To the editor:

In the Religious Directory (Journal-World, Dec. 12), sandwiched between the heading (“I Will Give You Rest”) and a thoughtful message based on Christ’s message in Matthew 11:28 was a photo of two Chihuahuas dressed in hooded winter coats. I can only think someone slipped a bit too much Christmas cheer into their coffee before posting such an inappropriate graphic on a spiritually inspirational page.

In recent months, the Journal-World has published several articles on the fact that the worldwide hunger total for children has reached 1 billion. And within the past month you also published a story on how there is a glut of Chihuahuas in California animal shelters because people (emulating celebrities) bought the dogs as accessories, but soon tired of them.

Spiritually speaking, a blurb inviting folks to “worship … at God’s house” illustrated by pampered canines says a whole lot more about the spiritual condition of America than perhaps we can bear to admit. Treating dogs as surrogate children while a billion actual children go hungry is indeed a cry for help — but whose?

I hope and pray Journal-World will acquire a better sense of propriety when illustrating the Religious Directory in the future; the pups were a bit too wildly indicative of a morally bankrupt nation, merrily accessorizing our way to perdition.