As an Orthodox Christian, the cross is a symbol of my deeply held faith; indeed, during our services we venerate the cross, as we do icons of Christ, the Theotokos and the saints.
But outside the walls of our sanctuaries of prayer and worship, the cross has, over the centuries, become ubiquitous -- representing a final resting place, a memory of sacrifice in times of war, or roadside markers for loved ones killed in traffic accidents, medical facilities and disaster relief organizations like the Red Cross.
Such is the Bladensburg Cross, or "Peace Cross," which has stood as a memorial to World War I dead in a Maryland suburb near, but not in the secular governmental capital of Washington, D.C. That is stands -- and has done so for nearly a century -- on public land is what riled a group of atheist minority activists to challenge it's continued existence, based on what has, finally, turned out to be a specious claim that it violates separation of church and state.
Certainly, such claims are, occasionally, valid. Often, however, they are little more than thinly-veiled attacks on any expression of faith anywhere -- not just on public land, but recently even private property from where such monuments might offend the tender metaphysical skepticism of a passer-by.
So, kudos to the U.S. Supreme Court for turning back this latest attack on freedom of expression, and yes, some might argue, an indirect assault on freedom of religion itself.
"The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a large cross erected as a tribute to war dead may continue to stand on public land outside Washington in the Maryland suburbs.
"The justices reversed a lower court that said the cross was an unconstitutional endorsement of religion.
“The cross is undoubtedly a Christian symbol, but that fact should not blind us to everything else that the Bladensburg Cross has come to represent,” Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote. “For some, that monument is a symbolic resting place for ancestors who never returned home. For others, it is a place for the community to gather and honor all veterans and their sacrifices for our Nation. For others still, it is a historical landmark. For many of these people, destroying or defacing the Cross that has stood undisturbed for nearly a century would not be neutral and would not further the ideals of respect and tolerance embodied in the First Amendment.”
The vote was 7 to 2, with several justices writing separate opinions. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented . . . ."
