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To the Faith Community of Rochester,
NY
“For thousands of
families, Ground Zero in [lower] Manhattan
is holy ground. Thousands lost someone they love in the terror attacks
of September 11, 2001, and
hundreds of thousands know someone who was directly or indirectly
scarred by
the collapse of the World Trade Center.
The emotional investment in Ground Zero cannot be overestimated.
That is precisely
why
Ground Zero must be open to the religious expression of all people
whose lives
were scarred by the tragedy: Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Buddhists,
Hindus,
Muslims, and more.”
This statement was made by the General
Secretary of the
National Council of Churches, Michael Kinnaman.
Similar statements have been made
by the New York State Council of
Churches, the National Association of Ecumenical and Interreligious
Staff and
many Christian denominations and congregations throughout our city and
state.
The
Muslim community of NYC that hopes to build a mosque and
cultural center at Park51 states that it is to be “as
a living monument to mark the tragedy of 9/11 through a community
center dedicated to learning, compassion, and respect for all people.” If Ground Zero in NYC
remains a memory of
violence rather then a center for peace, then the terrorist will win
and all the
lives that were lost that day will serve as nothing more than painful
memories.
The Golden Rule stands out with no exception as the one
common denominator of all those who practice a religious faith, “to do unto others as you would have them do
unto you.” For
Christians, Jesus
said it this way: “love your neighbor as yourself.”
The Greater Rochester Community of
Churches believes that
this moment calls us all to that which is the best within each of our
faith
traditions---the choice for love. We welcome the Muslim
Park51 community
and we commend its work of building bridges between all people of good
will.
Marie E. Gibson
Executive Director for the
Greater Rochester
Community of Churches
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