-Texas: Land Under Cross Sold to Answer Atheists
by Dr. D ~ May 24th, 2016
Another ‘Cross’ attack by atheist activists but this time the land under the cross was sold to a church. Here’s the story from The Blaze:
Local authorities in Port Neches, Texas, have decided to sell a small plot of public park land that currently hosts a large, 10-foot cross to a local church after an atheist activist group threatened to sue for its removal.
City leaders decided to sell the 20? x 20? plot of land to First United Methodist Church for just $100 — a move that would essentially protect the religious symbol’s presence by converting the land from public to private, KBMT-TV reported. …
A spokesperson for the Freedom From Religion Foundation later called the sale a ave been open for “step in the right direction,” but said that the group wants to be sure that the move was entirely appropriate, and also wants there to be clear markers indicating that the cross is on private land.
Response: This is a good resolution to this case if the atheist group does not end up blocking it. They are currently trying to put a good face on the whole thing and claim victory for their cause even though thousands of folks have protested the atheists by putting up white crosses on their own private property. But let’s be clear, the real intent of the atheist activists was to take down the cross altogether and this sale does not get it done. So it was hardly a ‘victory.’
Notice that the atheist leaders are questioning the way the land was sold to the church. Read between the lines that they would have liked to have had the opportunity to outbid the Methodist Church for the cross property. Forget the fact that a member of that church put up the money for the cross in the first place. If the FFRF chooses to continue their pursuit through legal action then their real motives will be revealed.
Time and time again atheist activists say that they are only bothered about religious symbols being on publically owned land. The fact is that they would really like to take crosses out of the public square entirely even those which are publically visible on private land.
The Mt. Soledad Cross controversy in San Diego CA lasted 25 years even after the city attempted to deed the land into private hands and eventually to the federal government but the legal actions by atheist activists continued anyway. When Mohave Memorial Cross was finally settled in court, an activist responded by stealing it and taking it down anyway.
Then there are two recent cases where crosses even on private church land were attacked. One on a hill overlooking a monastery in Riverside CA was destroyed and a lawsuit has come against a church in Corpus Christi, Texas that plans to build a tall cross on their own church property.
So many times it has not really been about religious symbols on public land. Nor has it been against religion so much as a battle against Christianity in particular. I have yet to see a specific lawsuit brought by atheists against Muslim crescents which are also in parks all over America. Mostly put there by Shriners and Masons as were many of the crosses. *Top
