A colorful mural that shows the famous white 9/11 cross in Effingham, Illinois, has become the latest flashpoint over religious freedom, pitting atheists and a group opposed to mingling church and state against the legal group that saved the iconic American Legion peace cross in Bladensburg, Maryland.
Just before Christmas, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation asked Effingham to erase the cross depicted in a mural that also shows an American flag on an overpass near Effingham High School, claiming that it sends the wrong message to students.
“A mural that depicts nothing except a Latin cross alongside the American flag sends a clear message: that patriotism and religiosity are interrelated,” said the group in a letter to Effingham Mayor Mike Schutzbach.
The request prompted a local protest in support of the mural in the town known for its 198-foot tall white cross erected after and dedicated in the memory of 9/11 and the patriotism that followed. It stands at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 57 and is known as the “Cross at the Crossroads.”
After the pro-cross protest, First Liberty Institute came to the defense of the mural and its depiction of the cross.
In a letter to the town sent today and shared with Secrets, the group said that the mural is legal and protected by the Supreme Court’s decision on the American Legion cross in a rotary in Bladensburg.
“‘The Cross at the Crossroads’ two decades of prominence as part of Effingham surely has established it as just such a symbol and ‘part of the community,’” said the group, citing language in the Bladensburg case that it won last year as the representatives for the American Legion.
Effingham, Ill. (WAND) – A cross mural has been sparking controversy among local community members in Effingham. https://t.co/pYWmD9qgYi
— WAND TV News (@wandtvnews) January 5, 2020
“It is a recognized symbol in and of the city and an unmistakable community hallmark. Formally dedicated days after the attacks of September 11, the Cross depicts Effingham’s tradition of patriotism and unity. There is little wonder it was included in a mural on city property. A community mural commemorating such an established land mark should carry that same ‘special significance,’” added Roger Byron, First Liberty senior counsel. His letter is shown below.
He also said the call to remove the cross from the mural was weak on legal reasonings. “The complaint letter you received was markedly light on law. Tellingly, it used a single quote allegedly from a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit case to justify its argument against the cross in the mural. No such quote appears in that opinion,” he wrote.
Byron added: “The city should disregard the complaint it received and follow the Supreme Court’s guidance. It is worth noting that removal of the cross depiction from the mural could well send the message that the city is, in fact, ‘aggressively hostile’ to such symbols.”
