.S. but you never know!)

Putting a star on building is a country thing. I used to see them all the time where I grew up, and it was 98% non-mormon.

Although I'm not completely sure what it symbolizes.

Utah is a trend trap. It might be new to Utah, but it's not new in the rural Midwest or South.

"Amish Metal Tin Barn Stars are well known as a sign of good luck and great fortune. We trust that barn stars are also very popular because it is an ornamental way of expressing our support and pride in our country."

"The tradition of the barn star in Amish country can be traced back to the 1700’s, and to at least the 1820’s in Pennsylvania. Barn stars were most popular after the Civil War. On many older Amish barns,one could see a large decoration in the shape of a star mounted on the face of the barn. Sometimes they were just aesthetic, but sometimes they represented the trademark of a specific barn builder. It is our understanding the original star shape was a three-pointed star but has changed throughout the years. Colors had significance with Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch barn paintings. These folk art designs, many of which were star shaped, were painted directly onto each end of the barn, and date back to the 1850’s. Black - Protection, also used to blend or bind elements together; Red - Emotions, passion, charisma, lust and also creativity. White - Purity, power of the moon, allows energy to flow freely. Blue - Protection, peace, calmness and spirituality; Green - Growth, fertility, success in things and ideas that grow. Yellow - Health in body and mind, love of man and the sun, connection to the God, Brown - Mother earth, also can mean friendship and strength. Violet - Things that are sacred. The barn star composition has changed over the years. At first they were built directly into the barn. Later the stars were crafted from wood as a separate piece and now of metal for longer lasting with ease of changing the colors."

Are these things consistent with the seeking of the blessings of obedience from the God of the Bible?

The star were pagan in origin and are still pagan today use despited what others say or tell you. they are akin to a witches or worlocks charm or talisman. if they are on your home remove it and pray for the cleaning fire of the Holy Spirit of God to purify your home for his use and habitation!! Amen

It's a common decoration all over the 4 corners states. I like stars, but I'm not a fan of that particular design. You can get them in Mexico waaaay cheaper than in any American store.

1) The star has a military significance (my first thought... as relating to the star in the window deal... blue star.. gold star.. different colors signify household member in Iraq or Afghanistan, or lost in combat, wounded, etc. etc...

2) Purely decorative with no significance (just hard for me to believe)

3) Signifies a Christian home

4) In Pennsylvania, denotes something about German-Amish tradition

5) In Texas, shows pride in ones state

6) A pagan home celebrating winter solstice

7) Barn stars... supposedly marks or covers the ends of beams in a barn

So apparently there is no singular purpose for this very distinct star. It's not like there is a wide variance in the star. I have seen smaller ones and sometimes the star is blue, but the VAST MAJORITY of them are rust reddish brown in color and appear identical as if from the same manufacturer.

MORE HERE
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Meaning_of_a_star_on_a_house

Ooooh, wicked good thought! ;-)

Fad from pottery barn. Very trendy in the MorCor, at least where I'm at. TBM women all decorate their homes the same here. It's creepy. Very Stepford.

What mick said, they're barn stars; they're very common in the midwest. I have a red one hanging in my apt. I bought it at Big Lots.

I saw a red one on my neighbors barn and asked if he was trying to advertise his communist leanings. He didn't think that was very funny.

If they are the ones I have seen, the country catalogues are full of them. They are not a Mormon thing.

I used to have two small metal stars hanging in my apartment, but I haven't hung them up since I moved into my house last spring. They're just a fad, as far as I know. I got mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond two years ago, and I had no idea how popular they were at the time.

Those are Amish Hex signs. I used to see them all over the barns when I lived in Dutch Country, PA. Never noticed them before that, but learned they were trendy because visitors always wanted to get them as souvenirs.

Perhaps Utahans have taken the barn stars and infused their own meaning (military, etc.), but that's not really what they are (or are meant to signify).

It's a secret longing of all Utardians to be Texans! I swear, it's true. Look it up. ;)

Ron

They are all over DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, too. I see them on old houses and newer houses. I had no idea what they were. Thanks for the Wikipedia link, that clears it up!

But it's Texas.

Now why they would be all over any other state, I can't imagine.

Not that there is a connection between "barn stars" and "Masonic stars."

I just didn't want any additional creepy cult-like emblems in my home.

People will tell you that they are simply just amish barn stars for good luck and protection.

Be not decieved.

One site with a lot of info is here, The Artistic Garden - History of the Barn Star, and some more ison eHow.com. Here are some excerpts from the Amish Barn Star Web site.


"Amish Metal Tin Barn Stars are well known as a sign of good luck and great fortune. We trust that barn stars are also very popular because it is an ornamental way of expressing our support and pride in our country."

