(CBN) – The US Supreme Court delivered a major ruling allowing the use of religious symbols in American life Thursday. The court ruled that a World War I memorial in the shape of a 40-foot cross can remain on public land in Bladensburg, Maryland. The justices ruled seven to two in favor of the supporters of the Bladensburg cross, which has also been referred to as “the Peace Cross”. The majority said preserving a long-standing religious monument is in stark contrast with the idea of permitting the building of a new one. The Supreme Court ruled the nearly 100-year-old cross,
which stands on a highway median, doesn’t violate the First Amendment’s establishment clause. Supporters of the cross were concerned that if the court ruled against them that could mean a ruling against hundreds of war memorials where crosses are used to honor fallen soldiers. Justice Samuel Alito wrote, “The cross is undoubtedly a Christian symbol, but that fact should not blind us to everything else that the Bladensburg cross has come to represent. For some, that monument is a symbolic resting place for ancestors who never returned home. For others, it is a place for the community to gather and honor all veterans and their sacrifices to our nation. For others still, it is a historical landmark.” READ MORE
