This week the United States Supreme Court has been hearing arguments in the case of Order Accutane without prescription, Salazar v. Buono. And it's a useful example of how attitudes toward religious symbols are not always what you might expect. Acquistare a buon mercato Accutane, The case involves a cross that was erected in 1934 on public land in the Mojave National Preserve in California. Those who erected the cross, a local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, intended it to serve as a memorial to military who died in World War I, Kentucky KY Ky. .

Now let's pause for a moment before we get to the current situation to reflect on the intentions of the VFW folks, order Accutane without prescription. Certainly their desire to erect a memorial to military who died is praiseworthy. This is an extension of one of the works of mercy: to bury the dead. Michigan MI Mich. , Now the form their memorial took is something that we might find difficult to understand today. Why choose a cross to represent all those who died, many of whom were not Christian. Order Accutane without prescription, At the time, there was little awareness of people who were not Christian. It's entirely possible that the members of a VFW chapter in some small town out in the middle of the California desert had never even met a Jew, For Accutane online. Remember, this was a monument to the war dead of World War I, District of Columbia DC D.C. , and the Second World War with its Shoah that would heighten sensitivity toward Jews had not yet occurred (in fact Adolf Hitler consolidated his power as chancellor the same year the cross was erected). Most likely to those who erected it, the cross was a naive and theologically unsophisticated but sincere way to honor their fallen comrades.

However, goedkope Accutane apotheek, times change, and the inference of symbols changes.

From the early centuries of the Church, the cross has been considered a symbol of the triumph of Jesus Christ, order Accutane without prescription. Accutane prices, We even have a celebration in its honor: September 14 is the Feast of the Holy Cross for almost all Christians. It has become perhaps the most recognizable symbol in the world, and it represents Christianity.

Unfortunately, California CA Calif. , to the members of the UFW, the cross had become merely a grave ornament. Colorado CO Colo. , And that's why they erected it. Order Accutane without prescription, That was their intention. But the movement to preserve the cross has a different motivation: to advance the ridiculous notion of a "Christian nation."

Justice Antonin Scalia indicated an attitude similar to what the original erectors of the cross must have been: he expressed astonishment that a cross could not memorialize non-Christians. To him the cross is just a generic symbol that means "rest in peace." And that may be indicative of a generational rift; Scalia is closer in age and outlook to the VFW members who set up the cross in 1934  than he is to those of us who understand such issues in a pluralistic society. When an attorney pointed out to Scalia that crosses are not found in Jewish cemeteries, comprar Accutane, he became flustered and annoyed.

What Christian would want the cross to become merely a generic secular symbol. Yet that appears to be a possible legal fiction that fundamentalists would embrace in order to advance their cause, order Accutane without prescription. Vermont VT Vt. , Liberty Legal Institute, a fundamentalist group, filed an amicus brief with the court stating that "the cross is commonly known as a symbol of the courage and sacrifice of veterans." Not. To a true Christian, buy Accutane, the cross has deep meaning. It is not a symbol that means "in your face, Køb billige Accutane, we own you," nor is it, as the fundamentalists disingenuously argue, a mere military ornament.  It is a mysterious symbol rich in meaning that is a profound symbol of the Christian faith, cheap Accutane pills. It should not become a political football that one faction can use to exclude others. Order Accutane without prescription, Of course, trying to make the cross into a nonsectarian memorial symbol is merely a legal tactic. One supposes that Justice Scalia might embrace such a notion from the bench, Accutane prescription, yet still attend Mass on September 14 and profess his belief that it is a symbol of faith. And the fundamentalists who take up such a legal argument are using the time-honored extremist approach of the end justifying the means: to lift up the cross as a sign of (their own superior) faith, they must first publicly deny it has any religious meaning. That's just creepy, Wyoming WY Wyo. . People who are so ruthlessly cynical do not have real faith and can in no way be trusted. Their argument reminds me of Vietnam-era logic: "We had to destroy the village to save it." But the fact remains: the cross is not a generic death symbol; it is a symbol of life for Christians, order Accutane without prescription.

Should the cross in the Mojave be taken down. Cheap Accutane, That's a difficult question. When the inference of a symbol changes (and in this case I would say the change has been for the better), there is probably no perfect decision on what to do, as the original intent can become obscured or even be unknown to those who see the physical object, ordering Accutane online.

In my neighborhood there is a lovely Episcopal church built in the 1920s. Order Accutane without prescription, Its elaborate terra cotta floor tiles are interspersed with different variations of the cross. One of the variations in the tiles is a swastika, Oklahoma OK Okla. , which at the time was merely a kind of cross and had not yet been appropriated and corrupted by Hitler for his movement. Should the congregation rip out and replace their floor because the meaning of the symbol has changed since their church was built.

Some may say yes, but here's a similar situation: Scientologists have appropriated the cross as a symbol to represent their "religion." Most likely they did this to gain some kind of religious cred, Georgia GA Ga. , since they have no central place for Jesus Christ in their belief system. So if Scientologists hijack the cross as their symbol, Minnesota MN Minn. , does that mean that Christians must abandon it.

The cross belongs to the People of God who are baptized, order Accutane without prescription. Period. It is for us a profound symbol of love conquering hate, of faith overcoming fear, αγοράσετε Accutane, of God's solidarity with humanity. To use it in any other way, För Accutane online, whether for marketing a new "religion," advancing a political cause or creating division, is using the sacred for profane purposes, which we call desecration, Illinois IL Ill. . So let us lift high the cross, put it on our towers, Cheapest Accutane online, on hills we own, in our homes, around our necks, and especially in our hearts. But let's not use it to push some sort of tribal superiority in a multicultural nation. That just cheapens it.

Similar posts: Buy cheap Retin-A online. Retin-A pharmacy. Buy Accutane without prescription. Delaware DE Del. . Cheap Retin-A online without prescription.
Trackbacks from: Order Accutane without prescription. Order Accutane without prescription. Order Accutane without prescription. Accutane discount. Comprar Accutane.

This entry was posted by Deacon Eric on Thursday, October 8th, 2009 at 12:08 pm and is filed under Culture, Current Events, Interfaith. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.