Military remembrance
Ceremonies that honour those who have served, or who have died while serving in the military are held in many countries. National days are referred to as Remembrance Day in Commonwealth countries and Memorial Day in the US. It often involves a religious or semi-religious ceremony, often presided over by a Christian priest or minister.
Irrelevance of religion[edit]
Since religion is becoming increasingly irrelevant in people's lives, it is inappropriate to involve religious leaders in this way. Atheist representatives of the community or of those that have fallen are often missing at such events.
- "Yet for many of us in today’s Britain, this important ceremony is diminished by the dominance of a religion that fewer and fewer people follow. An Anglican bishop presides over a portion of the ceremony. His fellow imams, priests, patriarchs and primates stand by like also-rans and there is no sign of a secular representative. [1]"
In fact, many war monuments are secular because of the vast diversity of beliefs of those who have died.
Glorification of war[edit]
Some ceremonies that honour military personnel avoid the realities of war and present a false and sanitised view. Many graves and some churches bear the inscription Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori ("It is sweet and fitting to die for your country"). [2] Religions that claim to be pro-peace should not be supporting what is essentially propaganda. War memorials "sanctified violence":
"War memorials and museums are temples to the god of war. The hushed voices, the well-tended grass, the flapping of the flags allow us to ignore how and why our young died. They hide the futility and waste of war."
