The Holmen Cross, Kristallnacht, and the Tyranny of the Minority: My Letter to the Editor in the La Crosse Tribune
Posted by Anthony on March 30, 2008
I wrote a letter to the editor regarding the Holmen cross which sits on public property. It was published today. The power of the personal blog gives me the ability to comment further and even respond to other letter writers. Let’s start with my actual letter.
Beware tyranny of the minority
It is not every day that Holmen has the opportunity to have an impact on the affairs of the entire nation. The decision to sell off the land that the cross on Star Hill stands on in order to avoid controversy is understandable in light of what happened in La Crosse.
However, is Eric Barnes happy with transferring it to private property? No. We might legitimately wonder if the only thing that would satisfy those with his views is a complete purge, public and private. Where would the “Freedom from Religion Foundation” stop? Where would Richard Dawkins, who believes teaching some religious doctrines is child abuse stop?
In light of the gulags, the concentration camps, the re-education camps, etc, the loving thing might be to take a stand. I know that there is an overwhelming urge to “preserve the peace” at all costs. History shows us that this approach could very well lead to our very own Kristallnacht. If it goes that far it is too late.
As citizens, not just as Christians, we should be concerned if a minority can inflict on the majority their own narrow view on what constitutes the ‘establishment of religion.’ If Eric Barnes should like to call for a referendum on the cross, I would support him. Put the matter before the people. Hear the arguments. Have the discussion. Have a vote. That is healthy conflict resolution.
The village should scrap its plan to sell the property. The Supreme Court has yet to issue a clear ruling that balances both the establishment clause with the free exercise clause. We could give them an opportunity to do just. If Holmen doesn’t face this issue communities around the country will continue to be subject to the “tyranny of the minority.”
I suspect that not everyone knows what I meant when I said Kristallnacht, so if you didn’t notice the link I added in the text, here is the Wiki article on it. The basic concept is simple: No one wakes up in the morning and says “Hey, I got an idea! Let’s throw the Jews in a concentration camp and send priests to the gulags for re-education!” Such decisions follow years of development of thought and circumstances. History makes it painfully clear that even beliefs can have consequences and if you let those beliefs bear fruit without hindrance, there will be some beliefs that bear bitter fruits, indeed.
Martin Niemöller famously said (with variants):
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I am not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I am not a trade unionist. Read the rest of the entry… »
