I’ve
borrowed my title from an article in the Globe and Mail by Jeremy Diamond and
Davida Aronovitch (20/02/12). The article uses recent polls to contrast the
attitudes in the United States and Canada about war, history and patriotism.
The authors speak disparagingly about celebrating a brutal conflict. Instead
they ask for an investigation into a historical event: what did it mean?
As a Mennonite Christian, I resonate
with this. I’ve been very uncomfortable with any mention of celebration about
the War of 1812, and since I live in Niagara, I’ve seen that word a lot in the
past months. Two hundred years may sanitize the battlefields for most people,
but the cost in human suffering was real on both sides.
I hope that the coming years will
allow us to look at the significance of not just this war, but all wars. “War with
the United States” rings so falsely now, since we are major allies; who knows
whether in 200 years “War with Afghanistan” might also ring falsely.
I am hoping that the anniversary of
this war (and the anniversary of the declaration of peace in 1814), will
encourage peace churches to examine their history, and the significance of this
war in our own faith journeys. I’m keeping my eyes peeled to see what I can
learn in the coming year!
I am hoping you will do the same. Would
you be willing to share your thoughts with our readers on this blog? Send an
email with your blog post to me at the address listed in the sidebar. We would love to hear from you.
As the 1812 Bicentennial Peace Committee has gradually found its 'voice' over the past while, and that voice has started to be noticed, I've started to notice other voices I'll admit I hadn't been tuned into as I contrasted our message with the 'yeahhhhh war!' messages that seem to be hidden beneath the surface of war commemorations in general.
ReplyDeleteI've been especially grateful to have so many people affirm that the historic peace church voice is a legitimate one that should be heard. No doubt we may encounter some voices contrary to this, but I think this bicentennial occasion really is a chance for us to self-examine and to reflect that internal discussion for others to know what makes us tick! I think it's a discussion that is necessary for us to have internally, and what better occasion than a massive-scale, heavily funded commemoration programme over 3 years that asks us to confront the facts of our heritage and then to assess that from today's standpoint.
"I am hoping that the anniversary of this war... will encourage peace churches to examine their history..."
ReplyDeleteThat is, indeed, a great hope. I don't know about Canada, but on this side of the border it seems that for many, the history of the historic peace churches has been obscured in the fog of the times or laid by the wayside.
http://www.amazon.com/Christian-Pacifism-Fruit-Narrow-ebook/dp/B005RIKH62/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1