Letters: Confederate flag ceremony not up to standards of Emanuel nine

Removing the Confederate flag was an appropriate and necessary political gesture. However, the carnival-like atmosphere created by some of the audience did not respect the grace shown by the survivors of the Charleston massacre.

A hymn would have been more appropriate than a sports chant.

The most significant balm to the survivors is knowing that their loved ones lost their lives practicing their Christian faith. These godly people were showing their faith as they freely opened the door and invited the lost into their sanctuary. In this selfless act, they became martyrs for their faith.

If we all follow in their footsteps and keep our faith in Jesus Christ as lord and savior, we will have the assurance of being reunited in heaven. The flag, no matter how well stored, is a secular, political thing, which one day shall pass away, but the word of God endures forever.