"The tradition of the barn star in Amish country can be traced back to the 1700’s, and to at least the 1820’s in Pennsylvania. Barn stars were most popular after the Civil War. On many older Amish barns,one could see a large decoration in the shape of a star mounted on the face of the barn. Sometimes they were just aesthetic, but sometimes they represented the trademark of a specific barn builder. It is our understanding the original star shape was a three-pointed star but has changed throughout the years. Colors had significance with Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch barn paintings. These folk art designs, many of which were star shaped, were painted directly onto each end of the barn, and date back to the 1850’s. Black - Protection, also used to blend or bind elements together; Red - Emotions, passion, charisma, lust and also creativity. White - Purity, power of the moon, allows energy to flow freely. Blue - Protection, peace, calmness and spirituality; Green - Growth, fertility, success in things and ideas that grow. Yellow - Health in body and mind, love of man and the sun, connection to the God, Brown - Mother earth, also can mean friendship and strength. Violet - Things that are sacred. The barn star composition has changed over the years. At first they were built directly into the barn. Later the stars were crafted from wood as a separate piece and now of metal for longer lasting with ease of changing the colors."

Are these things consistent with the seeking of the blessings of obedience from the God of the Bible? Are these things consistent with the seeking of the blessings of obedience from the God of the Bible? Absolutely not! To associate "good luck" with an item is to assert that it has supernatural influence or magick powers. There is no biblical command to make anything like an Amish barn star. It's what is recognized by pagans witches and or worlocks as a charm or talisman. To place a star on a building thinking or hoping that some kind of protection is invoked or good fortune is invited is how demonic entities are invoked into the lives of the disobedient and deceived. A building so marked is branded with the mark of the entity invoked, who has legally established a geographical domain. The Amish barn star does invite supernatural influence, which should not be disputed. The influence, however, is not a blessing but a curse.


The star were pagan in origin and are still pagan today use despited what others say or tell you. If they are on your home remove it and pray for the cleaning fire of the Holy Spirit of God to purify your home for his use and habitation!! Amen
Jesus Christ is our protection and hope anything we need to ask ourselve if it is not Christ then what is it.

Why is your great salt lake temple covered in pagan signs then, lol? I don't think you know your history. Or maybe you're not a mo at all and think for some reason your preaching will be welcome?

I'm from eastern PA. They're everywhere there. I've also seen metal ones in hundred year old buildings in the Midwest, used as giant decorative washers on masonry walls. A rod ran through the center to the opposite wall. The rod and star washers reinforced the wall and kept it from collapsing outward when there was a heavy load on the floors in the building. The floors themselves kept the walls from collapsing inward.

My mom and sister searched local stores for one a while back. I recall them making reference that it was a symbol for Jesus, the morning star maybe?

Well, originally, there was a giant length of metal round stock that ran through the upper story of a brick house, and front and back there would be something affixed on the outside that would help stabilize the brick and help hold the structure together. That's why on old brick homes you will see a star or a squiggly or some other design in front, maybe two of them. Then when people fell into that country theme in the US in the late 1970s and through the 80s, when people were putting goose and cow themes throughout their houses, they began with the stars on the sides of the houses to give an old-timey sort of theme on the outside. They have apparently stuck. I see them all over outside of Utah, too.

We were out in Nauvoo and a non-member noted the stars on buildings. Well, on the Nauvoo Temple there are stars, upside down stars, symbols of the occult.

We have family in Tremonton and I can't help noticing when we visit that people are frequently wearing the EXACT same brand/type of one thing or many things. Whether it's a brand of t shirt with some goofy logo on it, a certain type of show or whatever, I was AMAZED to spot so many people (even people you pass on the street or see in the store) wearing the exact same thing.

They are a people very much in need of acceptance. This doesn't only apply to clothing but in any area of life you can think of.

It's weird.

I wouldn't overthink it because Mormons aren't that deep. Think Junior High School girls - if a fad starts, then every other girl in school wants it. Like a certain kind of lip gloss or the "must have" brand of shoes or how they just can't wear another kind of jacket because "Nooooo one wears those, mom." Of course, most adults act like that to a certain extent but Mo adults do it simply because the other kids are. That's why you can go into a Mormon house and it looks exactly like most other Morridor Mormon houses, maybe just in different colors. It shows you are in their gang, if you display the current, popular gang symbols.

Barn stars might have some sort of deep meaning but I doubt Mormons bother to figure it out. It's much more likely that some stylish TBM somewhere saw one and said "Oh my HECK - how cute is this?" Then all the other lemmings followed suit. That being said, I personally do like them but if I got one, I'd hang it upside-down, just to mess with their tiny little heads.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2013 10:43AM by CA girl.

...you might see on old buildings. The stars are cast iron and about eight to ten inches in diameter with a large bolt through the center. There will usually be a row of them on the exterior of brick or stone buildings, between floors. They are end caps for rods that run from one side of the building to the other. The rods keep the walls from bowing out.

What ExMoRon said! ;0)

I've seen them all over rural Tejas...probably a rural fad other parts of the country have picked up on.