Photo of NYC Skyline on Good Friday 1956 Shows How Much the US Has Changed
An image of skyscrapers with windows illuminated in the shape of a cross to commemorate Good Friday in 1956 is making the rounds on social media and reminding people the U.S. once largely embraced the faith — even in New York City.
Sixty-seven years later, no such display is expected in the country’s most populous city.
On Good Friday years ago, NYC skyscrapers lit up with crosses and showed a nation that embraced faith https://t.co/6IPuu9doN6
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 7, 2023
An archive of the now-defunct California newspaper the Oxnard Press-Courier shows the image was used by the outlet in its Saturday, March 31, 1956, edition.
The image was accompanied by a simple headline: “COME TO CHURCH SUNDAY.” The Press-Courier dedicated the entire page to when and where people of any denomination could attend an Easter service.
Many Twitter users who came across the image of 1950s Manhattan commemorating the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary lamented the current state of the country.
“How far we have fallen,” one user commented.
How far we have fallen
— KJMooney (@feistywench304) April 7, 2023
Yes, this is when we, as a Nation, were a God-fearing people. Past-tense…. https://t.co/v2edEaKp3I
— Big Bob (@BiggyBobbs) April 7, 2023