Sept. 11 ceremony on Cape County courthouse lawn urges dedication to Christian values

The United States faces an internal threat equal to or greater than that of another terrorist attack, prayer leaders told a crowd of about 70 who commemorated Sept. 11 at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse.

The event, billed as "A Patriot Day of Gathering," served two purposes — to remember those killed in the al-Qaida attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and to urge those attending to rededicate themselves to bringing Christian values into daily work in business and government.

"For the last 40-plus years, our nation has increasingly drifted toward the falls of godless postmodern values, rejecting God's standards in favor of anything goes morality," said the Rev. Gary Brothers, pastor of Cape First Assembly of God Church. "On one level the events of Sept. 11 awakened us to the threat of Islamic fundamentalism, but the greater threat confronting us is not from outside our nation but from within our nation — our departure from God."

The ceremony, which took about 30 minutes on the courthouse lawn, included prayers from members of the audience. Tabatha Johnson, a stay-at-home mother who homeschools her younger children, asked in prayer for "righteous rulers from the school board to the president."

The nation is being torn between two conflicting camps and the safety of the country is at stake, she said. The danger, she said, "is not only just the terrorism but we are tearing each other apart with the two nations battling for the soul of this nation."

The ceremony was one of several around the area today. A memorial service was held at Saint Francis Medical Center and at 9:11 a.m. In Benton, Mo., Scott County officials, employees and citizens gathered at the courthouse to remember those who died.

The attacks, in which 19 terrorists took over four airliners at the same time, destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center and tore a large hole in the Pentagon. A fourth plane was brought down by passengers after they learned of the other attacks. A total of 2,974 people died, plus the terrorists. Another 24 people are listed as missing and presumed dead.

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