An atheist group filed a lawsuit Monday in the New York State Supreme Court seeking the removal of a Christian cross from the National September 11 Memorial and Museum being constructed at ground zero.
The national organization American Atheist claims that placing a symbol of Christianity on government-owned property is a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Constitution of New York.
The 20-foot-tall cross is made of steel beams found in the rubble of the World Trade Center and was installed at the memorial on July 23 in a religious ceremony, where it was blessed by a Franciscan Friar.
"We love this country, and our constitution," the group said in a statement. "We honor the dead and respect the families, which is why we will not allow the many Christians who died get preferential representation over the many non-Christians who suffered the same fate. This was an attack against America, not Christianity, and Christianity’s does not deserve special placement just because the girders look like their religious symbol."