There’s a lot going on in Baldwin, PA.
Normally, I’m not sure I’d side with a guy who lights up a 25 foot cross on top of his house in the suburbs. But there’s something about this case that rankles me a bit. Maybe it’s the woman calling the cross “obnoxious” and I just get the feeling she’s not talking about the lights. Or maybe it’s the township saying that it’s against the township’s lighting code that they just passed on the same night of the hearing on the cross. Now that’s obnoxious.
The Blaze reports:
The disagreement centers on Carl Behr’s illuminated yard crosses, especially his giant, 25-feet tall one. Neighbors say the lights are blinding and want him to take them town, and the local city council agrees, having issued an order for Behr to remove the crosses on Monday.
But it’s an order Behr ignored and says is an assault on his faith.
“They’re not coming down,” he told KDKA-TV. “Somebody’s gotta make a stand against these people and I’m here to make it.”
“It’s been about the Lord since the beginning and if anyone tries to make me remove them, they will only anger the Lord,” he added:
Firstly, the lights aren’t “blinding.” OK? They’re just not.
Look, living in a community you have to allow that you can’t do whatever you want with your property. But like I said sometimes I just get annoyed at the people who get annoyed at 25 foot high illuminated crosses. Maybe I shouldn’t. I just do. Maybe it’s because I suspect they’d be just as annoyed by a five foot tall cross.
HT The Blaze
February 16, 2011 at 10:04 pm
The neighbor says the lights are glaring in all her windows and her entire property is illuminated. And there's some backstory, some arguing between them.
I'm with her, I think a towering cross in the middle of an urban backyard IS obnoxious, just as a towering sports mascot or a towering Santa or a towering anything.
Therese Z
February 17, 2011 at 2:39 am
I live in Pittsburgh and this has been an ongoing story. Apparently, his neighbor complained that he was running his business out of his house which involved lots of noise, dust and vehicles. According to her it was after this that he erected the large illuminated cross which does indeed shine brightly into her house until very late. He was asked to turn the lights off at an earlier hour and refused. I'm with his neighbor on this one. There is no charity on this man's part and he seems to have erected this cross for the wrong reasons.
February 17, 2011 at 3:09 am
This is obnoxious! It's called wearing one's religion on one's coatsleeve. If this guy is so concerned about doing his lord's will, I suggest he look up Matthew 6:5-8; seems his lord had something to say about parading faith in public.
February 17, 2011 at 5:56 pm
I agree that this man's actions are obnoxious. Certainly we are talking about government interference on personal property, but erecting a 25 foot cross on one's roof without a permit and to the obvious annoyance of your neighbor doesn't win any souls for Christ. Stubborness certainly doesn't make the Lord happy either, I would say. I don't think this woman would be publicly annoyed by even a 10 foot cross in the front lawn of this man. Some things are just extreme and unnecessary and only give Christians a bad name.
February 18, 2011 at 1:39 pm
I don't like the fact that he seems to believe that it is essential to his faith to keep the cross up. That's nonsense. Jesus never commanded us to erect a gigantic illuminated cross on our roof.
On the other hand, I doubt that it is as bothersome as his neighbor claims. She could always put heavier blinds on her windows. She could think of it as helping to prevent burglaries.
February 19, 2011 at 12:24 am
Maybe the man could pay for the more light excluding window covers. I fail to see why the neighbour should pay for them. Are the lights a problem when people are out of doors at night in summer?