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Coverage of Notre Dame fire lacked acknowledgement of Christianity

Notre Dame was erected in homage to the faith
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Coverage of Notre Dame fire lacked acknowledgement of Christianity

Your recent “In The News” feature entitled “Why Notre Dame fire touched us all” was well written and timely, and articulated the feelings of people everywhere concerning this terrible event.

You were right in stating that the loss to history and culture was incalculable and devastating. As someone who has been to Notre Dame, I can confirm the sense of awe that one feels within the structure and the reverence created by the stained glass, vaulting architecture, beautiful artwork and awesome dimensions of the structure.

However, one important point was missed in your assessment of the importance of this event and its ramifications. Notre Dame is a holy place, an important focal point for the Christian religion and the Catholic faith. This essential fact has been downplayed or ignored by the media and the reporting of this horrendous tragedy.

Notre Dame was erected in homage to the faith, not simply as a “cultural project” or symbol of French architectural ingenuity. It is important to remember this. Along with the systematic de-emphasis of traditional and conservative western thought, the lack of honest description of western civilization and Christianity has reached new heights.

Both Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton described the recent killing of over 300 people in Sri Lanka as carnage among “Easter worshippers.” They declined to describe them as Christians, and did not offer their condolences to the world wide Christian community.

Very different language was used when describing the recent horrendous murders of worshippers in a mosque in New Zealand. We cannot discriminate in this fashion, minimizing one group while treating another differently if we are to call ourselves concerned and compassionate human beings.

The burning of Notre Dame is a tragedy for the Christian faith. When it happened crowds sang faith based songs like Ave Maria while watching the carnage take place. This confirms the fact that for them this was much more than the loss of a cultural icon. It was a focal point for their faith.

Once again, you reported on it well, but let’s make sure next time that we add every important element of the story. Acknowledging Christianity is not something that should be avoided or abhorred.

Perry Foster

Duncan