Atheists attempt to block display of World Trade Center cross (Photos)

According to lawyers for the operators of the Sept. 11 memorial at ground zero say a judge should toss out the lawsuit filed by an atheists group seeking to stop the display of the cross. The cross is constructed out of two steel beams which was found during the rescue and recovery after the World Trade Center attacks. It stands about 17 feet tall.

The national group American Atheists filed the suit saying the cross violates the constitution. They could not be reached for comment on the matter.

The cross is being displayed as a historical object because it tells part of the story of the rescue effort on Sept. 11, 2001. The cross is being displayed along with thousands of artifacts, photos, oral histories and videos as part of the museum owned and operated by the September 11 Memorial & Museum.

Lawyers for the museum’s operators note that the museum is an independent non-profit corporation and decisions by its curators on what to display are not state actions which are subject to constitutional protection.

Father Brian Jordan (L) and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (2nd R) look on during a blessing of the World Trade Center cross before it was moved into its permanent home at the 9/11 Memorial Museum

Photo credit: 

Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

But even if the independent decisions of a non-governmental body could constitute state action, there is no legal authority for the proposition that a museum is prohibited from displaying an item with historical, cultural or artistic significance merely because that item also has religious significance

The lawyers also accused the atheist group of trying “to revise history to eliminate religion from its retelling.” They also noted that many people closely tied to the attacks responded in varied ways including turning to their faiths.

The museum was scheduled to open this year but delays have left the date in the air for the time being.

Do you think that atheists are stepping too far in this action? Or do you think they are justified in the suit? Does the cross overstep constitutional provisions? Let us know in the comments below.

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