http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/10/21/vets-stand-guard-christian-flag-nc-town-1551201310/
This article brought to mind some interesting questions and thoughts that I was turning over in my head. I wanted to share some of my understanding here. The article speaks of a man who is standing vigil to keep a Christian flag in its 'place', over a war memorial. Symbols run very deep within people and this can be clearly seen in this case. What the flag means not only to the veteran standing vigil but also the entire community which has moblized behind him is what is the driving force behind this movement. This symbol contains a meaning which penetrates the collective psyche of this North Carolina community. When a force attempts to remove it from its 'place', it produces this collective response.
An interesting quote from the article:
"The relatively obscure emblem has become omnipresent because of one place it can't appear: flying above a war memorial in a public park."
So what is the meaning of this Christian flag to these people? Does it mean the same thing to everyone or is everyone uniting for a personal reason within themselves? What does it say about what these people believe about division of church and state? Can church and state truly be divided in the hearts of people? There is a deep link in the hearts of some people here between the soldiers and their religion. The religion, serving many times as a source of inspiration, hope, and inner peace amidst a war.
"The protesters are concerned not only about the flag...but about a metal sculpture nearby depicting a soldier kneeling before a cross."
When these soldiers went to war for the 'state', what role did religion play? Did it provide a higher meaning and reason to fight than what loyalty to the 'state' provided? Did religion provide a means of inner meaning and strength to move on in life after the war for these soldiers, more so than what the idea of service to the 'state' provided? Was it a mix of both of these ideas, 'state' and 'church', that has been a source of meaning and strength? If so, can 'church' and 'state' truly be divided if it is not divided within the hearts of people?
Another point which was interesting in this article was that the resident who complained about the flag was a veteran of the Afghanistan War. This perhaps brings to light the difference in the beliefs and views of the Vietnam War Vets and Veterans of the Afghanistan war. One cannot make a broad generalization, given that it was a single Afghan vet who made the complaint, but nonetheless it does make one wonder.
I'll conclude with one last quote from the article:
"I won't let it fall," Martini said. "I have already told the city, before you can take it down, I'll tie myself to it and you can cut me down first."
Saturday, October 23, 2010
BBC Article - Wikileaks: Iraq war logs 'reveal truth about conflict'
http://bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11612731
And Say: Truth has come and falsehood has perished. Surely, falsehood is (a thing) bound to perish.
Holy Qur'an (17:81)
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