Religion Law Quiz #49 (Does the Cross have a secular purpose?)

2024-03-01

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Does the cross have any secular purpose? (Scroll down for the answer) According to the Supreme Court, the answer is “Yes.” Here’s what the Supreme Court stated in 2019. The cross came into widespread use as a symbol of Christianity by the fourth century, and it retains that meaning today. But there are many contexts in which the symbol has also taken on a secular meaning. Indeed, there are instances in which its message is now almost entirely secular.

Does the cross have any secular purpose?

(Scroll down for the answer)

According to the Supreme Court, the answer is “Yes.” Here’s what the Supreme Court stated in 2019.

The cross came into widespread use as a symbol of Christianity by the fourth century, and it retains that meaning today. But there are many contexts in which the symbol has also taken on a secular meaning. Indeed, there are instances in which its message is now almost entirely secular.

A cross appears as part of many registered trademarks held by businesses and secular organizations, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Bayer Group, and some Johnson & Johnson products. Many of these marks relate to health care, and it is likely that the association of the cross with healing had a religious origin. But the current use of these marks is indisputably secular.

American Legion v. American Humanist Association, 139 S.Ct. 2067, 2074-75 (2019)

Disclaimer: The Religion Law Quizzes are provided as a service to you. They are intended only for educational purposes. Nothing in the Quizzes is intended to be legal advice and they should not be relied upon as conclusive on any issue discussed therein.

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