Atheists angry with street sign honoring 9-11 firefighters

In a neighborhood in New York City a new street sign has been erected to pay tribute to and to honor seven firefighters from Engine 202 and Ladder 101 firehouse who died on September 11, 2011; this sign is very near that firehouse. The new street sign is "Seven in Heaven Way."

Atheists in NYC are angered and are citing the United States Constitution and its "separation of Church and state" as a means to question the legality of the street sign. They go on to state that the concept of Heaven is "specifically Christian" and that the victims of the 9/11 attacks were not solely Christians.

Let's break all of this down:

• Of course the victims of 9/11 were not solely Christians. The attacks on the United States killed people from all backgrounds and religions and even, I suppose, some atheists.
• Heaven is not a specifically Christian concept. Many of the religions of the world have some concept of an afterlife whether it is called Heaven or Paradise or something else. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all directly refer to Heaven.
• Separation of Church and state isn't really a part of our United States Constitution. The first amendment in the Bill of Rights reads, in its entirety, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
• The street sign does not compel one to adapt a religion but rather the sign simply honors those seven heroes, all from this one firehouse.

There is a misconception that the United States Constitution forbids religion in public areas.

The first amendment does not say that - it says (reading it again) that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. It also says we can't have laws prohibiting the free exercise of religion. What has been interpreted as a ban on religion was actually a ban on a state religion such as what was in place in England in the 18th Century. In other words, Congress can not say that all citizens must be a member of a specific church. For instance, we don't all have to be Methodists. We can choose to be Baptists, or Catholic, or Jews, or Muslims, or Buddhists, or even Atheists. We are not to be forced into joining a particular religious group but on the other hand we are free to express our religious beliefs (the second part of that first amendment - the freedom of speech part).

So is this street sign in New York City violating the Constitution? Of course not. No one is coercing anyone to convert to Christianity or even mention the word Heaven. The atheists are free to look the other way if it offends them and since the street in question has another name, they are free to use "Richards Street" rather than "Seven in Heaven Way" when giving directions.

~ Patty