I have no problem with public displays of religious art and sculpture, including Native American like this sculpture dedicated 2021 in the Gerald R Ford International Grand Rapids Airport (GRR).
I consider such presentations interesting and enriching.
But I also note that somehow Native American art is considered “cultural” rather than “religious.” Yet how could anyone read the artist’s interpretation of this art and not understand its religious symbolism?
I also note the public confusion that eagerly presents Native American religion while actively rejecting Christianity and Christian symbolism. In recent rears, advocacy groups promoting strict separation of church and state have argued that any display of religious iconography on public property is a violation of the US Constitution “Establishment Clause” of the First Amendment.
Such groups, including the ACLU, have demanded the Christian cross be removed, not only from schools or government buildings, but even in military cemeteries.
So, too, monuments portraying the Ten Commandments have been removed, while Nativity scenes have been kept out of parks and public venues. Bibles have even been forced out of public university chapels.
Given these trends, I was therefore pleasantly surprised last Nov to see a sizable and attractive Nativity Crèche alongside the outdoor White House Christmas Tree in Washington, DC.
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2022
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