Christian and atheist soldiers both pay the ultimate price
Many of those who died fighting will not have their representative at London’s Cenotaph
Remembering: the fallen who had no faith are not always represented Photo: Getty Images
By Joan Bakewell
8:10PM GMT 29 Oct 2012
People are beginning to wear red poppies, a sight that always prompts a melancholy mood. Here we are again, still waging war in Afghanistan, still listing those killed on the news – and we will soon be coming together for Remembrance Sunday. All our universal grief seems helpless against the forces of realpolitik and the international arms trade.
This year, as for all years past, many of those who died fighting will not have their representative at London’s Cenotaph. Yet for some time now the humanists have asked for their representative to stand alongside those from the country’s religions at the official ceremony. They are, after all, the second largest belief group in the Armed Forces after Christianity. Other cities already accept their presence: Edinburgh, Belfast, Sheffield and Birmingham among them. But so far they have been kept away from the major national monument in Whitehall.
This is odd, because currently some 26,000 serving men are registered as having no religion. And the Armed Forces Humanist Association has more members than there are Jews or Sikhs in the Armed Forces. Jews and Sikhs, however, are represented. Until now the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which co-ordinates arrangements at the Cenotaph, has not yielded. But this year there may be a chance.
In the recent Government reshuffle, Hugh Robertson MP was promoted to minister of state in that department. His background may be relevant: he served for 10 years in the Life Guards and commanded the British detachment in Sarajevo, coming close, I imagine, to the sort of squaddies whose deaths the ceremonial seeks to commemorate. Surely he will recognise that there is no distinction to be drawn between a dead soldier who is a professed Christian and a dead soldier who is not.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9640831/Christian-and-atheist-soldiers-both-pay-the-ultimate-price.html
Yes, it's The Telegraph and yes, wars should not be marked with false solemnity, they should be eliminated. But if it is done, they should cut out this exclusive crap.
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It's all a matter of bandwidth over here. They suck it all up and, when they leave, there are very few of us using it.
In a fit, I canceled Netflix and Hulu a few weeks ago. I did this right before the service got better and now I regret it.
I wish there was a satellite alternative. We get Sirus radio just fine pretty much anywhere we go.
Glad you found a solution, Fumesucker!
Man, I hate those things.
