I've never understood why people think carrying the symbol of Christ around is going to act like some magic shield.
There's some sort of magic shield around it to protect it from being logged or destroyed.
It's got a magic shield, like the angels said.
It merely set fire to his magic shield.
The magic shield worked very well, did it not?
The Gdansk workers were using it as a magic shield against attack by the Communist security forces.
In there is the tree with Treetopolis on, protected by a magic shield.
Perhaps a magic shield more effective than those he knew would help.
Fortunately, George saves him with his magic shield.
But "sanity" was not a magic shield against the universe's cruelties.