WTC Memorial at ground zero. A Multifaith memorial? Does American Atheists lawsuit have a point?

Question

So a friend and I are having this debate relative to the American Atheists lawsuit to preclude the placement of an iron girder cross, recovered from the fallen debris of the Twin Towers on 9-11, being placed in the memorial garden that's to commemorate the fallen victims of that horrific day.

I say AA has a point, because it's not right to presume in an eclectic nation of those who hold no faith, as atheists, or agnostics, or Pagans, or any other religious belief that is non-Christian, to display one religious icon at that memorial garden site as if that predominant faith is the only one that represents the thousands of victims who perished.

That if this is to be a true memorial garden commemorating and remembering the fallen, and demonstrating with the reconstruction of a new building on the site, the rise of American freedom despite the terrorist intent to fell America's heart and soul, that it should be an interfaith memorial garden that includes a display of all faith's icons. Including the American Atheists "A" symbol, pentagram for Wiccan's/Pagans, etc...

Because it is presumptuous to think that the shadow of a cross is the only fitting symbol to remember the lost of that day who we all know were not all Christian.
And furthermore, to imagine that god is remembered is absurd in that if god was present at all those planes piloted by psychotics who worshiped the Muslim god Allah, would have never gained their victory on that horrific day!

So the one god battle amid faiths, demonstrates that some believers are willing to risk it all in order to garner their ideology supremacy in the name of the unseen psychotic spirit that they believe sent them on their devastating mission.

Which is not unlike the Christian history of crusades, etc... War, bloody slaughter, in order to obtain earthly victory for an unseen never proven to exist save by faiths who uphold man made holy writ as proof it does, which is no proof at all, is not what a supreme being would need to have done in order to prove he's god! By any name, under any religious umbrella who proclaims such terrorism is necessary in order to insure his dominion upon his created earth, when he's allegedly in control of the cosmos and is eternal and powerful.

Rather, it's man made political ideologies, greed, ego, hubris cloaked as faith that pursues such ends in the name of some unseen blood thirsty deity.

That being said, my friend says the cross represents all faiths, which would surprise every Christian on earth! And as such it is the ONLY planned Icon at the memorial and that is why AA is suing, because it is religious discrimination to imply one symbol to memorialize all of those innocent multi-faith, and those with no religious affiliation, that were lost on September 11, 2001.

When that one cross symbol to represent all the dead beneath what is implied to be their after life destiny according to Christian tenets, would eternally insult all the family and friends that are left to remember their lost loved one's, before a symbol that they may full well feel does not truly represent the faith, or lack thereof , of their loved one(s).

So, what is the truth of it? I tried to call someone at the Memorial garden to ask but was forwarded to a voice mail wherein my call was not returned, to ask for the particulars.

Links to support your answer, so that I may refer my buddy to those as proof of the truth whatever it is, is requested. Thank you.

Answer 1

I don't think it should be a religious memorial at all, but if it has to be it should reflect the variety of religious beliefs of those who died that day. It's an insult to those of other religions to memorialize all victims with a cross, as if the lives of non-Christians are worthless.

Answer 2

Interesting. I am a neo-pagan and I am generally against public funds being spent on public displays that are centered on Christianity alone (ie: a plaque of the 10 commandments outside a courthouse etc) however, this iron girder is a symbol that I feel goes beyond just Christianity... I can see your freinds point. While I don't think the cross usually represents all religions, I think that a cross can be representative of faith in general in the right context and the special meaning of this particular cross I think could be interpreted to mean the faiths of the fallen. It was on icon of such comfort to somany people during such a horrific time that I don't think that it stands as a political assertion of any kind... merely a rememberance of the fallen.

To be honest, even as someone who finds crosses to be a bit creepy, even I found comfort in the image of this particular cross. Sure, I'd love to see emblems of other faiths present at this memorial as well, but I support raising this particular cross because it symbolizes more than just Christianity in this instance.

I fully embrace and fully believe in the first amendment rights to free practice and banning the establishment of a"state religion" but I think that people can get really asinine about some things... there needs to be some kind of leeway, some kind of judgement call deciding whether something is appropriate or not rather than a slavish obeisance to "political correctness" which takes the romance and beauty out of a lot of positive things.

-Scarlet

Answer 3

I find it fascinating that this question is attended by three terrorists who, thankfully, have been hidden from view by the majority of decent people who care to answer and have the power to obscure their hate, due to their member level. Thank you so much! :)



I think those who disagree with public tax dollars funding this memorial project should smack themselves really hard, when they fail to realize the monies paid to the widows and widowers of the firefighters lost on September 11th were public funds too. Public funds are going to the Ground Zero Mosque, and yes it is a Mosque! Because all Mosques are Muslim Community Centers!



The cross alone, if that is the sole symbol planned to be erected at the Memorial Garden, is religious bigotry! And that is against the American Constitution, when all people who died that day can not be said to have been Christian.

