Humanist group sues over monument featuring cross
A humanist group is suing a California city for funding a monument depicting a soldier kneeling at a cross.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise says the American Humanist Association served Lake Elsinore with the suit on Monday.
The suit claims the Riverside County community violated the separation of church and state by agreeing to pay $50,000 to create a monument with a soldier kneeling before a cross-topped grave. The veterans’ monument would be placed in front of the city’s Diamond Stadium.
City Councilman Brian Tisdale says the design shows a World War II soldier mourning a comrade and isn’t meant to be religious.
However, William Burgess of the humanist group says it still comes down to a government putting a religious symbol on public property.
