Yesterday I downloaded and read the oral arguments before the supreme court concerning the Bladensburg cross. In case you are not aware of what that is I'll provide this brief synopsis. Following WW1 a group of individuals got together and raised funds to erect a cross in memory of 49 men that had lost their lives from Prince George's county. The names are on a plaque affixed to the cross. This cross is a Latin cross and stands forty foot tall. The land is publicly owned and contains other memorials as well. The humanists have filed to have that cross, commonly called the Peace cross removed from that land. It has stood where it is for ninety three years. The argument concerns whether that Cross is a memorial or a Christian symbol that imposes Christian beliefs upon the public.
The argument centers around the establishment clause. That's the clause in the first amendment about separation of church and state. The Humanists are insisting that that Latin cross, and it seems of paramount importance to them and the Justices that it is a Latin cross, is an endorsement of Christianity. The American legion states that this cross is a war memorial. It was originally erected to honor the 49 men whose names are upon it. At a later date it was rededicated to all the servicemen that lost their lives in WW1, not just those from Prince Geore's county. That action demonstrates the changing sensibilities of time. That peace cross does not represent Christianity, it represents sacrifice!
This is the first supreme court argument that I have actually read from start to finish. Ninety pages long and very repetitive. I have to say it read like an argument on Facebook, except with fancier words and it does reference actual documents. There was much talk of precedent and what the court would and would not consider. Centering mainly around the establishment clause the back and forth was confusing at times. The Humanists believing that that cross establishes that Bladensburg is a Christian municipality! They feel offended and threatened when they see it. The sense I got was they wanted the court to view that cross as the court has viewed civil war statues, racist and offensive! I don't believe the court was buying that argument. I'm not sure how long it will take for the court to issue an opinion. It usually takes them a while.
Now as for me I started wondering about this Latin cross concept. Maybe I'm just a heathen but I couldn't identify a Latin cross as any different from any other cross. Turns out it is just a cross whose bottom leg is longer than the other three, a cross. You do have to explain in detail what you are talking about even when it is obvious what you are talking about. We don't want to confuse a Latin cross with an x or plus sign! Sigh, the letter of the law. Okay so having established what a cross was the argument shifted to whether a Latin Cross is solely a Christian symbol. Or does that cross also symbolize other things, things like sacrifice. It was agreed that if the cross depicted Jesus nailed to it that would indeed be a Christian symbol. If that cross had any writing on it mentioning God, Jesus, or anything like that it would be a Christian symbol. This Latin cross however has none of that. In the center of that cross is the symbol of the American Legion. The words courage, endurance, devotion and valor, are written on each side. The original intent was to honor all those 49 men that died in the war. There is no record, indeed no mention anywhere of what religion these men practiced, if any at all. The cross was selected as a universal symbol of sacrifice. Of interest it was noted that one of the leading people funding this project was a Jewish man. The American legion folks saying that is proof that it wasn't selected as a Christian thing but rather as a symbol. The Humanists arguing the Jewish man probably felt pressured to do so because his religion was in the minority in Prince George's county at that time. The inference was clear, racism.
There is much discussion concerning hypothetical scenarios. If the court removes this cross how many others would have to be removed. If the court doesn't remove it does that give permission to other counties, states or indeed the government to erect forty foot crosses wherever they want? That's what sounded like a Facebook argument to me. I really am not much on, could be, should be, or what it might be. I prefer to decide these things on a case by case basis. In this case that peace cross has stood there ninety three years. I fail to see how it is forcing anyone to believe a thing or for that matter make me feel afraid or intimidated! As a Christian I see other symbols around that I don't necessarily like or agree with what they represent. That doesn't mean they can't have them. Would that forty foot cross have received authorization to be erected today? I highly doubt it. The bottom line for me is, it's been there that long, leave it alone.
I have the argument in a PDF file but unfortunately have no idea how to attach that file to this blog. I'm certain you can google it if you're interested.
The argument centers around the establishment clause. That's the clause in the first amendment about separation of church and state. The Humanists are insisting that that Latin cross, and it seems of paramount importance to them and the Justices that it is a Latin cross, is an endorsement of Christianity. The American legion states that this cross is a war memorial. It was originally erected to honor the 49 men whose names are upon it. At a later date it was rededicated to all the servicemen that lost their lives in WW1, not just those from Prince Geore's county. That action demonstrates the changing sensibilities of time. That peace cross does not represent Christianity, it represents sacrifice!
This is the first supreme court argument that I have actually read from start to finish. Ninety pages long and very repetitive. I have to say it read like an argument on Facebook, except with fancier words and it does reference actual documents. There was much talk of precedent and what the court would and would not consider. Centering mainly around the establishment clause the back and forth was confusing at times. The Humanists believing that that cross establishes that Bladensburg is a Christian municipality! They feel offended and threatened when they see it. The sense I got was they wanted the court to view that cross as the court has viewed civil war statues, racist and offensive! I don't believe the court was buying that argument. I'm not sure how long it will take for the court to issue an opinion. It usually takes them a while.
Now as for me I started wondering about this Latin cross concept. Maybe I'm just a heathen but I couldn't identify a Latin cross as any different from any other cross. Turns out it is just a cross whose bottom leg is longer than the other three, a cross. You do have to explain in detail what you are talking about even when it is obvious what you are talking about. We don't want to confuse a Latin cross with an x or plus sign! Sigh, the letter of the law. Okay so having established what a cross was the argument shifted to whether a Latin Cross is solely a Christian symbol. Or does that cross also symbolize other things, things like sacrifice. It was agreed that if the cross depicted Jesus nailed to it that would indeed be a Christian symbol. If that cross had any writing on it mentioning God, Jesus, or anything like that it would be a Christian symbol. This Latin cross however has none of that. In the center of that cross is the symbol of the American Legion. The words courage, endurance, devotion and valor, are written on each side. The original intent was to honor all those 49 men that died in the war. There is no record, indeed no mention anywhere of what religion these men practiced, if any at all. The cross was selected as a universal symbol of sacrifice. Of interest it was noted that one of the leading people funding this project was a Jewish man. The American legion folks saying that is proof that it wasn't selected as a Christian thing but rather as a symbol. The Humanists arguing the Jewish man probably felt pressured to do so because his religion was in the minority in Prince George's county at that time. The inference was clear, racism.
There is much discussion concerning hypothetical scenarios. If the court removes this cross how many others would have to be removed. If the court doesn't remove it does that give permission to other counties, states or indeed the government to erect forty foot crosses wherever they want? That's what sounded like a Facebook argument to me. I really am not much on, could be, should be, or what it might be. I prefer to decide these things on a case by case basis. In this case that peace cross has stood there ninety three years. I fail to see how it is forcing anyone to believe a thing or for that matter make me feel afraid or intimidated! As a Christian I see other symbols around that I don't necessarily like or agree with what they represent. That doesn't mean they can't have them. Would that forty foot cross have received authorization to be erected today? I highly doubt it. The bottom line for me is, it's been there that long, leave it alone.
I have the argument in a PDF file but unfortunately have no idea how to attach that file to this blog. I'm certain you can google it if you're interested.
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