IN THEORY:

This summer, U.S. District Judge Larry Burns ruled that a 43-foot cross atop Mt. Soledad in San Diego could remain on public property because Congress did not violate the Constitution when it took control of it. Burns reasoned that Congress took control of the cross to maintain it as part of a war memorial, not to advance Christianity. Do you think the cross can sometimes be viewed in a non-religious way?

Symbols must always have multiple meanings. If a symbol is reduced to only one meaning, it ceases to be a symbol. The Mt. Soledad cross is a symbol, but it is not exclusively Christian.

I grew up in Pacific Beach, just south of the Mt. Soledad cross. When I was in high school the cross became a bike goal. Several of us used the cross as the finish line for bike races. There was nothing Christian about it. Years later, when I was Christian and attended Easter sunrise services at the Soledad cross, it was still the finish line. In western culture, the cross began as a symbol for the power of Rome. The cross was the Romans’ favored way of public execution. In addition, the persons executed were left on the crosses for several days — usually near the main gates of the city — as a witness to declare the absolute power of Rome.

People wear cross jewelry — not because of religious faith, but as a memory of the person who gave them the jewelry.

For some, the cross will be a symbol of the misuse of power and of oppression, while others will see the same cross as a symbol of hope. Others will see it as a war memorial or a sign of their Risen Lord. For me, it’s always going to be the finish line.

Pastor Mark Wiley

Mesa Verde United Methodist Church

Costa Mesa

Judge Larry Burns, in his ruling about the Mt. Soledad cross said that, “Depending on the context in which it is displayed, the cross may evoke no particular religious impression at all.”

Whom is he trying to kid? The cross is associated with the crucifixion of Jesus. It has no other purpose.

The crosses on military burial grounds show the troops’ Christianity. And at the same military burial grounds there are other religious symbols.

Thus, even in military burial grounds, the cross is clearly intended as a visual means to distinguish Christians from those of other beliefs. It is to separate, not include.

So in no way could the cross on Mt. Soledad be considered a general war memorial, as Judge Burns maintains. Its presence implies that Christians are in charge in San Diego. And with a 43-foot cross, it would seem that they don’t want you to forget it!

Jerry Parks

Member, Humanist Assn. of Orange County

The cross is a religious symbol. It signifies nothing else. It has no other use than religious use. The cross is not a national landmark. It is not an American symbol. Even crosses on graves stand for religious interpretation.

These comments may seem strange to you. After all, isn’t this America? Doesn’t the Constitution protect us from the government intruding upon our civil rights with religious symbols?

We must bear in mind that whether we succeed in facing the pitfalls and potential of the landscape of this country depends on the facts as we see them.

Religion in America is found not in the workplace or landscape, but in houses of worship. Those houses of worship have religious symbols on them, labeling the religions that they represent. Go there and find them. They shouldn’t face us like billboards on highway exits.

There is no national landmark in America to my knowledge that bears a cross. It is not on a dollar bill or a U.S. postage stamp. Crosses should not be on display as a form of public advertising.

Rabbi Marc Rubenstein

Temple Isaiah