Wash. chaplain badges lose crosses

[Ethos]

SPOKANE, Wash. - The city's Police Department will remove crosses from its chaplain badges to settle a lawsuit filed by a Lutheran pastor-turned-atheist.

"It's a milestone," said Ray Ideus, 75, who volunteers eight hours a week for the department, and filed the lawsuit in 2006.

"It's very important that they'll have to take that cross off. It's not a Christian police department. The chaplains have to minister to all faiths and non-faiths."

Ideus was a Lutheran pastor for 30 years before he became an atheist. His volunteer duties do not including work as a chaplain.

Chaplains' badges up to now have included the city seal and a Christian-Latin cross. Chaplains may still wear lapel pins with crosses or other insignia showing personal religious preferences, said Police Chief Anne E. Kirkpatrick. She announced the settlement to the City Council Monday night.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071205/ap_on_re_us/badges_without_crosses;_ylt=AjvVIdenua21c3fH5v6ygX 47Xs8F

Perhaps one of the better results I've seen in cases such as this, especially considering the personal balance included in bold above.

Ethos

[steveksux]

Seems somehow odd to eliminate religious insignia from chaplain's badges. Maybe I'm old fashioned... :lol:

I didn;t realize there were atheist chaplains, sounds like an oxymoron... I'd expect this sort of story from the Onion...

I suppose the crosses were inappropriate for any Jewish or Muslim chaplains in the organization, so the lapel pin makes more sense than having a plethora of badges with different symbols on them. You would hate for someone to think they were being ministered by a Christian because of the badge, but in reality was Jewish, or Muslim!

Randy

[Groucho]

Seems like a reasonable decision.

[steveksux]

Seems like a reasonable decision.And yet at this time of year, it sounds suspiciously like a sneak attack, the opening salvo in..... THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Save the women and children!

Randy

[Ethos]

Seems somehow odd to eliminate religious insignia from chaplain's badges. Maybe I'm old fashioned... :lol:

I didn;t realize there were atheist chaplains, sounds like an oxymoron... I'd expect this sort of story from the Onion...

I suppose the crosses were inappropriate for any Jewish or Muslim chaplains in the organization, so the lapel pin makes more sense than having a plethora of badges with different symbols on them. You would hate for someone to think they were being ministered by a Christian because of the badge, but in reality was Jewish, or Muslim!

Randy

If I were a Muslim, I would hardly feel comfortable relating to a chaplain who is clearly sanctioned by (or for) the Christian church. The issue is hardly a joke to those it effects.

Ethos