A huge cross looms over religious debate in tiny Indiana town

A 26-foot tall cross emblazoned with the message "Jesus Saves" has become the center for more First Amendment debate in Indiana.

The cross stands on a public plot of land in the small Hoosier State community of Dugger, and has Americans United for Separation of Church and State threatening to sue.

"It's a pretty flagrant display of the government saying 'this is a Christian town,'" Gregory Lipper, the group's senior counsel, told FoxNews.com. "Everyone gets freedom of religion ...just because Christianity is this country's religious majority doesn't mean that they get to put their thumb on the scale and use taxpayer dollars.

"It doesn't matter what religion the government is endorsing ... it's a clear violation of the Constitution."

The land that the cross sits on is valued at about $3,000, and the little 955-person town cannot afford legal fees to save such a small spot of land.

"We've given the church 60 days to make a decision," Dwight Nielsen, Dugger Town Board president, told FoxNews.com. "We may sell the land to a group of [churches]."

The cross was erected two years ago on behalf of the town's Faith Community Church. The fixture sits on town-owned property near a high school baseball field, but the town approved the build.

"We wanted people to be able to see what the message of the cross represents and get it out to the world in need," Shawn Farris, head pastor at the Faith Community Church, told FoxNews.com.

Even if churches in the town of Duggar raised the $3,000 to pay for the land on which the cross stands, the atheists would protest that the Town showed the Christian churches preference over other potential bidders. That's precisely what happened in San Diego in the dispute over the Mt. Soldedad cross.

May we pray all these things: “Bring further and greater glory to our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

The Apostle Paul said : “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out to the futherance of the gospel:” (Philippians 1:12)

Amen to the prayer. As an American Citizen born here in Colorado to two parents that were also both born in America.
I remember when the US Army trained us to oppose all enemy
foreign or domestic by considering the founding documents and the history associated with such.American law was founded upon the notion that human laws were invalid unless they reflected the law dictated by God ,Himself. (see Sir Wm Blackstone and other sources cited by our founding fathers...as well as James Wilson on American Law. As to the First Amendment -the terms used ought be understood as they were when the amendment was adopted. Not as they have been defined by the revisionists. There is No Constitutional prohibition against including religion in static display.On Govt. property or anywhere else. The Constitution is clear there is NO Constitutional grounds for supporting modern Myth of a Constitutional prohibition against Govt. endorsement of religion.Establishment of religion had specific meaning as suggested by the Jan.1853 Senate Judiciary committee report by Mr.Badger and the Mar.1854 US House Report by Mr.Meacham on Chaplains and the Establishment of Religion declares.

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