If anyone has seen or heard of a religious court case between Salazar vs. Buono, you know that a controversy has stemmed from a cross used at a memorial in the Mojave Desert for WWI solidiers. This is factually, public (government owned) property. Here is some more information http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-drazin5-2009oct05,0,4784320.story.
My questions for the purpose of this blog are:
1. Is this cross really a secular symbol in this particular example? Obviously it can be taken either way, but if it is religious, should it be allowed on government property?
2. Where does the freedom of expression/ speech play in this dilemma?
3. If this controversy revolved around another religion, per say Hinduism or Islam, would the reaction of the public and media be different? Would it be looked at more critically?
Here are my answers to the questions you have posted:
ReplyDelete1. The Cross, in this case, was most definitely intended for religious purposes. It was for the purpose of mourning the death of fellow soilders. The Cross is an obvious symbol representing the Christian Faith and though it may be on government property it should be removed. Though some people may argue that the act would be deemed disrespectful, then there would have to be equal treatment for other religions as well. To answer the third question, no I do not think that other religions would have the same media attention. If an Aum (OM) symbol, a symbol from Hinduism, were to be carved or in any way, shape, or form left on government property, then it wouldn't attract a large audience as this. The Majority Christian Public would be outraged and probably throw a fit claiming that the symbol was offensive and therefore should be removed. Our Bill of Rights says "Freedom of Religion" but the people in our government and many citizens are largeley from the Christian Faith, which automatically creates a bias towards their religion. The Cross should be removed immediately without thought. Disrepsectful or not, the cross should be removed to create a fair playing field for all religions.
2. Freedom of speech and expression have undoubtedly played a prominent role in our country's history. There is a plethora of court cases arguing just these. But we have to go straight to the basic, which is Separation of Church and State. The state can not show any favoritism towards any religion. The Government does not believe in god, it believes in the betterment of society and protecting its citizens. The Cross, as I have stated over and over, should be removed!