Lawless Atheists Battle Against 9/11 Steel Cross Being Displayed in Museum

It was a symbol of hope for many that lost loved ones during the Islamic terrorist attacks of 9/11 on the World Trade Center. Formed by the intense heat of the jet fuel and the incredible forces of the collapsing building, a cross. The government did not create it. The rescue workers did not weld it together as the looked for survivors.

Yet, an atheist group, American Atheists, is suing to keep the cross from being displayed in the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. David Silverman, the organization’s president, has argued in the past that the cross was included in the museum for religious purposes and that it should not be displayed. Now, his case — American Atheists, Inc., et al. v. Port Authority of New York et al. — will, once again, be considered.

“We are confident that we will eventually win this case and that cross will be removed, or atheists will be allowed to have our own symbol in there,” he told CNN last year.

The argument that Silverman is making is that the cross of 9/11 Islamic attack is a thinly veiled attempt to promote Christianity. “This is neither artifact nor art — it is a Christian shrine, made to service Christians and place Christianity above others at the memorial,” he said. “Assertions to the contrary are simply dishonest — this is a Christian cross on public land, paid for with public money, and that means we are entitled to equal representation — they can take the cross out or include atheists.”

n the initial complaint, American Atheists said that plaintiffs were suffering “physical and emotional pain” as a result of the cross.

“Named plaintiffs have suffered, inter alia, dyspepsia, symptoms of depression, headaches, anxiety, and mental pain and anguish from the knowledge that they are made to feel officially excluded from the ranks of citizens who were directly injured by the 9/11 attack and the lack of acknowledgement of the more than 1,000 non- Christian individuals who were killed at the World Trade Center,” it read.

Silverman has said that he is open to a compromise. He would like to have the atheist represented along side the cross. What would that look like? I propose an empty space set on either side of the cross. After all, how do you represent a belief in nothing? I would assume the best choice would be, nothing.

American Atheists’ past legal arguments against the cross have been thrown out, so if precedent is any indication of what might happen, legal victory is a long shot.