California memorial cross found unconstitutional

[caseagainstfaith]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that a San Diego war memorial marked by a four-story-tall Christian cross on public land violates the U.S. constitutional ban on government endorsement of religion.

Capping a legal dispute brewing since the late 1980s, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower-court decision that threw out a legal challenge to the hilltop cross brought on behalf of Jewish war veterans.

source - news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110105/us_nm/us_california_cross_2

More christian persecution in the USA I tell ya /sarcasm

Of course the comments at the bottom of the source are gems just as to be expected.

[devilschaplain2]

W00t W00t.

[Tiger]

To be honest, if it's been up there long enough I'd be willing to say its value is historical rather than religious and leave it up.

But looking over the article, it seems that they only made it a war memorial after people sued, and it was used for purely religious purposes before that. Plus one of the plaintiffs are a group of Jewish war veterans. So good on the 9th Circuit.

[Sigmaleph]

But it's an entirely secular giant religious symbol. How can you not see that?

[Admiral Lithp]

Yeah, the comments are pretty rage-inducing. Completely disregard what the remembered people may have wanted. This is just because atheists are so sensitive or something.

[dasfuchs]

That's the only reason, it's never Muslims, Jews, wiccans or any other religion going to court over these issues, it's always atheists even when it's not

[devilschaplain2]

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council compared it to the Taliban destroying the Buddhas of Bamyan. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry.

[Amaranth]

Jan 6, 2011 16:11:30 GMT -5 Sigmaleph said:

But it's an entirely secular giant religious symbol. How can you not see that?

Well yeah, the cross is a religious symbol everyone can enjoy. Unlike those lousy Muslim symbols. And that star of David thingy. Those are RELIGIOUS religious symbols and should be kept private.

[devilschaplain2]

Jan 7, 2011 12:40:47 GMT -5 Amaranth said:

Jan 6, 2011 16:11:30 GMT -5 Sigmaleph said:

But it's an entirely secular giant religious symbol. How can you not see that?

Well yeah, the cross is a religious symbol everyone can enjoy. Unlike those lousy Muslim symbols. And that star of David thingy. Those are RELIGIOUS religious symbols and should be kept private.

It's funny, when Christian soldiers are involved the government can't erect appropriate memorials for them fast enough, but if you're any other faith you have to fight the government every step of the way.

[Amaranth]

Jan 9, 2011 21:50:24 GMT -5 @devilschaplain2 said:

Jan 7, 2011 12:40:47 GMT -5 Amaranth said:

Well yeah, the cross is a religious symbol everyone can enjoy. Unlike those lousy Muslim symbols. And that star of David thingy. Those are RELIGIOUS religious symbols and should be kept private.

It's funny, when Christian soldiers are involved the government can't erect appropriate memorials for them fast enough, but if you're any other faith you have to fight the government every step of the way.

that's different. Somehow.

[JonathanE]

If only Christians were interred there, I would say leave the cross. Since there are members of other faiths buried there, either take it down or erect a symbol for each faith buried there, or just leave the religious symbols to the headstones.

[Thejebusfire]

I like how the article says "Jewish veterans" but everyone keeps screaming at atheists.

[Amaranth]

Jan 10, 2011 11:10:05 GMT -5 Thejebusfire said:

I like how the article says "Jewish veterans" but everyone keeps screaming at atheists.

[Admiral Lithp]

To be fair--or something--there is at least 1 anti-semite in the comments.