Look how far we've come: A cross-shaped steel beam, pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center site nearly a decade ago, displayed for years outside a Catholic church, hailed as a symbol of hope, is now the subject of a lawsuit.

It was filed by American Atheists, a nonprofit group based in New Jersey. Members don’t want the cross to be added to the permanent collection of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York. They argue it’s a symbol of Christianity that doesn’t belong on government property or in a museum that’s partly government financed.

But this cross isn’t just a religious symbol, it’s also a historical artifact. And it’s not the only one tied to the site or victims that has religious meaning.

The museum put out a request for donations and got plenty: a Jewish prayer shawl contributed by a victim’s family member, a Star of David cut from WTC steel by ironworkers and a Bible fused to a piece of steel that was found during recovery efforts also will be displayed. People were comforted by these symbols, and they have a direct relationship to the site or the victims. They help tell the story of the attack and recovery effort.

The plaintiffs say they’d be happy to drop their lawsuit if every religious position had “equal representation,” as well as atheism. David Silverman, who heads the group, says it offered to donate a statue that would honor atheists who died on 9/11 and gave the museum three options: an atom, one hand grabbing another in a helping gesture, or a fireman carrying a victim. None were accepted, he said.

We can see why. Including atheists is fine, but those ideas seem contrived. And this lawsuit has all the appearance of horning in on a tragedy to further one’s own cause. There are plenty of other ways to honor the atheist victims of 9/11, so come up with something better: an authentic artifact that’s directly linked to the site, a victim or rescuer.

We doubt they’d have wanted to be remembered with litigation.