LETTERS

Culture of Violence

Everyone seems to be horrified by the recent, tragic violence in Colorado! Everyone searches and asks why this happened.

I've read and heard various causes: violence on TV, in movies, on the Internet, in music, and media in general; more dangerous weapons today; children come home from school to empty homes; dysfunctional families; psychiatric problems; substance abuse; lack of character education/moral values; cultural decay; lack of human respect for others; etc., etc.

Yet never once did I read or hear about the big contributing cause for more violence at its worst! Americans are blinded and/or callowed to such tragic violence — over 1,000 little fetuses (persons) violently killed daily and over 38,000,000 killed since 1973! Where's the outcry? Such violence is bound to affect the attitude and behavior of children, whether elementary or high school!

Life has been cheapened by adults who accept the violence of legalized abortion and think nothing of the violence. What signal does this send to children today? Too many adults have espoused the “culture of death” and yet deny it.

Many national and state politicians are asking us to help end all forms of violence (which comment was made by Clinton on April 21). Well, abortion is one form of violence, yet our politicians protect this violence! Again, what signal is given to the children?

We in America can't honestly say we are against violence, if we condone and/or promote the violence in abortion. Violence is violence! Our children know it. Do we adults know it?

Father Harold Brown, CPpS Glandorf, Ohio

Christians in the Holy Land

As a Catholic Nazarene living in Pennsylvania, I have been scrutinizing your articles concerning the multifaceted issues of the Holy Land. I find it unfortunate and heartbreaking to see a Catholic newspaper simply repeating news as broadcast by the Israeli propaganda machine. At a time when Catholics and Christians in general in Israel need the support of the Catholic community at large, your articles don't even scratch the surface of our suffering.

As a result of our status as second-class citizens, there are more of us in the diaspora than in the Holy Land and our numbers are declining. …

The mayor of Nazareth is a Christian who belongs to a secular progressive party, not a communist as reported in your newspaper (“Christian-Muslim Violence Erupts in Nazareth on Easter,” Register, April 18-24). The clashes between Muslims and Christians are instigated by outsiders who enjoy seeing us divided. Living under very stressful conditions such as overcrowding due to confiscation of land around Nazareth and to the eradication of hundreds of villages around Nazareth and very high unemployment among Arab youth are at the root of the clashes. The contested land by the Basilica of the Annunciation was only a catalyst igniting the troubles. …

We need to raise awareness in this country to the plight of the first Christians who are becoming extinct in the land of Christ.

Najla Bathish-Muallem via e-mail