Hat tip nkit
Are the Catholics at Villanova too hung up on the cross?
I tried to come up with a title for this story that would be a clever spin on the “Why did the chicken cross the road?” gag, but I’ve got nothing.
New infrastructure that eases congestion of vehicular traffic is good, right? Encouraging people to walk in safety to mass transit is good, too, right? A wheelchair-accessible bridge over a busy road — also good. Am I right? So why is Villanova University in Pennsylvania catching hell over a pedestrian bridge on the school’s property, that the school will own and maintain, and that the Board of Commissioners of the township of Radnor (where Villanova is located) approved by a vote of 6-0? Because the architect’s design calls for two pillars, one at each end of the bridge, each surmounted by a 4-foot, 7-inch tall cross.
Susan Snyder, staff writer for the Inquirer of Philadelphia, tells us that some Radnor residents regard the crosses as “an audacious show of religion that has no place in a township of many faiths.”
One of the opponents is Sara Pilling, who lives near the Villanova campus. Speaking to Snyder before the commissioners meeting began, Pilling said, “I think they [Villanova administrators] are overstepping their sense of ecumenism to shove these crosses in our faces.” Yes, I know. Readers of TAS will spot immediately that “ecumenism” is not really the word Ms. Pilling wanted. But lots of people get their vocabulary tangled when talking with a reporter, so let’s cut the good lady a little slack.
This objection to shoving crosses in the faces of Villanova’s neighbors calls for a prolonged sigh of barely controlled vexation. As Villanova’s president, Father Peter Donahue, pointed out, “On every building on campus, there’s a cross.” In other words, Pilling and her friends can’t drive by Villanova without seeing multiple crosses. In fact, soaring over the stretch of Route 30/Lancaster Avenue, where the bridge will be located, is Villanova’s Church of St. Thomas of Villanova, its towering twin steeples crowned with — you guessed it — crosses. For that matter, I wonder where Ms. Pilling and her friends could drive in this country without passing church steeples topped with crosses and cemeteries where graves are marked with crosses. Even if they opt to travel on foot, sooner or later they’ll walk by someone wearing a cross. Do they recoil, vampire-like, from every random encounter with a cross?
For reasons that defy explanation, the Radnor chapter of the League of Women Voters has decided to weigh in. A member of the league, Roberta Winters, asked, “Are there less ostentatious ways to reflect a Catholic institution?” Perhaps she has in mind a tastefully small plaque on the two pillars that advise Villanova’s students, faculty, and staff, “Don’t look so Catholic.”
Winters had a couple more questions. “What risks, both real and imagined, might be incurred through such ornamentation? Since young adults can act in unpredictable ways, are adequate safeguards in place to prevent drivers from being distracted, debris being tossed onto the roadway, or students being injured through their own actions or those of others?”
So the crosses are a hazard to students and drivers? This debate has descended into unadulterated silliness.
In their desperation, some of the cross opponents have been in touch with the Freedom From Religion Foundation which, according to the Catholic News Agency, wrote to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation that it was unconstitutional to fund a bridge adorned with a Christian symbol. The department has gone public with its response to the FFRF, saying that the $3.7 million the state is putting up covers the portion of the bridge that spans Pennsylvania’s right of way. The rest will be paid for by Villanova. And, by the way, the crosses will stand on the school’s property, not on the Pennsylvania-owned portion of the bridge.
Radnor Commissioner Luke Clark, who voted in favor of the bridge, delivered the news the anti-crosses crowd didn’t want to hear: “The design looks great. The crosses are going to go up there. Is it right or wrong? I don’t know. But at the end of the day it is on their property. They are a religious institution and the law for the most part is in their favor.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the First Amendment, but these days, we’ll take what we can get.
Because we pay idiots to breed?
The Cross an “ostentatious” way of reflecting a Catholic Institution………
If I wasn’t living it I wouldn’t believe it.
As an atheist that despises the Catholic Church, this kind of shit STILL infuriates me. Another attempt by rabid leftists to further destroy the culture of white conservative people in this country. Also, you know there is no way in hell they would make a fucking peep about it if they were going to be stars of David or the Muslim crescent.
Thanks for the reminder of why I moved out of eastern PA for northern Georgia, where you can’t swing a dead Muslim by the turban without hitting a cross.
Smart move, but Seikhs wear turbans, not muslims.
Do you get tired of being right all the time?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Turban-Imama-Pagri-Cloth-Muslim-Islamic-Safa-Sunnah-NEW-100-Cotton-Best-Quality-/152456909242
A perfect illustration of the American way. You have no skin in the game, but you want to dictate what someone does.
Since the school is paying for their portion of the bridge on their property, they can do what ever the f__k they want with it. Put a five-story tall Jesus nailed to the cross for all I care.
Unless the people bitching about the crosses want to pay for the entire bridge, they just need to shut the f__k up. Maybe God can send down a bolt of lightning and take out a few of these dumbshits to improve the gene pool.
“Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the First Amendment, but these days, we’ll take what we can get.”
Isn’t that a fact! A sorry state, indeed. Regardless if you’re a Christian or not, all who desire freedom should be alarmed with this article.
As for nitwits Sara Pilling and Roberta Winters: It brings to mind what former Oakland Athletic owner Charlie Finley once said about his long time nemesis, former Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. When asked to comment about something Kuhn said, Finley responded; “If Bowie Kuhn had a brain, he’d be an idiot!!” That quote pretty much sums up how I feel about those two women.
Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!” -Darby
“”Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it. ” -GNB
Looks like my beloved Kanuckistan is finally starting to wake up…………
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/video-man-tears-apart-quran-as-protesters-disrupt-154521825.html
As an atheist, I could give a ripe poop about any religion so long as they respect the rights of others to believe as they wish and do not violently enforce their version of belief on anyone else.
Most religions do exactly that plus do things of good will to those of lesser fortunate circumstances. Of these organizations, I applaud.
Those religious extremists who believe their “God” given responsibility (whatever that is) includes killing anyone or restricting the rights of anyone who does not believe as they believe are despicable, evil people and should be treated accordingly.
Period.
muck in AZ