(CNN) -- A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that a cross displayed on public property for nearly a century is unconstitutional.
A word of caution, this is NOT a religious debate thread so please do not de-rail it by turning it into one. What one thinks of religion and whether or not one practices (or should/shouldn't practice) religion is irrelevant to this thread. I don't want to regret making this thread.
Feel free to discuss how you define the first amendment and the constitution on this matter and what you define as a separation of church and state and what possible future rulings could come from this.
Maerj wrote:This seems like much ado about nothing from both sides. Why not display other religous symbols as well? Have a Star of David for the Jewish soldiers.
I agree with that. I think that would be a great idea.
Yea, or find out the closest thing the people would want, like ask the Japanese, or better yet people who knew the dead soldiers, or if that's impossible just try to get something they would want.
I actually did start to think the cross was a symbol for death. The crucifix was before Jesus, too.
A while back, common beliefs about death were inseperable from Christianity, so I'm pretty sure the cross just became a symbol for honoring the dead without thinking "It's Christian".
I'm seriously okay with the cross being used as just a symbol for honoring the dead and not for Christianity. It's not a crucifix. It's a cross.
I don't know. All I'm worried about is if the removal of the cross might actually offend the people it's supposed to be honoring (as in be disrespectful to what they would want), or their friends and family, or some other people who have good reasons to keep it there.
Disney Duster wrote:Yea, or find out the closest thing the people would want, like ask the Japanese, or better yet people who knew the dead soldiers, or if that's impossible just try to get something they would want.
I actually did start to think the cross was a symbol for death. The crucifix was before Jesus, too.
A while back, common beliefs about death were inseperable from Christianity, so I'm pretty sure the cross just became a symbol for honoring the dead without thinking "It's Christian".
I'm seriously okay with the cross being used as just a symbol for honoring the dead and not for Christianity. It's not a crucifix. It's a cross.
I don't know. All I'm worried about is if the removal of the cross might actually offend the people it's supposed to be honoring (as in be disrespectful to what they would want), or their friends and family, or some other people who have good reasons to keep it there.
Good points.
My concern is what other removals this will lead to. How much is too much and how far are these complaints going to go? I can't help but think this is starting to get a bit out of hand.
Maerj wrote:This seems like much ado about nothing from both sides.
I rather agree. I personally feel identifying America with one religion is wrong. But I'm also tired of people fighting about everything associated with it. We can learn just as much from looking at something like this than we can by taking it down. Plus, the conservatism at work pushing to continue painting this nation as Christian will fight dirty as they always do. These sorts of things inspire strong backlash. My only hope with all this commotion is that the political right learns that those who don't agree with their all-must-live-our-way bullying is that those who disagree will continue to fight back. Although, in the end, I don't think it does any good.
This story reminds me of the Pagan soldier who wanted a pentacle on his grave marker, or something like that. The courts ultimately ruled in his favor.
I think there should be a uniform, religiously-neutral symbol for marking the graves of fallen soldiers. I'm okay with this ruling.
Cheshire_Cat wrote:This story reminds me of the Pagan soldier who wanted a pentacle on his grave marker, or something like that. The courts ultimately ruled in his favor.
I think there should be a uniform, religiously-neutral symbol for marking the graves of fallen soldiers. I'm okay with this ruling.
Neutral symbols like ? or would work and be much more appropriate because who really knows? j/k
"The use of such a distinctively Christian symbol to honor all veterans sends a strong message of endorsement and exclusion," the court said in its ruling. "It suggests that the government is so connected to a particular religion that it treats that religion's symbolism as its own, as universal. To many non-Christian veterans, this claim of universality is alienating."
Cheshire_Cat wrote:This story reminds me of the Pagan soldier who wanted a pentacle on his grave marker, or something like that. The courts ultimately ruled in his favor. I think there should be a uniform, religiously-neutral symbol for marking the graves of fallen soldiers. I'm okay with this ruling.
I wish they could just have the people's various religious symbols displayed on their grave markers (none for those who don't follow a religion, I guess) and just not have a symbol that's supposed to represent all the graves.
But that would probably be too expensive (?), so, yes, a non-religious symbol would be nice.
Listening to most often lately:
Christina Aguilera ~ "Cruz"
Sombr ~ "homewrecker"
Megan Moroney ~ "Beautiful Things"
The thing is, when you're honoring the dead...it's strange to think of that in itself as not being religious. If they're not religious it's like...don't they think that they are just dust in the wind, as opposed to a spirit that lives on in a religious after life?
Disney Duster wrote:The thing is, when you're honoring the dead...it's strange to think of that in itself as not being religious. If they're not religious it's like...don't they think that they are just dust in the wind, as opposed to a spirit that lives on in a religious after life?
It's not strange, because you don't have to be religious to honor the dead/be honored.
I think honoring the dead and wanting to be honored is tied to spirituality, thinking your spirit would be alive to even know you are being honored in death in the first place, the idea of things lasting, etc.
Disney Duster wrote:I think honoring the dead and wanting to be honored is tied to spirituality, thinking your spirit would be alive to even know you are being honored in death in the first place, the idea of things lasting, etc.
Yeah... you better leave the thinking to someone else, before you offend even more people and enlight another flamewar.
When I die I want my body to be eaten by Lions. I don't want my body be buried have some stupid ass funeral ceremony shit. Just throw my dead body into a pit of Lions.
would work and be much more appropriate because who really knows? 
