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Atheist Group Sues to Stop World Trade Center Cross

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Deeper_Background, Jul 26, 2011.

  1. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Ouch. Have they ever softened their stance?

    That's really got to suck.
     
  2. baskethead

    baskethead Member

    As an atheist, vegan, cat owner (seriously), I would feel completely attacked and singled out. ...if I cared at all.
     
  3. LeCranke

    LeCranke Member

    The cross serves the great purpose of reminding us that the WTC attacks were brought about by religious people.

    I wonder if they'll install a Crescent on the campground in Norway where the Christian terrorist attacked?
     
  4. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    I'm continually amazed that the professionally intolerant are constantly demanding that everybody else tolerate their intolerance.
     
  5. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Aren't we only talking about displaying the actual Cross that was left standing?

    It's not like there's some idea to bring a Cross to the site for display for no reason.

    I just have a hard time understanding why something that brought comfort to so many of the workers at that site would be inappropriate to display.

    Mass was held daily at the foot of that cross.

    It's part of the history of the site. It tells part of the story. To not display it would be to censor a part of the story simply because it makes some people uncomfortable.
     
  6. nmmetsfan

    nmmetsfan Active Member

    That's the best pro argument yet
     
  7. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    And this is where things get sticky, right?

    It's like the Christmas displays. Or, hell, Christmas even being a federal holiday. Or the Ten Commandments. Or the Supreme Court starting with, "God save this Court" or whatever they say after "Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!"

    What is history and what is religion? There's a great Seventh Circuit opinion by Richard Posner where he writes something along the lines of, "What am I supposed to do? Bring out a tape measure to make sure the candy canes are far enough away from the Star of David, which is far enough away from the nativity scene?" I think he even matter-of-factly mentions a "talking wishing well," my favorite disputed holiday display item ever.
     
  8. Azrael

    Azrael Well-Known Member

    The "Cross" stopped being a coincidental symbol of something when we pulled it out of the wreckage and paid to have it mounted in concrete for display.

    Whether or not it brought anyone comfort is immaterial to the original argument. Budweiser and Smirnoff brought a lot of comfort to folks in New York over the same period. We're not going to commemorate the empties.
     
  9. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I agree with you, but I do think that YF makes the only plausibly defensible argument the other way. Not the comfort part. That is irrelevant, and people should retire it as an argument here if they want to get anywhere. But the "history of the site" argument, like I said, might at least get you your day in court.
     
  10. nmmetsfan

    nmmetsfan Active Member

    Is there a way to display the cross that captures the historical significance without tying it to Christianity?
     
  11. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Depends who has the fifth vote now that Sandy O'Connor has retired.
     
  12. Azrael

    Azrael Well-Known Member

    Keep the cross inside the museum?
     
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