Nov 11th just happened. I hope you took the time to thank a soldier. I wish we lived in a world that would make their job obsolete but being that our society is in its infancy and most of us still believe that a divine magic man takes sides in a dispute; seems the soldier and the sacrifice he/she makes is still necessary.
Nov 11th is one of those sacred cows for Canadians, we like to show gratitude to our fallen soldiers and thank them knowing that their sacrifice allows us to move on, allows me to say these words
And although I like to participate in the ceremony honouring them, I find myself having a harder time to do it. What really disturbed me the most is the blatant Christian overtones to the ceremony. Now I know that many soldiers were Christians but as I look upon the soldiers on stage, some Caucasians, some black, some Indian, some Asians, this Christian appeal to their carpenter god leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Doesn't this fly straight into the face of our multicultural values as Canadians?
Now I know I'm not supposed to rock the boat with this sacred cow but isn't it time that the ceremony of nov 11th reflect the secular multicultural nature of Canada?
Are we not ignoring the non Christian soldiers when we invoke the Christian god? Was his/her sacrifice any less significant?
It's hard to maintain a sense of harmony amongst Canadians when we insist upon thanking a god over another, in that sense, religion does what it's always done best: it divides us
Whether it's a politician putting up a nativity scene for Christmas or a priest giving out a prayer Nov 11th, we are sending a loud message to those Canadians who don't believe in a Jewish carpenter god:
You don't matter
I think it's high time to drop religious messages in public ceremonies, either include them all or drop them all.
It's about being fair to all Canadians, not just Christians.
It's the Canadian way, the reason these soldiers sacrificed.
- Kevin Francis, Abbotsford