the red colour of the ubiquitous poppy at this time of year is a powerful symbol used to remember the dreadful cost of war, particularly in human terms. but this year, the colour has been brought into the wider public debate more than i've noticed in the past. there is a move, here and abroad (notably canada) to promote a white poppy to give people the opportunity to think and debate more critically the lessons to be learned from war. it must be emphasised that the white poppy is in no way trying to demean the red one or its symbolism. nor does it seek to detract from the valuable fundraising done for those who need financial support because of the ramifications of their loved ones being involved in war. rather, it seeks to engage in prophetic dialogue with the 'obvious' idea that war and violence is really the only final option available in dispute.
you can read an excellent article on the myth of redemptive violence, by walter wink, here.
you can also listen to a brief interview on the today programme on radio4 here, with jonathan bartley, director of ekklesia thinktank.
i've never been anywhere near war. i can't possibly know what it's like. i can only imagine it. last weekend included guy fawkes night that witnessed an incessant barrage of noise and fireworks lighting up the sky. it always makes me think about war and remembrance day more than the historical plot to blow up parliament, though both have their roots in the myth of redemptive violence. the bangs of fireworks bring to mind images from sebastian foulkes story of the british trenches of the first world war in his harrowing book, 'birdsong'. his vivid descriptions of the horrors of trenchlife, of the continual scream of metal in the sky along with the continual scream of men dying, being maimed, and going mad. and the fireworks bring to mind the classic book, 'all quiet on the western front' that tells the story from the german side. again, vivid descriptions of men being blasted out of their clothes and hanging naked in trees; of the mental dislocation of returning home to so-called 'normality' on leave; and of feeling the pain of killing complete strangers as they lay beside you in a shell hole.
strangely, on guy fawkes night, i remember things i haven't experienced through stories told by others, and hope i will never have to experience them. and on remembrance day, we remember those who died in the hope that we who came after them would never have to experience those horrors.
and that's the truth about remembrance day - that the hope of those who gave their lives in war was for a better future than the one they were experiencing.
as a christian, i have a hope for a better future too. my hope is based on jesus who, on the cross, took all the pain, hatred, and violence the world could throw at him and said that 'it ends here'. the cross, ultimate roman symbol of torture, pain, violence, insult, and death was transformed by jesus to become the ultimate symbol of peace and hope. the resurrection of jesus from the dead proves that goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate, truth is stronger than lies, and light is stronger than darkness.
this is echoed by an anonymous prisoner who scratched this prayer on his cell wall in world war 2:
“I believe in the sun,
even when it does not shine.
I believe in love,
Even when I cannot feel it.
I believe in God,
Even when he is silent.”
on remembrance day, we remember things we didn't experience through stories told by other people in the hope that we never will have to experience them.
in jesus, we remember things we didn't experience through stories told by other people in the hope that we will experience the strange reality of life beyond the grave - a resurrection life of a re-made world that knows no pain, suffering, or death - and which is translated into life NOW, and proved by how we live NOW.
we all long for peace. peace now. not just in eternity.
on remembrance day, we WILL REMEMBER THEM, and i trust, honour their memory by how we live.
the powerful symbols of the two poppies, one red, one white, and the transformed symbol of the cross call us to lives of peace and hope, through peaceful and hopeful means.
3 comments:
It's all very well promoting the white poppy, but on a day when we remember the dead of two world wars, and countless conflicts, I think we should stick to the red poppy. The one whose proceeds go to the men and women who have been members of the armed forces and need our help, and the families and dependants of those who have died in the service of this country.
Those people from the PPU who sell white poppies are hijacking the sacrifice servicemen and women have made for their own political ends and give none of the money they make to the British Legion.
I will be remembering friends that I lost while serving in the Army and I am disgusted by the hijack being carried out by the PPU.
I wear a red poppy to honour the sacrifice of those who died, and a white poppy to say there is a better way.
Does anyone really want to repeat the Somme, WW2, Vietnam, Iraq?? If not, then we have to find a better way.
Israelis and Palestinian militants bomb each other (and many innocent civilians die) because they both believe that violence will cause the other side to be reasonable - throughout history that has not been the usual result, unless one side is soundly defeated.
Ask the question - which of the leaders at the start of a war (pretty much any war) predicted just how long it would be (over by Christmas for WW1 and WW2, a 'cake walk' in Iraq). Its easy to get into wars, very difficult to end them.
Jesus was prepared to suffer and die for his beliefs - but not to kill. Are Christians?
The Just War Tradition requires those who claim to follow it to refuse to fight at when the conditions are not met - but that never really happens.
David Cockburn
Christian Peacemaker Teams
(former weapons systems designer)
Some of Jonathan Bartley's comments are just plain unhelpful, especially when you realise that they are coming from a "think tank". Saying that "the white poppy can actually be considered more in keeping with Christianity than the red variety" can in turn be received as slightly pompous, not well thought out economically (selling red poppies raises money that is used to alleviate hardship, which can be "considered" quite Christian), and intended to cause division. In short it's a bit ungraceful.
There is also the raising of a straw man: "But whilst apparently banned from wearing one symbol of hope (the cross), public figures..." Are public figures so banned? The use of "apparently" would suggest not. Another one - "the red poppy implies redemption can come through war": this isn't an implication, certainly not one I've ever made; it's an inference by Mr. Bartley.
There are many valid points to be made about war and remembrance but I fear that Mr. Bartley has done himself and Ekklesia a dis-service with his comments.
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