WND Exclusive
40-foot cross erected in 1925 now deemed offensive
A group of American atheists and Muslims has for months looked with scorn upon the Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial.
The source of their indignation? Well, it’s all about the shape of the edifice.
The imposing landmark, which has stood since 1925 in Bladensburg, a small town in Prince George’s County, Maryland, happens to be in the shape of a Latin cross.
The American Humanist Association, joined by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, has challenged the state in court, arguing that the large cross violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment. A Nov. 30 ruling by a federal judge came down in favor of the state of Maryland and its right to maintain such a memorial on public land honoring the sacrifice of World War I veterans.
But on Monday, the American Humanist Association appealed the District Court’s decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The group demands that the monument be demolished, altered or removed.
While atheist groups have been pushing back for years against any public displays of religion, the cooperation of CAIR makes for strange bedfellows.
But Islam has for centuries recoiled at the image of the cross, considering it a form of blasphemy. Muslims do not believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, nor do they believe he died on a Roman cross for the salvation of mankind.
Law firms Jones Day and Liberty Institute represent the American Legion, the largest veterans’ service organization in the country, which erected the monument 90 years ago in honor of 49 men of Prince George’s County who gave their lives during World War I. The Legion is committed to defending the honor of the nation’s military veterans and the memorials that honor their service.
“This veterans memorial has stood in honor of the fallen for almost 100 years and should be allowed to stand for 100 years more,” said Noel Francisco, lead counsel for the American Legion. “We stand ready to defend the memorial and the men it honors against this meritless attack.”
“The humanist group is facing an uphill battle on this appeal,” added Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of Liberty Institute. “After a thorough analysis of the facts and the law, the court was clear that the memorial is completely lawful. We are confident the Fourth Circuit will agree and uphold the constitutionality of this historic veterans memorial.”
The 40-foot-tall Latin cross rises at the intersection of Maryland Route 450 and U.S. Route 1 in Bladensburg.
It was proposed by a community group at the time of World War I and later completed by the American Legion to contain a plaque listing the names of 49 men from Prince George’s County who died in that conflict.
It’s been the scene of various memorial events and even a few religious services over its many years of existence.
It was challenged by the American Humanist Association, joined by CAIR, as a violation since the site now is owned and maintained by the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
The ownership of the site had changed hands several times, and, the court found, it wasn’t even yet clear who owned it during certain times. But Judge Deborah Chasanow said that didn’t matter, as WND previously reported.
The judge applied the U.S. Supreme Court’s Lemon test to the situation, and found that the disputed location has a secular purpose, its primary effect does not support or oppose religion and it does not excessively entangle the state in religion.
The defendants had informed the court that while the cross undoubtedly is a religious symbol, the project was designed and built primarily as a “commemorative” location rather than religious.
Other courts, the judge explained, also “have recognized that displaying a cross to honor fallen soldiers is a legitimately secular purpose …”
And the primary effect, the judge found, isn’t religious since the words “valor,” “endurance,” “courage” and “devotion” are inscribed, and it “has functioned expressly and overtly as a war memorial for its entire history.”
It also sits among other secular memorials, the judge said.
Finally, it does not create an excessive entanglement for the government, she ruled.
“Entanglement between church and state becomes constitutionally excessive only when it has the effect of advancing or inhibiting religion,” she ruled
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2015/12/muslims-atheists-team-up-against-war-memorial/#1Y518ruPPTJFJAto.99
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