In the ruling allowing a white cross to stay on a stretch of Mojave Desert to honor the dead of World War I, Justice Kennedy made the point I was trying to get across in a recent post, and he said it much better:
The bottom line, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote, is that "the Constitution does not oblige government to avoid any public acknowledgment of religion's role in society."
He also pointed out, in the context of war memorials, that the cross "is not merely a reaffirmation of Christian beliefs" but a symbol "often used to honor and respect" heroism. Can any of you look at, say, the Normandy American Cemetery and honestly say you don't feel a wave of sadness that has nothing at all to do with the Christian religion?
Comments
Well said...BOTH of you.
So I'm sure you'd have no objection if the Muslim cresent moon were erected above military graves. I mean, it just represents bravery, not a particular religion, right? Nice to know we see eye to eye about this.
As Lenny Bruce pointed out, had Jesus been executed in the 20th century, Catholic schoolgirls would be wearing little gold electric chairs on their necklaces.
Of course the cross is the symbol of Christianity. Kennedy got this wrong. I'd like to hear you make your case that the cross isn't a symbol of Christianity, and why non-Christians shouldn't be offended by having to pay for it. I thought you were a libertarian.