And as was said, it insults the dead who were not Christian because according to that faiths teachings anyone who is not Baptized in the name of Christ burn in hell when they die of their sins! Which means that cross would then condemn every non Christian in it's name, to the Hell of it's god's creation for being his created Sinners!



That's not a memorial! That's an insult in the wake of a national tragedy. Haven't we the people of America suffered enough of zealot intolerant religious discrimination, when we think back to the terrorist Muslims who murdered so many on September 11th? To now erect a cross that then symbolizes the murdered non-Christians are now suffering flame and torment ever still, is evil!

The lost deserve to be remembered with more respect than that! Especially when the cross was a Roman capital punishment device that was intended to inflict the worst possible suffering on the victims nailed or tied to it.

America, in remembrance of 911, have to be better than to think that sadistic symbol represents the rise of freedom and the rest of lost souls.

Answer 4

Looks like the Mayor agrees with the atheists...



Since I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I have no preference for a "cross" to mark the location of the deaths of some of my Witness friends that died that day.



But, unlike the atheists, it doesn't concern me if they decide to put one there or not. It doesn't matter to the dead, but it might to some of their families.



It becomes more of a matter of hatred for the surviving family members if atheists insist that there be no "cross". It is shows their bigotry, and hypocritical thinking, and lack of concern for others. Memorials are ALWAYS for the families, and friends, not the disinterested observers.



Any atheists that are offended by a cross shows that they really don't believe that there is NOT a god. Otherwise it would be just a bunch of metal to them.

Answer 5

Given that religion was the cause of this atrocity I would say that it's wrong to put any religious symbol at all there. Leave religion out of it and make it a humanist memorial.

Answer 6

Either put up all religious symbols or none. I'd like it if there was a huge *** American Flag, maybe carved into stone to take away the weathering of the fabric, but that's just me.

Answer 7

Given so many people died at that site and so many pieces of them are left unfound so as to be interred properly, I think it fitting to be memorialized because it remains the largest mass grave on American soil.



There is a separation of church and State per the first Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Memorial is private property and as such it is the owners right to do with as they wish. However, out of respect for all those who died that day, who were also Muslim and victims to the radical wing nut bags who hijacked the two planes that crashed into the WTC buildings, a true respectful memorial garden, to live up to it's name, should be interfaith! As well as represent by symbol where it applies, those of no faith, those who were agnostic, those who were Deist, etc...



Everyone who perished on that day were not Christian. As the OQ states, we all know that. What we're seeing in American politics of late is a push to retard the right to freedom from religion within the secular realm, so that the presumptuous monotheistic elitist cult ideology that is Christianity is permitted supremacy.



Americans who remember September and those of us who have lost loved one's have a right not to have a memorial that represents the rise of freedom, in it's reconstruction, to rise in the name of bias memorializing all the dead within the shadow of one faith that is wholly intolerant of all others!



It's redundant to rise to freedom, when that cult ideology would if it could by law, suppress every other faith in America! As it tries to do now in the wake of it's proponents who seek to command women's right to choose their reproductive future, in it's name!

It is not freedom memorializing all people lost on September 11th, to erect one religious icon that does indeed symbolize one religions tenets as that what those lost souls are answerable to in the after life.



We're talking about Hell on earth September 11th 2001!



All those people who died in those twin towers, according to the Christian faith, are right now damned to Hell in the after life! IF they died as non-Christians on the 11th of September!



To erect a cross that symbolizes that belief for the majority of Americans that survived that day, that by it's sign implies that damnation upon the lost non-Christians in it's shadow, is an insult! Just as grievous after life, as was the terrorism that took lives on 9-11!



And James T. Kirkazoid, you're a bigot and an idiot! Muslims are not atheists! They're members of one of the three religions of Abraham! The other two are Judaism and Christianity. So in your bigoted world view if Muslims are atheists, so too are Jews and Christians. And by the way hateful, those were Arab male Muslim terrorists that hijacked the 4 planes on September 11th 2001. They WERE NOT AMERICANS! They slaughtered Americans as well as many people who were citizens of foreign lands, unless your level of outright stupidity goes so far as to imagine everyone in those two planes, and everyone in the twin towers were only Americans! And "Christ" you're his twin brother! Moron.

Answer 8

they took the banner down that said we'll never forget... we already have. if we put a new structure there it will make us completely forget it because the memorial was emblazoned upon our psyches... we were the witnesses and it was all captured on film. i say they should leave the gaping holes as they are... that way it will be hallowed ground and it will keep us on the offense.

Answer 9

No they don't. It's this very liberal politically correct mindset that caused 9/11 in the first place. And you want to continue on that path of destruction huh ?

Answer 10

religion is the laws you choose to live by......athiest are self centered and by gods laws are to have their own towns and allow christians to live in peace///get ot of town retards

Answer 11

tl;dr

Answer 12

agreed.