Posted on 10/18/2017 4:18:06 PM PDT by markomalley
A three-judge court panel ruled Wednesday that a World War I memorial in the shape of a cross in Bladensburg, Maryland, is unconstitutional, a decision that a legal scholar says could imperil other similar memorials.
In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit said the 40-foot cross erected 92 years ago violates the First Amendments Establishment Clause.
The monument here has the primary effect of endorsing religion and excessively entangles the government in religion, Judge Stephanie Thacker wrote for the majority. The Latin cross is the core symbol of Christianity. And here, it is 40 feet tall; prominently displayed in the center of one of the busiest intersections in Prince Georges County, Maryland; and maintained with thousands of dollars in government funds.
The Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial is dedicated to 49 servicemen who perished in WWI. The cross is owned and maintained by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, which acquired it from the American Legion in 1961 due to development around the cross.
In 2014, the American Humanist Association filed a lawsuit asking for the cross to be demolished or altered, such as by removing its arms to form a non-religious slab or obelisk.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
ping
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
What is this, 2001: A Space Odyssey?
The founding fathers endorsed religion. There’s a difference between an endorsement of religion and the establishment of one.
So they want a phallic symbol instead?
or obelisk.
Or an obelisk , symbolizing a ray of light from Egyptian sun-worship?
Honors those sons of Bladensburg lost during WW I. This will be interesting as the memorial is designated as a National Historic Trust site.
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