MEMO: Keeping the faith or losing it?
RE: Story idea for one-month anniversary of terrorist attacks (9/11/01)
Shanna McCord

It’s hard to imagine only four weeks ago our lives were moving along in an almost mundane manner, no thought or paranoia of war and evil taking place inside our own borders. The only contention amongst Americans was what we brought on ourselves, a fight with our boss, an unpaid credit card or debating where to send our children to school. In retrospect these issues seem slightly benign and infinitesimal.

We will soon be upon the one-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed several thousand innocent people and left a permanent reminder that life is fragile and not to be taken for granted. Not soon, if ever, will anyone forget where they were or how they felt the moment they heard the news. Life has changed and to some extent it will never go back to the way it was before September 11, 2001.

As we approach this anniversary I think it’s vital our newspaper spend some time putting together a thoughtful and significant piece that in some way encompasses as many people and inputs as possible. One proposal is religion. For many, the attacks were a poignant reminder of our mortality and the fact no one escapes this world alive. Our time on earth is short, barely a blurb in the history books. Along that thought process, are more people turning to religion and faith to get them through this incredibly difficult time? Are churches seeing higher or lower attendances? Are people questioning their belief in a God or higher being? Are people keeping the faith or ditching it, because if there is a God, what is his reason for letting something like this happen?

Proposed people to talk to are ministers, priests, rabbis, parishioners, psychologists, and ‘man on the street’ interviews.