Desert Crosses, Crusaders’ Flags and Nose Piercing
October 12, 2010 - by
Back in 1934 for reasons no one has explained the Veterans of Foreign Wars decided to build a sole wooden cross – as a memorial to soldiers who died in World War I – in the Mohave Desert, where hardly a soul would see it.
The cross stood peacefully atop Sunrise Rock for six decades until a wayfarer from Oregon came across it in the desert, worked himself into a frenzy when he found out it was in the middle of a National Park and sued the Park Service to remove it.
And, of course, the ACLU took his aide.
After that, for part of the next decade, the cross stood atop Sunrise Rock wrapped in a wooden box – so as not to offend any passing wayfarers – as the case wound its way through the courts until, in the fullness of time, it landed in the Supreme Court.
Meantime, in the little town of King, North Carolina another wayfarer discovered a ‘Christian flag’ – similar to an old-timey crusader’s flag – put up by the American Legion, flying over the local war memorial; incensed he complained and the ACLU rushed to his aid hammer and legal thongs flying and the town council – not having $300,000 to battle the ACLU in court – voted to strike the flag.
The symbol of Arina Iacono’s religion isn’t a flag or cross: It’s a stud. A piece of jewelry she wears in her nose and when she wore the stud to school (Miss Iacono’s fourteen) she found herself suspended – which she explained to the school board violated her freedom on religion because, she says, she’s a member of the church of ‘Body Modification.’
Now the ACLU may not like crosses on public property but it promptly sued to protect wearing nose-studs in public schools – a paradox that led some hardened skeptics to speculate when it comes to religion the ACLU simply doesn’t like Christianity. At any rate, a federal judge agreed that according to the Constitution ‘Body Modification’ is probably a religion in America today and enjoined the school board so Miss Iacono – nose stud and all – is back in school.
The balancing act done by The Founders in the Constitution was to deny government the power to force religion on anyone, while, at the same time, allowing government to codify religious values in the law.
After all, there is no natural law against murder or theft or rape or even slavery, prostitution, pornography, wife-beating or child-abuse – instead, most law is rooted in religious values. The balancing act in the Constitution was to allow religious freedom while allowing laws based on religious values.
But, today, we live in a more ‘enlightened age’ so freedom of religion seems to mean the government can have no religion. It sounds odd to say but I wonder what the ACLU would say if enlightenment comes to the ‘ladies of the evening’ and they band together, form the church of Bella Donna and say they have as much right to practice their religion as ‘Body Modifiers?” It sounds bizarre but, then, who’d have ever dreamed a federal court would rule ‘Body Modification’ is a religion.
Given the Supreme Court’s decision in the Mohave Cross case – by a margin of 5 to 4 the court let the cross stand – it seems the balance in the Constitution is holding on by its fingernails. ‘Enlightenment’ failed by one vote. But, then, a vandal tore down the cross and the Park Service refused to let a new one be put in its place.
Desert Crosses, Crusaders’ Flags and Nose Piercing
October 12, 2010/
Back in 1934 for reasons no one has explained the Veterans of Foreign Wars decided to build a sole wooden cross – as a memorial to soldiers who died in World War I – in the Mohave Desert, where hardly a soul would see it.
The cross stood peacefully atop Sunrise Rock for six decades until a wayfarer from Oregon came across it in the desert, worked himself into a frenzy when he found out it was in the middle of a National Park and sued the Park Service to remove it.
And, of course, the ACLU took his aide.
After that, for part of the next decade, the cross stood atop Sunrise Rock wrapped in a wooden box – so as not to offend any passing wayfarers – as the case wound its way through the courts until, in the fullness of time, it landed in the Supreme Court.
Meantime, in the little town of King, North Carolina another wayfarer discovered a ‘Christian flag’ – similar to an old-timey crusader’s flag – put up by the American Legion, flying over the local war memorial; incensed he complained and the ACLU rushed to his aid hammer and legal thongs flying and the town council – not having $300,000 to battle the ACLU in court – voted to strike the flag.
The symbol of Arina Iacono’s religion isn’t a flag or cross: It’s a stud. A piece of jewelry she wears in her nose and when she wore the stud to school (Miss Iacono’s fourteen) she found herself suspended – which she explained to the school board violated her freedom on religion because, she says, she’s a member of the church of ‘Body Modification.’
Now the ACLU may not like crosses on public property but it promptly sued to protect wearing nose-studs in public schools – a paradox that led some hardened skeptics to speculate when it comes to religion the ACLU simply doesn’t like Christianity. At any rate, a federal judge agreed that according to the Constitution ‘Body Modification’ is probably a religion in America today and enjoined the school board so Miss Iacono – nose stud and all – is back in school.
The balancing act done by The Founders in the Constitution was to deny government the power to force religion on anyone, while, at the same time, allowing government to codify religious values in the law.
After all, there is no natural law against murder or theft or rape or even slavery, prostitution, pornography, wife-beating or child-abuse – instead, most law is rooted in religious values. The balancing act in the Constitution was to allow religious freedom while allowing laws based on religious values.
But, today, we live in a more ‘enlightened age’ so freedom of religion seems to mean the government can have no religion. It sounds odd to say but I wonder what the ACLU would say if enlightenment comes to the ‘ladies of the evening’ and they band together, form the church of Bella Donna and say they have as much right to practice their religion as ‘Body Modifiers?” It sounds bizarre but, then, who’d have ever dreamed a federal court would rule ‘Body Modification’ is a religion.
Given the Supreme Court’s decision in the Mohave Cross case – by a margin of 5 to 4 the court let the cross stand – it seems the balance in the Constitution is holding on by its fingernails. ‘Enlightenment’ failed by one vote. But, then, a vandal tore down the cross and the Park Service refused to let a new one be put in its place.