Cross used in remembrance
The controversy surrounding the Bladensburg cross in Maryland illustrates the lengths that some folks will go in seeking out any pretense to accuse the government of favoritism toward one religion.
The cross, completed in 1925 to commemorate the memory of 49 servicemen from the county who were killed in WWI, was originally on private property.
Funds for the construction were privately raised, with no government involvement. The form of the cross was selected because, 90 years ago, it was widely accepted as the symbol for our warriors killed in battle.
Indeed, a quick review of battlefields worldwide shows row upon row of simple white crosses marking the soldiers’ final resting place.
Over the intervening 90 years, the land has transitioned to county property, being in the median of a public road. It is maintained by the Maryland – National Park Planning Commission.
There are no religious services held at that spot, and no religious significance attached to it.
It was, and remains, in honor of those men who answered the nation’s call and, in doing so, gave their lives.
For a secular humanist organization to allege a religious purpose to the cross, for the purpose of having it removed, is shameful and dishonors the memory of these soldiers.