The construction of a new fishing pier on a public beach that resembles a Christian cross has angered some Jersey Shore residents.
Despite the criticism, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association stands by its design choice, stating that they “make no apology for that we appreciate the fact that it looks like a cross.”
During Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the historic fishing pier in the Ocean Grove neighborhood—which was built on religious principles—was demolished.
According to NJ.com, a new fishing pier that will be accessible to the public is now being renovated using private cash without the requirement for government approval.
However, when it was revealed at the groundbreaking last month, some locals who saw the projected $1.3 million, 500-foot-long, t-shaped structure design as “Christian bullying” sought state and municipal officials to step in.
The brand-new pier will debut on December 7.
Despite the criticism, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association is standing by their pier design, stating that they “make no apology for that we appreciate the fact that it looks like a cross.”
Douglas Grote, a Presbyterian pastor, compared the pier’s redesign and construction to “Christian bullying.”
In a guest essay for NJ.com on August 23, Grote stated, “I fear that my faith’s gorgeous cross may soon become as toxic as a Trojan horse for Ocean Grove, Asbury Park, and all of New Jersey.”
In what some refer to as “God’s square mile,” Grote claimed that the pier is simply another instance of the “holier than thou” bullying that we are all familiar with.
Any political authority that appears to be coercing its captive, helpless, secular citizens into recognizing a sectarian cross as the heart of its cultural life, he concluded, “to me, is a likely human rights abuser.”
I worry that the beautiful cross of my religion might soon turn into something as poisonous as a Trojan horse for Ocean Grove, Asbury Park, and all of New Jersey as construction on the pier is about to get underway.
On September 24, Grote intends to introduce a proposal at the following Ocean Grove Home Owners Association meeting.
In order to stop pier building “until things are investigated, all of its citizens are consulted, and approve the cross-shaped pier, or not, just way democracy ought to function,” he will put the topic to a vote at the camp meeting association.
We make no apologies for that; we enjoy the fact that it resembles a cross, Camp Meeting Association COO Jamie Jackson said in response to Grote’s column, according to News 12 New Jersey.
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During Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the community’s historic fishing pier, built on religious principles, was demolished.
The majority of people are thrilled that we will be able to have this pier shaped in this way for these purposes because Ocean Grove was formed as a religious community, he said.
We extended the north and south expansions to improve options for life saving, weather stations, and lightning detection.
With a population of 3,100, Ocean Grove is a beach hamlet close to Asbury Park. The Camp Meeting Association, which was established in 1869 as a Methodist summer camp, reportedly owns all the land in Ocean Grove, including the beach, boardwalk, and the location where the pier would be constructed.
“Our hope continues to be that people of diverse points of view would enjoy the peace of a promenade out over the Atlantic on the new pier,” Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association president Michael Badger told The Post.
The Post was informed by Badger that the planned design and plan have been online for the previous three years and that no concerns have ever been made during the period for public discussion.
He stated that the pier was never meant to be offensive or to exclude anyone on behalf of Camp Meeting Association.
According to Badger, “the cross is a sign of God’s love and forgiveness in the Christian tradition.” Whether you see the shape as a pier, a plus sign, or a cross, it is unfortunate that anyone would try to keep a sacred symbol on private land hidden from the public’s eyes.
He rejected the idea that Christian nationalism had anything to do with the pier.
He said that he had no notion that this could be interpreted as Christian nationalism. It doesn’t define who the camp meeting association is, to quote.
The planned design and plan has been available online for the past three years, according to Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association President Michael Badger, and no complaints have ever been made during the period for public comment.
The cross shape is comparable to the Coney Island pier in that it has wings that face north and south. The design is superior for a variety of reasons, according to Jackson, the company’s COO.
In order to provide prospects for greater life saving, weather stations, and lightning detection, we extended the expansions to the north and south, according to Jackson.
While some locals object to the architecture, others are simply relieved to have another building after Sandy destroyed the previous one ten years ago.
Oliver Stebich of Scarsdale, New York told News12, “As long as it works well, I don’t really care.”
“I’m just relieved that something is returning.” Guess what will be a lot more fishing area, a lot more people will be out there to enjoy the water if it happens to be in the shape of a cross.
Longtime Ocean Grove residents Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster disagreed, saying that the community’s LGBTQ inhabitants and members of other religious groups are never approached for their opinions on OGCMA projects that affect us all. Not just the cross-shaped pier but also their complete disregard for its renters is the issue.