From Deseret News archives:
The cross gets a reprieve
His reasoning that sometimes religious symbols become secular symbols is sound and filled with common sense. One can imagine it applied in other areas. For a child to be hoisted by Santa Claus does not mean the child is being taught to rely on the intervention of St. Nicholas. Space and time have created a certain disconnect between the two things.
Still, the cross became a lightning rod in the Highway Patrol case for a reason. It was an excuse, in ways, for deeper concerns.
Some people see the United States as a Christian nation and Christian principles should be the norm. Many of them would likely like to see schoolchildren go back to eating fish on Fridays and let teachers make students memorize the Lord's Prayer. The problem with that, of course, is that forcing Jewish or Muslim children to memorize Christian prayers is unfair on the face of it. Mutual respect and understanding should rule. And when religious issues arise, they should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
In the end, Judge Sam was right. Christian symbols do morph into cultural symbols at times. But that doesn't mean Christians should crow and the non-religious should pout. It means Americans must be careful when such cases arise to treat each one with seriousness and common sense, just as Judge Sam has done with the troopers and the cross.
Recent comments
The judge was wrong; a religious symbol is a religious symbol and...
Monty Gaither | Nov. 24, 2007 at 10:56 a.m.
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my2cents | Nov. 24, 2007 at 8:57 a.m.
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