Jesus loves the little children

This section was added to this page on April 19, 2019

These are the last two sentences of this page in the Encyclopedia Britannica.  The link in the second sentence was on their page.

After murdering his mother at their home, Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School before taking his own life.  It was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

This is the link to the school's website.  Their PDF-format "Core Beliefs" statement, linked here, says that "Family is a critical influence in each individual's development", but it also says that "Understanding all forms of diversity is essential in a global society."  Another part of this statement says, "Educated and involved citizens are essential for sustaining a democratic society."

Much too often, politically activist teachers, closely supervised by politically activist school administrators and boards, fail to enforce the difference between "a democratic society" and the stated goals of the Democrat Party, including their latest platform ideas, but I'll withhold the rest of my comments on this subject for another day.

All of the photographs on this page were added on April 19, 2019.  The video had been linked, but I added the video and removed the link.  I also added the last color photo.

December 14, 2012

When I heard the news about the deaths the day that it happened, I decided to try to comfort the people who were grieving, using the words that are literally carved into stone in a church that I knew for many years.  I had started blogging half a year earlier, so I wrote this page.  In April 2019, almost seven years later, I added the five black-and-white photographs that are now on this page and the YouTube video that had been linked when I first wrote the page.  I took all of the five photographs myself.

The church in which I spent most of my childhood is shown in the two photographs below.  It is a Protestant church and it is part of the umbrella organization called the United Church of Christ.  The first photograph below shows their front door.

The second photograph below shows the right side of their sanctuary.  Half of the pews are on each side of an aisle that goes from the back of the church to the front.  The second photograph shows one set of pews.  Part of the aisle can be seen in the lower left corner of this photograph.  The lit area in the background is used for baptisms.



This church baptizes children. They use a baptismal font, shown on the left, that was carved out of a large rock a long time ago.  This font is always in the church.  It is located one side of the front of the sanctuary.

It stands about four feet high.  It has six sides.  On each  of the six sides is carved a three-dimensional picture of one scene in a child's day.  On one side, a child is reading a book.  On another side, a child is playing.  On another side, a girl, wearing a long nightgown, is carrying a lit candle.  This side is shown in the photograph.

The top edge of the font is flat, but a basin has been carved into it so that water can be poured into the basin for the purpose of performing the baptism.

When some of Jesus' disciples tried to stop some children from running towards him, he said these words.  They are carved into the top of the baptismal font in that church:

Suffer the little children to come unto me,
and forbid them not,
for of such is the Kingdom of God.

This church has, within it, a chapel that is sometimes used for a church service that is specially designed for children. This chapel, shown on the left, includes an altar, with a cross on top, and some chairs.  The altar in the Children's Chapel is similar to the altar in the main part of the sanctuary, shown on the right.

I have seen a service conducted in this chapel with children sitting in the chairs.

This song cannot replace dead children, but it may comfort you. Comforting people who grieve is the reason I wrote this page.

I'm the man in this photograph, taken in November 1990.  This wonderful woman, who loved me passionately, died less than 12 years after the photograph was taken. I know what it means to miss someone you love.