I didn't think much could shock me these days what with the so-called leaders in Washington "working" on debt limit legislation like a bunch of kindergartners at recess. However, I am wrong. Once again, I have been shocked and at the same time outraged.
First, just a little background. On September 13, 2001, just two days after the nightmare of 9/11, one of the rescuers picking very carefully and slowly through the dangerous heap that used to be the World Trade Center, discovered three bodies. He signaled to his fellow workers and the bodies were carefully and respectfully removed. Looking further, this rescuer noticed something unusual among the unbelievable devastation. There, in the midst of the giant stack of rubble were two steel beams that had been sheared off in the form of a cross.
This brave, hardened rescuer dropped to his knees and began to cry. He brought others to the area in which the cross was located. No one could believe their eyes. Cranes were quickly moved in and the several ton cross was carefully removed. Those pieces of broken steel became a focal point for all who continued to search for more victims of the worst attack on US shores.
Eventually, the cross was removed from the site as the pile of broken buildings was hauled away and taken to its new temporary home, St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in lower Manhattan. There it has remained, a symbol of hope and love found in the middle of the horror of that day in September.
Now, as the 9/11 Memorial Museum takes shape at Ground Zero, the cross has been moved to become one of the artifacts that will be on display for public viewing. Many are drawn to this powerful icon of hope and comfort. However, in the political correct lunacy that dominates this society, a move has been made to stop the placing of the cross on the site.
An organization called American Atheists has filed suit in court to remove the cross claiming that the placement of the cross is actually promoting Christianity. David Silverman, a spokesman for the group seems to be angry that there will be no symbol on the premises to honor those non-believers who died in the attack. He supposedly is upset that no other religious symbol will be on display including a symbol that represents the nothingness of his beliefs. In other words, there will be nothing in place to represent nothing!
Silverman, in his apparent blind anger and hate for anything Christian, actually blames Jesus for the attacks on the World Trade Center. He said that the Christian God "couldn't be bothered to stop the Muslim terrorists or prevent 3,000 people to be killed in his name."
It is hard to say how this will turn out and whether or not the WTC Cross will be allowed to remain as a centerpiece in the museum. But what is clear is that elements of this society have clearly lost their minds. So many of those of the same persuasion of Mr. Silverman demand that the Muslims be allowed to build a mosque just a stone's throw from Ground Zero. Yet, a cross, created from the chaos of that horrible morning, is not proper to be put into a museum where thousands lost their lives.
I didn't really believe that there was a concerted effort in this country to eliminate Christianity from society. However, this action of the American Atheists, along with nearly countless other examples of actions taken to remove any vestige of the Christian faith from society, has begun to convince me otherwise.
It is time for we who believe in Jesus Christ and call ourselves Christians, to stand up for this beautiful faith, a faith that far more people belong to than any other in the United States. We cannot allow this lunacy to continue. For too long, Christians have remained silent on such things and, as a result, many Christian traditions that had deep meaning for many have been declared unconstitutional and removed from sight. Take for example the annual battles of municipalities against their own citizens who want to erect manger scenes to commemorate the birth of Christ on the court house square, a practice which often has gone back for decades. In nearly every instance, a law is passed, a court ruling decreed to remove the "offending" display of religious fervor.
We must pray continually as Jesus urged us to do so. But we must also make our voices heard. Believe it or not, despite what the media or Washington politicians say, there are issues that are far more important than the current subject that have been debated ad nauseum for weeks on end to no avail.
We cannot allow our religious rights and freedom of speech be eroded any longer. Pray, get involved by watching your representatives, federal, state, and local. Write letters, protest and always do so in imitation of the Master we claim to follow. We must be firm but gentle in our approach but if we value our religious freedom, we cannot sit idly back and watch it be taken away. This would be a far worse legacy to hand to the younger generations than trillions of dollars of debt!
