The Freedom From Religion Foundation has been on the prowl for the slightest hint of religion in the public square, targeting as obscure monuments as Jesus at a ski resort and a war memorial in Coos Bay, Oregon.

Apparently, someone didn’t think they were moving fast enough and tried to blow it up:

An unknown individual detonated the IED near the memorial, located at Mingus Park in the City of Coos Bay, sometime late night between last Thursday and last Friday.

For its part, the FFRF naturally denounced the violence.

“We expressly do not accomplish that mission by inciting anyone to lawlessness – quite the opposite…”

Even in an era in which crosses are routinely called “grossly offensive,” it is quite a statement when a cross in the United States is so offensive it incites citizens to plant explosives to destroy it.

To be fair, though, the facts point only to an explosion that superficially damaged the cross.  There is no proof of motivation or intent.  The incident may yet turn out to be unrelated to the cross at all, though if not, it certainly was an interesting coincidence that made for nice headlines.

Photo via CP and KVAL.com.

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