Atheists sue over display of World Trade Center cross

The cross

A lawsuit has been filed by the group American Atheists over the display of a cross that emerged from the wreckage of the collapse of the World Trade Center towers when America was attacked by Muslim radicals on Sept. 11, 2001.

Dave Silverman of the atheist organization said the cross is "a Christian icon" and was "presented as a reminder that their god, who couldn't be bothered to stop the Muslim terrorists or prevent 3,000 people from being killed in his name, cared only enough to bestow upon us some rubble that resembles a cross."

It was in the days following the attack on the WTC that construction worker Frank Silecchia found what has become known as the "World Trade Center Cross." The steel beams in the rubble of 6 World Trade Center, apparently part of a joint of the structural components of the fallen buildings, became a source of comfort and hope for rescue workers.

Father Brian Jordan of the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus held a number of masses at the foot of that cross for rescue workers. The cross later was moved around the corner to St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, where it has been until days ago.

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At that time, the 20-foot cross was moved back close to where it was found, to become a permanent fixture at the September 11th Memorial and Museum, which will open to the public in 2012.

The atheist group, in their lawsuit, however, stated:

"American Atheists seek injunctive relief against inclusion of the cross and/or an order that a memorial to the non-religious Americans who fell victim to the 9/11 attack be placed within the September 11 Memorial and Museum near the cross."

The atheists also allege the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, memorial is owned by the New York Port Authority and that government funding for the site is approaching 60 percent.

That results in their claim that there has been a violation of the First Amendment, by the establishment of a government religion at the site of the cross.

They allege, "The challenged cross constitutes an unlawful attempt to promote a
specific religion on government land, diminishing the civil rights, privileges
or capacities of atheist Americans, agnostic Americans, Jewish Americans,
Muslim Americans, and all others who are not Christian Americans.
Because the challenged cross promotes Christianity over all other religions,
it also denies non-Christian Americans equal protection under the laws of
the land. As such, the challenged cross is repugnant to the Constitution of
the United States."

The attack

The atheists claim that the plaintiffs in their complaint are suffering and will continue to suffer physical and emotional damages from the presence of the cross. Their complaint alleges that the plaintiffs are experiencing headaches, nausea, depression, anxiety and mental pain and anguish because they are made to feel excluded from the ranks of citizens affected by the 9/11 attacks.

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The claim explains, "Named plaintiffs have seen the cross, either in person or on television, and are being subjected to, and injured in consequence of having a religious tradition that is not their own imposed upon them through the power of the state, in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of Sections 3 and 11 of the Constitution of the State of New York."

On the American Atheists' blog, not everyone was supportive of the fight against the cross. One contributor had this to say: "How is putting the cross up denying millions of non-Christians from sharing their own version of grief with the world? Atheists, by definition, do not believe in God. Therefore, the symbols associated with religion, in this case the cross, should hold no sort of meaning for them. Something that doesn't exist is somehow denying you from grieving? How? … I apparently fail to see how a non-symbolic item has so much power over the minds of atheists, that it would prevent them from sharing their own version of grief with each other and the world."

The project is part of the 911Memorial organization, and its image was featured on the cover of Whistleblower Magazine.

The "perfectly formed 20-foot-tall cross" was found "standing straight … surrounded by many smaller crosses," according to columnist Ann Coulter.

There's also a DVD titled "The Cross and the Towers," which explains how the discovery was called by some "a mere phenomenon" while others consider it "miraculous."

The special project follows the lives of seven individuals whose lives were changed forever, "not only by the horrific day of September 11, but the stunning symbol of hope they found buried beneath the rubble of ground zero."

"The media noted its appearance. Newspaper and television reporters sought to see it for themselves," the project explains. "