Thursday, October 8, 2009

The Court and the Cross

As every politicized Christian in America knows, the Supreme Court is deciding whether or not a cross is allowed to stand on Federal land in the Mojave Desert. As a Christian, my usual response to these cases is 'let the jerks be jerks'. If secular people (here, it's one Frank Buono) really want to lead a witch hunt against symbols of faith, let them. History deals harshly with witch-hunters. There are many alternatives: if the Town Square won't host a creche, the church or coffee shop across the street probably will.

In this case, the argument is even sillier. The cross was there before the land ever became National Park. The notion that Mr. Buono (or anyone else) is materially harmed by the cross is a stretch. Removing the cross - which is a relic of the religious beliefs of those who used the Mojave before the Federal government - would be similar to sandblasting Navajo art off of "Federal" rocks because it depicts deities, or blowing up 6th-century statues of Buddha. Oh wait, that was the Taliban, not the Feds. Oops.

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