Wednesday, July 30, 2014



Court Rules in Favor of Ground Zero Cross, Rejects Atheists' Appeal

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the 17-foot cross beam salvaged from the wreckage of Twin Towers will remain in the National 9/11 Museum, despite the very best efforts of American Atheists Inc.

In “American Atheists v. Port Authority of New Jersey and New York” the group asserted that the artifact's positioning in the museum towered "over any other symbols in the vicinity, expressing Christian primacy." It charged that the Latin cross's dominance violated the First Amendment Establishment Clause and the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution.

The judges found, however, that the "Ground Zero Cross" is a constitutional and an important symbolic artifact from the terrorist attack. According to the ruling:

    "The stated purpose of displaying The Cross at Ground Zero to tell the story of how some people used faith to cope with the tragedy is genuine, and an objective observer would understand the purpose of the display to be secular...there is no evidence that the static display of this genuine historic artifact excessively entangles the government with religion."

This common sense ruling still comes as a major legal victory. Eric Baxter, Counsel for the Beckett Fund, noted that the court made a very key distinction:

    “Even though the Ground Zero Cross is unquestionably a religious symbol, and holds deep religious meaning for many people—particularly those who found hope and inspiration in its discovery—the government does not violate the Establishment Clause by recognizing and educating others about the actual role played by religion in our history and culture.”

This historic relic will now continue to show the importance of religion in the United States for years to come.

SOURCE



8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am a atheist and I heartily applaud the court's decision.

Anonymous said...

Another pointless issue over religious symbols, where both sides are wasting time and money when more important matters are sidelined.

Anonymous said...

As an atheist, I do not get offended by a cross. It means nothing to me other than 2 items tied together. If others want to worship it, so be it. Those that protest too much are trying to force their beliefs (Atheism) on others.

stinky said...


Another pointless issue over religious symbols, where both sides are wasting time and money when more important matters are sidelined.

Both sides? Defending one's rights is not at all the same as attacking those of others. Any pointlessness is due to the instigator of the battle, American Atheists.

Nice try at moral equivalence, troll. Well, by your standards.

o mighty stinky said...


No, I'm not a cat but, like one, I know fear when I smell it and you fear having your arguments exposed. It is a false fear since they were never as cleverly hidden as you imagined.

P.S. Rights are about personal jurisdiction. Entitlement are about forcing obligations onto others. Tweens and teens often confuse the two, but adults understand the diff right away.

/Oh come on, even a troll wouldn't walk into such an obvious self-identification trap!

/Oh yeah, they have every other time, which is why I've dumbed it down with an obvious disclaimer, to help with their training.



Anonymous said...

This is not a "cross" it is two beams in the shape of a cross. Nobody put it there for religious reasons, it was just the way the beams were left after the building fell, totally by accident morons.

What a bunch of crybabies, getting "headaches" and suffering "trauma" for looking at a cross? No wonder your a joke to most rational Americans. Get a freaking life atheists.

slinky said...

"Get a freaking life atheists."

I do have a life and I don't give two shits about religious imagery you your sensibilities.

slinky said...

whoopsie
"you your sensibilities."
should be
"and your sensibilities"