BY ERIC ZORN | E-mail | About | RSS  « Rule of thumb drive |
Main | Aldermanic races, then and now »  Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Free government crucifixes? Ruling in religious schools case has
dissenting U.S. Supreme Court justice imagining how it could be
worse   What if the government decided it wanted everyone who
wanted one to have a free crucifix?  An outlandish idea? Yes,
but I wouldn't put it past the elected officials who seem to
forever be looking for ways to endorse and sponsor religion with
symbols and monuments and ceremonial tributes to God. For years,
in fact, a 17-foot crucifix -- a statue of Jesus on the cross --
stood in a public park in Highland, Ind.  For now, though, the
free crucifix program is just a thought experiment posed by U.S.
Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.  The state “could purchase
the religious symbols in bulk and distribute them to all
takers,” Kagan mused in her dissent to a 5-4 ruling released
Monday. “Or it could mail a reimbursement check to any
individual who buys her o