I would make some effort to return it to the owner.

Are you afraid of some kind of retribution or karma coming your way? Pin it on the cherry tree or throw it in the bin. No matter what so ever.

Same good suggestions below, so I will take the paranoia route. One of your neighbors planted it and is secretly watching. They are either hoping it converts you magically, or burns you up in a mass of flames.

Hanging it up, with or without a note is a nice gesture.

Look at it this way...if you pin it on the tree with a "FOUND" note...the owner will be thanking their god...and not you! So--instead of confirming human goodness, they can ''tick off'' another item on their ''gawd is good'' list. Why let that happen when YOU did the good deed? I'd toss it.

Get rid of the plastic crap, recycle it if possible and don't over think of crap your granddaughter found, she was just being curious. Tell her that during these pandemic times it is life threatening to pick up things that are not yours, she could get infected and so could you. Get rid of it and stop obssesing about some crap a kid picked up from the lawn.

Ooh! Pin it to the tree, with a "found" sign...but write the sign in Greek!

THAT should be good for a laugh! See how many people leave flowers at the "shrine" before the owner shows up.

Peace, love, and free flowers!

Why not? Worst that will happen is nothing will happen

It seems like an odd item to find on your lawn. Considering that you're sharing your neighborhood with "others" it seems reasonable to hang it near the sidewalk with a sign inviting the owner to reclaim it. If it's still there after 2 weeks, toss it.

is Lia is your student, and she found it, seems like there's a lesson in her deciding what to do with it.

I have several crosses..they make lovely accessories...

I say throw it in the recycling bin...give the planet a chance.

Dear people, thank you for your ideas, comments, and questions. You understand that the dilemma was in keeping something that does not belong to me, with the added weight of it being a religious symbol. It could have been a Start of David, some Muslim symbol, or a locket with a bit of hair in it. None of them have any meaning to me, but they may to the owner.
OK, truth, the Star of David would have freaked me out a bit ( the actions of my father and mother during WW2; the guilt still weighs heavily on my shoulders )
I want Lia to think about the person who lost the necklace before we do something with it. Tuesday, we'll design the poster and hang it on the tree.
Teaching opportunities like this don't come by too often!
Thanks. Spinliesel

When dealing with a child always use some good child logic and do not push the issue.

For the rest of us ask yourself if Jesus was a fan of the cross and if he would wear one. How would he feel about the hangman's noose, electric chair, or injection gurney? Let's progress to you and you being killed by a bullet. Would you be a fan of that bullet and wear it around your neck? Not likely, and so much now for Christian imagery.

it is funny that people thing the opposite of atheism is christianity and the opposite of christianity is atheism. there ARE other religions to believe or not believe in! hmm, i was given praying hands by the mother of a friend of mine. that's a very christian thing. she knew i was jewish (she didn't know i was an atheist). i found it offensive but didn't make a fuss, for my friend's sake. but i didn't keep it.

g

You could talk about Bakelite and how plastic has transformed the world for good and bad. Let her think critically about the world that is. You and her can have an actual meaningful discussion on something important. And by ignoring the god conversation you signal powerfully that it is not one of the important things in life.

A good Christian wouldn't have lost their cross. They are repenting now!

Put the sign out. It’s the more moral thing to do in my view.

I throw litter in the bin.

I would go with your second to the last thought, as far as the lawn mower goes, it would chew it to bits.

I imagine in part the answer would depend on how far you are in the god discussion with her, and partly on how likely you are to know the owner, what with it being such a small hamlet.

I raised my daughter as a freethinker and, by ten, she would have found the symbolism of the discovery no different than finding some kid's McDonald's toy in our yard. I suspect we would have just put it in an easy-to-spot place for the owner to notice and, if they didn't, just toss it.

god is merely a personification of the entire universe ... like naming your car.

I am all for peace, and it's east to see the non biased overall right thing to do is to attempt to return the lost property to its owner. The only short straw I see in that equation working out, is that the owner will likely attribute the 'miracle' of finding their lost cross to their God, at which point, you're altruistic actions essentially go toward encouraging belief. Not all atheists would be okay with that. So, I guess it depends on what type of atheist you are and what reaction to your action you are willing to reconcile.

Reading that your granddaughter is calling you oma makes me feel that you have some Dutch roots! The morality of this (what Dutch people oftenly use to get to the essence of a story) is probably something you, the oma, oversaw yourself! Being an Atheist made you think that what your granddaughter have found isn't her's or yours so you tried to find a way to return it back to the owner without getting yourself into any extra mess. A religious person would have more chance to say,:"Well, if they come knocking on my door asking for it maybe I would give it back,, oh wait, it represents something I don't believe in, it must be a gift from god to me, if I give it back I might contribute to their hatret to my god! let's keep it!" But you've chosen the opposite, one of the many many reasons why one should be an Atheist. Never heard of Atheists storming into churches, mosques, schools,,, and blowing themselves up!

My Polish grandma told me to never keep a religious article that belonged to someone. Bury, burn or find the rightful owner. It seems that religious articles can hold the energy of it’s original owner. Most religious articles are used when someone experiences sadness, loneliness or turmoil. Superstition or not my grandma believed no good could come from keeping it. Give the article and the energy associated with it a proper disposal if it cannot be returned