How to politely greet an atheist. :)
Atheists want the ‘miracle cross’ from Ground Zero removed from 9/11 museum
Part of history: The cross has become a symbol very closely connected to the tragic event and was featured near Ground Zero for the years that followed (pictured with former Ground Zero chaplain Rather Brian Jordan and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani around the 10th anniversary)
- American Atheists now pushing to have a plaque put next to the cross noting that some of the victims were not religious
- They feel the cross is inherently religious and should not be featured
- Cross has been a symbol of hope after being found in the World Trade Center rubble and is due to be included in the museum opening in May
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 08:20 EST, 10 March 2014 | UPDATED: 11:27 EST, 10 March 2014
A group of atheists have launched a legal challenge against the inclusion of the ‘miracle cross’ from the Twin Towers in the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.
The 17-foot cross that emerged from the rubble at Ground Zero was seen by many rescue workers as a symbol of hope, but now other groups fear that it violates the constitutional divide between church and state.
The group, called American Atheists, says that the cross should not be displayed at all in the museum, and went on to say that if it is included, then there should be a similar panel to represent the atheists who perished at the site.
‘We’re arguing for equal treatment in some way, whatever that might be,’ the group’s lawyer Edwin Kagin said last week.
The specifics have yet to be released, but it was suggested that the group would want a plaque to be posted near the cross which would remind viewers that atheists died as well as people of religious faith.
‘This is part of religious history. It’s an act of religious symbolism. It is a shrine now,’ New York City Atheists spokesman Ken Bronstein told CBS.
‘That miracle cross should be moved back to St. Peter’s where it was for five years.’
Museum organizers have argued that just because it has a religious context does not mean that it makes the entire 10,000-square-foot site a religious one.
‘This was a sign of consolation. It’s was never meant to hurt anyone, hurt the atheists or anything like that,’ former Ground Zero chaplain Father Brian Jordan said.
‘It is an artefact that should be included in the museum because it’s a history museum. This is a part of the memory of 9/11.’
The judge presiding over the case in New York’s Supreme Court appeared to agree with museum officials, saying that it would be an over-reach to remove the object, which was found amid the rubble and made from steel beams from the towers.
‘There are countless cases of museums including religious artifacts among their exhibits and it’s going to be described in a way that talks about the history of the object, what is the problem here?’ Judge Reena Raggi said, according to Fox News.
‘An argument has been made that you are trying to censor history.’
The cross, which was kept at a memorial near the Ground Zero site for years before being taken into the protection of museum organizers, is one of the 1,000 objects due to be on display when the museum opens in May.
The ruling is expected in the next few months.
~Steve~
