A group called American Atheists is protesting the inclusion of a cross at the 9/11-memorial site at Ground Zero in New York City. The cross was originally a T-shaped piece of rebar from the World Trade Center that was uncovered from the rubble after the attacks.
President of the American Atheists Dave Silverman argues that the inclusion of the cross on the monument is intolerant to the non-Christian victims of the attacks. He wants the memorial to include a display of equal size for atheists and all other belief groups.
As an atheist, I can see where the group is coming from, but I do not think it is necessary for them to remove the cross. The cross is part of the history of the World Trade Center tragedy, and it means something to a lot of people.
When I see a cross on the side of the road where somebody has died, I don’t think of it as any kind of religious symbol, I see it as a memorial to someone who lost his or her life. At this point in my life, I see the cross as a gravesite symbol more than anything else. People can choose to see it as whatever they want. If you don’t see it as a cross, you could just view it as a piece of the building. The World Trade Center cross is being included in the memorial museum because it holds historical significance, not to make some kind of religious statement.
Atheists are constantly complaining about some kind of religious symbol being on display somewhere, which is unnecessary. Being an atheist means that you don’t believe in any religion, and that is all it means. When an atheist sees a symbol of a religion, they should not be offended by it. Nobody is trying to convert you to Christianity by making you look at a cross. If it were a crucifix with a bloody Jesus statue hanging from it, then it would be a different story.
According to the American Atheists website, they are an organization that tries to provide information about atheism to people all over the country. They hold atheist conventions and gatherings, write atheist books, and even hold “atheist pride” marches at state capitals. Another part of their website says that they have fostered a group of volunteers to put atheist literature in libraries and schools. They even have an atheist symbol in the shape of an atom that they use to promote themselves.
So, the American Atheists are a large group of people who gather together to spread the word about their beliefs and pass out literature to try to bring people over to their side. That sounds a lot like an organized religion to me, and it is exactly the opposite of what atheism is about.
You either subscribe to the beliefs of some kind of religion or you don’t. If you don’t, you’re an atheist. Being an atheist is nothing but the lack of religion.
There should be no atheist meetings or marches, and you shouldn’t try to force people to change their beliefs. There is no such thing as “converting” someone to atheism. The atheists already have a symbol of their beliefs at the Ground Zero site: a big slab of nothing.
Matt Grippi is a senior journalism major and assistant opinions editor for the Summer 49er.
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