A Victory for Religion

A 7-foot tall cross, made of metal pipe and in an isolated spot in the Mojave Desert, has been saved by a narrow vote of the Supreme Court. On a thin 5-4 ruling with no less than six Justices penning their own opinions, it was decided that the cross could stay uncovered. It has been in place since 1934 as a memorial to World War I troops killed in battle.

This is a good and fine ruling. As Justice Anthony Kennedy said, "The Constitution does not oblige government to avoid any public acknowledgment of religion's role in society,". There is nothing wrong with a simple cross, especially in this case, where it is far from public view and on land turned over to private interests.

Other religious groups claim they feel excluded over such a thing. Well, okay, then, petition to put up a symbol of your religion somewhere to honor your fallen. It isn't likely that mainstream Christianity would be offended. Because the main point here is that it is not wrong of government to recognize what religion means in our society and our history. To be particularly blunt, it is safe to assume that the overwhelming majority of Americans killed in WWI were Christian. We do no disservice to that onerous 'ideal', separation of church and state, in a simple acknowledgment of that. Especially as freedom of religion was one of the things those doughboys and sailors and Marines fought to protect. Can we not honor them in a manner they would see as fitting?

Hopefully the ruling will lead to a greater acceptance of religious symbols mixed with government action. Yet that will almost certainly hinge on future Court rulings, rulings which will be decided by, perhaps, future justices. Which means we need to make sure that someone gets elected in 2012 who is most likely to appoint folks who would support such cases appropriately.

That movement must start in the 2010 elections. Otherwise, we shall have little left of our common religious bonds save dusty old directives noted only in our history books.