In my country today, 25th April, is our national war memorial day. Much patriotic claptrap will be spouted which I wil studiously ignore if I notice any at all. Below are some of my reflections on it all
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When footsoldiers in a gangland turf war are killed no one thinks to honour them. But when the gangs are nations though the quarrels between them are no less absurd than the former and moreover the violence is infinitely greater we are expected to roll over and call these dead heroes. Not me. It is blasphemy to liken the death of those engaged in the criminal enterprise which is war to the sacrifice of Christ; and it is idolatry to subscribe to that empowering vice of war, patriotism. The nations will be done away with on the return of Christ but each individual will still exist, either with Him or in some other realm. As C S Lewis said. when human souls outlive nations which is more valuable? And until then they are, as Isaiah the Prophet said, merely drops in the bucket. Indeed nations were created after the Tower of Babl incidient as ameans to keep human energies dissipated lest in uniting real evil walk the world, which will happen in the days of the Antichrist
I am a good citizen only because my God, Jesus Christ, would have me refrain from discrediting His ongoing work by bad behaviour on my part. No nation has the right to claim my heart and mind and as nations have become a religion substitute I hold that the giving of my heart and mind to a nation is the sin of idolatry. The nation that I am merely a member of my accident of birth - my citizenshup is in heaven and I am a foreigner on this earth (scripture reference to be offered..) the world will only receive my outward conformity, until they require that I openly defy the Law of God and then they have a problem. But not me. So l will not be partaking in orgy of self congratulation which is Anzac Day. The fact is when they say "lest we forget," in investing the whole event with an air of sacred sacrifice, honour and loyaliy they have already forgotten the true lessons of war - the squalor, the filth, the obscenity, the utter stupidity and the waste. Thus having not ony forgotten but wilfully ignored the true lessons of war they will of course happen again
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When footsoldiers in a gangland turf war are killed no one thinks to honour them. But when the gangs are nations though the quarrels between them are no less absurd than the former and moreover the violence is infinitely greater we are expected to roll over and call these dead heroes. Not me. It is blasphemy to liken the death of those engaged in the criminal enterprise which is war to the sacrifice of Christ; and it is idolatry to subscribe to that empowering vice of war, patriotism. The nations will be done away with on the return of Christ but each individual will still exist, either with Him or in some other realm. As C S Lewis said. when human souls outlive nations which is more valuable? And until then they are, as Isaiah the Prophet said, merely drops in the bucket. Indeed nations were created after the Tower of Babl incidient as ameans to keep human energies dissipated lest in uniting real evil walk the world, which will happen in the days of the Antichrist
I am a good citizen only because my God, Jesus Christ, would have me refrain from discrediting His ongoing work by bad behaviour on my part. No nation has the right to claim my heart and mind and as nations have become a religion substitute I hold that the giving of my heart and mind to a nation is the sin of idolatry. The nation that I am merely a member of my accident of birth - my citizenshup is in heaven and I am a foreigner on this earth (scripture reference to be offered..) the world will only receive my outward conformity, until they require that I openly defy the Law of God and then they have a problem. But not me. So l will not be partaking in orgy of self congratulation which is Anzac Day. The fact is when they say "lest we forget," in investing the whole event with an air of sacred sacrifice, honour and loyaliy they have already forgotten the true lessons of war - the squalor, the filth, the obscenity, the utter stupidity and the waste. Thus having not ony forgotten but wilfully ignored the true lessons of war they will of course happen again
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