A “holy war” breaks out on the Jersey shore over a new beach pier constructed in the shape of a Christian cross.
The first Ocean Grove beach pier was damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
Now that it is being rebuilt, the planned design is in the form of a cross.
On July 30, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association started ground on a 500-foot-long, $1.3 million T-shaped pier.
On December 7, the new pier is set to open and be dedicated.
Some Jersey Shore locals are unhappy with the design of a new fishing pier resembling a Christian cross that is being constructed on a public beach.
Despite the controversy, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association defends its design selection, stating that they “make no apologies for the fact that it resembles a cross”
At 2012, Superstorm Sandy obliterated the original fishing pier in Ocean Grove, which was based on religious principles.
NJ.com stated that a new fishing pier, which will be accessible to the public, is being renovated with private funding and without official clearance.
State and municipal officials have been requested to intervene by some residents who view the projected $1.3 million, 500-foot-long, t-shaped construction design as “Christian bullying” when it was unveiled at the groundbreaking last month.
The opening of the new pier is slated for December 7.
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association is defending its design for the pier, stating, “We adore the fact that it resembles a cross and make no apologies for it.”
Pastor Douglas Grote of the Presbyterian Church compared the reconstruction and design of the pier to “Christian bullying.”
Grote said on NJ.com on August 23: “I fear that my faith’s beautiful cross will soon become as toxic as a Trojan horse for Ocean Grove, Asbury Park, and all of New Jersey.”
Grote said that the pier is just another example of the ‘holier-than-thou’ type of bullying that is commonplace in this area, which some refer to as ‘God’s square mile’
According to him, any governmental force that appears to coerce its captive, defenseless, secular citizens into embracing a sectarian cross as the focal point of its cultural life is likely to violate human rights.
“With the construction of the pier scheduled to begin shortly, I fear that the beautiful cross of my faith may soon become as poisonous as a Trojan horse for Ocean Grove, Asbury Park, and all of New Jersey.”
NJ.com stated that Grote plans to introduce a proposal at the next Ocean Grove Home Owners Association meeting on September 24.
He will request a vote on asking the camp meeting association to postpone building of the pier ‘until things are investigated, all of its citizens are consulted, and approve the cross-shaped pier, or not, in accordance with how democracy should function.’
In reaction to Grote’s piece, Camp Meeting Association Chief Operating Officer Jamie Jackson told News 12 New Jersey, “We make no apologies about that; we embrace the fact that it resembles a cross.”
Religious convictions inspired the construction of the first Ocean Grove Camp fishing pier, which was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
He stated, “This is a religious town formed in Ocean Grove, and most people are happy that we will be able to shape this pier in this manner for these goals.”
We’ve extended extensions to the north and south to improve life-saving, weather stations, and lightning detection.
Ocean Grove is a beach town south of Asbury Park with 3,100 inhabitants. The New York Post said that the Camp Meeting Association, which was founded in 1869 as a Methodist summer camp, owns all the land in Ocean Grove, including the beach, boardwalk, and the location where the pier will be constructed.
Michael Badger, president of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, told The Post, “We continue to hope that people of differing viewpoints will appreciate the tranquility of a promenade on the new pier overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.”
Badger told The Post that the planned design and plan have been published online for the past three years, and that there have never been any objections throughout the period for public comment.
He stated that Camp Meeting Association has no intention of offending or excluding anyone with the pier.
Badger stated that the Christian interpretation of the cross is that it represents God’s love and forgiveness. “It is disheartening that someone would seek to block a sacred symbol on private land from public view, regardless of whether the shape is seen as a pier, plus sign, or cross,”
He rejected any connection between the pier and Christian nationalism.
He stated, “I had no clue that this could be interpreted as Christian nationalism.” It is not part of the camp meeting association’s identity.
Michael Badger, the president of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, stated that the proposed design and plan have been accessible online for the past three years, and no concerns have ever been received during the public comment period.
The cross shape has wings that face north and south, similar to the Coney Island pier. Jackson, the group’s chief operating officer, stated that the design is superior for numerous reasons.
Jackson stated, “We’ve extended extensions to the north and south to create potential for greater life-saving, weather stations, and lightning detection.”
Some people are dissatisfied with the design, while others are simply glad to have a new building after the last one was devastated by Hurricane Sandy a decade ago.
Oliver Stebich, of Scarsdale, New York, told News12, “As long as everything works well, I don’t really care.”
“I’m simply glad something is returning. If it is in the shape of a cross, that’s OK, but there will be a lot more fishing space and a lot more people will be enjoying the lake.’
But longtime Ocean Grove residents Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster disagreed: “Ocean Grove is a diverse community, including LGBTQ residents and people of varied religious affiliations, who are never invited for input on OGCMA projects that affect us all… The problem is not just the cross-shaped pier, but also the blatant disregard for their inhabitants.’