News of The Day: The Future of The Mojave Cross

October 5th marked a new term for the Supreme Court of the United States. One case, they will be addressing promises to set guidelines for art displayed on any type of government property. What sparked the debate? A very simple piece of art called The Mojave Cross that has sat in the same location for the last seventy-five years. Located on the government owned land of the Mojave National Preserve, it now stands covered with plywood, per a court order, until the matter can be resolved.

This particular piece of artwork has stirred up a major debate between the supporters of freedom of speech and those who believe it violates the First Amendment’s provision for a separation of church and state. The question isn’t really, whether the art is appropriate but that it is on government land. The land became government property in 1994 but very few people, other than local residents, knew about the cross.

The courts have been arguing for nearly a decade. At one point, it was ordered removed. Congress stepped up and refused to allow federal funds used in this manner. Next, the site deemed a National Memorial, protecting the cross and arrangements were made to transfer that small piece of land out of the government’s hands. This was overturned on appeal.

I decided to write about this particular topic in my column because I am concerned about the far-reaching implications. Do we destroy a historic piece of artwork because a few narrow-minded people can’t see past the shape? If we do, are we, as a nation, going to slide down a slope and not be able to regain our footing?

The cross, originally built as a memorial to World War I solders in 1934, on an empty desert plateau, has existed peacefully for seventy-five years. Why is it now suddenly a huge religious beacon? What will be the next target? They are literally dozens of war memorials with some type of religious imagery on them, many built over a century ago, many on government property. Do we start bulldozing all these memories away?

Art exists on different plain; it is what we see in it. What you should be seeing when you look at The Mojave Cross is not a symbol of Christianity but a reminder of the lives sacrificed to give us freedom. It is a piece of our history and our culture, just one of many that are being put it danger by this one lawsuit.

I don’t know what’s going to happen to The Mojave Cross. My hope is that the importance of remembering our history will prevail and it will be something that my grandchildren can go one day and see.

You can find out more about The Mojave Cross by visiting http://www.donttearmedown.com/

Until next time … Peace
Darla