Recently, the atheists (those who don't believe in "anything") have decided that having a cross in the 9/11 Memorial museum is silly and offensive to them. One of the plaintiffs wants a "Lutheran" cross.
Atheists have sued to prevent cross-shaped steel girders from the destroyed World Trade Center towers from being included in the official Sept. 11 memorial, saying the religious symbol is unconstitutional because its gives "preferential representation" to Christians who died in the 2001 terror attacks.
Workers found the broken, 17-foot-tall cross-shaped beams two days after the attacks, and they became known as the "World Trade Center cross." Saturday, the rusted cross was moved from its temporary home near St. Peter's Church and lowered into its permanent place inside the museum, which is under construction. A Catholic priest gave it a ceremonial blessing.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday on behalf of four members of American Atheists, argues that including the Roman Christian-style cross at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum violates the First and Fourteenth amendments of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the New York State Constitution.
"Many of American Atheists' members have seen the cross, either in person or on television, and are being subjected to and injured in consequence of having a religious tradition not their own imposed upon them through the power of the state," the complaint (pdf) states. If the cross is not removed, the group wants a non-religious exhibit included.
According to the lawsuit, among the 2,792 people killed in the twin towers, 31 were Muslim Americans, approximately 400 to 500 were Jewish Americans, approximately 500 were non-religious Americans, and an unknown number were Americans of other faiths.
USA Today 27 Jul 2011
It apparently isn't important that their statements are offensive to Christians. Nor is it important that the vast majority of those killed were Christian. The idea is apparently to deny others their faith, not to support the non-faith or differing faith of a minority.
"The WTC cross has become a Christian icon," said Dave Silverman, president of the atheist group. "It has been blessed by so-called holy men and presented as a reminder that their god, who couldn't be bothered to stop the Muslim terrorists or prevent 3,000 people from being killed in his name, cared only enough to bestow upon us some rubble that resembles a cross. It's a truly ridiculous assertion."
What really bugs me about this whole thing, apart from the lack of logic, is the statement that religion is silly. It is a matter of belief. They believe there is no god. I believe that there is ONE God, creator of all things, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. We each BELIEVE because, as it is now, as we sit in this existence neither can prove or disprove their belief. This is why both sides are acting on FAITH and BELIEF rather than referring to provable facts. But, I submit, that because I believe and should I come to death and there be nothing on the other side I will have lost nothing through my "silliness". On the other hand, if I am correct in my belief, I will be welcomed into the "afterlife". As for the athiest, if there is nothing they will have no way of enjoying the ego stroke of being correct, but if (when) they discover they were wrong, there will be no way to recover from their "silliness".
In my belief system, just as Mr. Silverman has the free will to not believe in God and the jihadist believes God gives him carte blanche to kill others with whom he disagrees on matters of religion, so too does God give us the freedom to act or NOT act on those beliefs. After all, it wouldn't be free will if God could stop us from doing what he doesn't want us to do. There's nothing ridiculous about God leaving a sign that he prevails regardless of what the jihadist or atheist do in this world. If you don't mind, I'll just take that on faith...
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