Cross-shaped WWI monument causes atheist uproar [View all]

[rug]

By Miranda S. Spivack
The Washington Post staff
Fri, 09/14/2012 - 11:41am

WASHINGTON - The 40-foot-tall cross rises above the nearby shopping centers and neighborhoods, a local landmark that for more than 80 years has served as a gateway to the Maryland communities of Bladensburg and Hyattsville.

The Memorial Peace Cross honors 49 men from Prince George’s County, Maryland who lost their lives during World War I.

Now the monument, which sits on state property, is the subject of a fight itself. The American Humanist Association, a Washington-based group that represents atheists and others, is calling for the cross’s removal, arguing that a religious image on public land violates the constitutional principle of the separation of church and state.

"There are no words on it that say ’war memorial,’ " said Fred Edwords, who brought the cross to the attention of the humanist organization. "It stands out there . . . like a very strong religious symbol."

http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/09/14/cross-shaped-wwi-monument-causes-atheist-uproar