Many Secular Symbols Are Rooted in Religion
Re “Facing ACLU Complaint, City to Drop Seal’s Cross,” April 29: If the ACLU can get the Redlands City Council to remove a cross from the city seal, how does the city of Los Angeles get away with using a rosary as the border around its seal, symbolizing the Franciscan missions that played a part in the city’s early history? Or why do U.S. military ambulances and hospital ships display a red cross, adopted as the international symbol for medical units by the Geneva Convention more than a century ago? It originally came from the Swiss flag, with colors reversed. Many symbols, originally religious, now have additional historical and cultural significance, and people should show some sensitivity.
Jim Mentzer
Los Angeles
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