Has Christchurch fallen victim to iconoclasm?

which has seen a succession of religious fanatics, political zealots and wild-eyed individuals whom you would definitely not wish to establisheye contact with in any street.

Most iconoclasts have always claimed that they (a) destroy in the name of whatever belief structure they happen to espouse and (b) they are doing it for the greater good of their community. Islamic State is merely the latest manifestation in a long, melancholy list. But it doesn’t hold exclusive rights to being iconoclastic leaders in the field. The British monarchy, a catalogue of distinguished 17th century Anglican clergymen, several eminent architects and some outwardly sane politicians are way ahead in the destruction stakes.

Iconoclasm (from the Greek eikon – an image and klastes –breaker) knows no political, religious or social barrier. It has a long and memorable history as an act which, collectively or individually, we are all capable of either tacitly or deliberately involving ourselves with.

‘‘Iconoclasm... is as much about changing the meaning of an image as destroying it completely,’’ according to the director of Tate Britain, Penelope Curtis.

It’s also a word loaded with political, theological and even artistic connotations. Applying the label without thought can be hazardous. Think about it. Was the headlong post-earthquake demolition of almost all Christchurch’s heritage buildings an act of iconoclasm? Even if the official reason is public safety?

Leaving the battered shell of the city’s Anglican Cathedral neglected, unprotected and subject to six years of steady decay and damage. Iconoclasm? Was the demolition of a stunning Gothic Revival chapel in the Barbadoes St cemetery in 1955 a genuine act of iconoclasm?

Is tagging a piece of street art iconoclasm or wilful vandalism or are the boundaries too narrow to separate them? Is the City Council’s proposed reduction of the city’s list of heritage trees a form of iconoclasm?

Whatever your feelings, iconoclasm demonstrates how the immense power of art and cultural objects can inspire positive or negative reactions. It can raise or lower us and that’s something we should never forget.