US: Atheist Group Wants 9/11 Cross Removed from Museum

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43902747/ns/local_news-new_york_ny/

An atheist group has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent a cross made out of World Trade Center steel beams from going on display at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. American Atheists sued this week in state court arguing that the group opposes the placement of the cross in the museum because members believe it is the only religious article getting special accommodation there.

While I understand and sympathize with their point, I think the American Atheists are off base here.  To me, this particular cross has historical significance, as it was built on the site out of the WTC beams by recovery workers in kind of an ad hoc way, making it different from a purpose-built cross erected/sponsored by a church.

As for the "balance" argument, if a non-Christian involved in the recovery efforts had built a symbol of their religion out of the wreckage and put it up alongside the cross, then I think it should be in the museum, too.  I don't think the problem can be solved by adding religious iconography from other religions to "balance it out" now, though, 10 years after the fact.  

Finally, does anyone know if the WTC museum is a public, government-funded museum?  Based on their About Us page, I honestly can't tell.

http://www.911memorial.org/about-us-0

At first I thought this was going to be a reference to them wanting the one on the site removed, which I would sort of agree with. However, in this instance I don't agree - the cross is not being placed in the museum as a religious symbol but as an historical artifact.
That would be like Christians complaining about pagan symbols in the British Museum!

I am an atheist myself and find this to be quite ridiculous.  It's a museum for goodness sake!  Religious symbols are displayed in museums.  I don't see the issue.

I am an atheist myself and find this to be quite ridiculous.  It's a museum for goodness sake!  Religious symbols are displayed in museums.  I don't see the issue.

I'm also an atheist and I feel the same way.

People with too much time on their hands just need something to complain about.

I really wish the world would adapt a "live and let live" mentality...regardless of religious (or other) beliefs.

While I understand and sympathize with their point, I think the American Atheists are off base here.  To me, this particular cross has historical significance, as it was built on the site out of the WTC beams by recovery workers in kind of an ad hoc way, making it different from a purpose-built cross erected/sponsored by a church.

Actually it says

The cross, made of two intersecting steel beams, was found standing in the rubble of the World Trade Center following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Which sounds like after the building collapsed it was like that.

Actually it says
 

Which sounds like after the building collapsed it was like that.

I still don't see the problem, even more so that it is a "found object" from the site that happens to be shaped like a religious symbol.

I still don't see the problem, even more so that it is a "found object" from the site that happens to be shaped like a religious symbol.

I wasn't disagreeing with that.I don't see a problem with it and I'm an athiest. In fact I wonder why some athiests get offended by a symbol of something that doesn't exist!

.....In fact I wonder why some athiests get offended by a symbol of something that doesn't exist!

Oh I like this! 

People with too much time on their hands just need something to complain about.

I really wish the world would adapt a "live and let live" mentality...regardless of religious (or other) beliefs.

Well said

not looking to start an argument here just stating my opinion.......were all the people that were killed during 9/11 of christian faith......in all likelyhood i would say not......im sure there were people of jewish faith, pagan, buddhist, satanism, jehovahs witnesses, wiccan, atheists etc.......i may have read that wrong but i believe it was said that they made the cross of steel beams from the site and had been place in a church to now be placed in the museum........in a case like this i feel it appropriate to incude all faiths/beliefs or none at all.

not looking to start an argument here just stating my opinion.......were all the people that were killed during 9/11 of christian faith......in all likelyhood i would say not......im sure there were people of jewish faith, pagan, buddhist, satanism, jehovahs witnesses, wiccan, atheists etc.......i may have read that wrong but i believe it was said that they made the cross of steel beams from the site and had been place in a church to now be placed in the museum........in a case like this i feel it appropriate to incude all faiths/beliefs or none at all.

If it is an artifact from the site, why shouldn't it be placed in the a museum for the Ground Zero site?  It not actually made to be a cross, it's just steel beams that happened to be in a cross shape.  If someone had actually hand crafted it specifically to commemorate 9/11 then maybe that argument would stand.

And not to go on a Tangent here...but the Cross is not owned by the Christian Religion.  It happens to be their symbol, but there are crosses in many other (and many ancient) religions, just as there are moon, stars, etc.

I remember seeing it. It wasn't constructed - it just happened to end up that way.  Regardless of what religion it is, it was a focal point in the aftermath. I don't have an issue with it being in the museum because people took it as a religious symbol.  And I wouldn't expect a pentagram to be put in there just so I can be ok with the crossing steel bars being present.  All of it was part of what happened.  And I feel blessed I got to help a little in the aftermath.  I see it as part of the World Trade Center where I spent my collage years; where my then fiance (now ex) and many friends worked (all of them safe, but they lost colleagues) and where I travelled to and from on a daily basis.

but dont you guys feel that if you were lets just say of jewish faith and you lost your family on 9/11......you might feel that the symbols of your faith would be just as important as the symbol of christian faith......its a very sensitive subject for many people and such a tragedy......i feel its something that should be very inclusive of all men, women, and children of all faiths.

i just did some googling.......there are reports that there will be a star of david and various other religious symbols displayed in addition to the cross........which i personally find acceptable.......if there is a symbol representing atheist etc then simply add it to the memorial.....hopefully the outcome will be one of a peaceful nature.