tonykeene said:
OK....beep beep beep beep beep beep
First of all, I have more than 40 years in, and have four operational tours under my belt, and a chest full of medals. I have nothing to prove, nothing to apologize for, and no need to justify my privilege and honour of wearing Her Majesty's Canadian uniform.
What does that have to do with the topic at hand? Absolutely nothing.....unless you're a padre.
4 tours in 40 years eh? I know a few around the Regiment that have done over 10 in under 20.
But I digress.....
I attacked no one personally, and do not expect to be attacked in return.
With your first post in this thread you pretty much came in and threw a "righteous, holy Antioch" grenade.
Religion is a touchy subject....on any site.
You basically came in and said any CF activity involving religion was wrongful to force someone to attend....it is,however....
If it's a parade, such as a consecration, they must attend wouldn't you agree? However if the pers involve have a moral objection...they must bring it to the forefront to their superiors. From there it will be dealt with.
We recently had a parade for a member of my Regiment who died in an accident. There were many different religions present including Muslims and many agnostics. The service was conducted by the padres.
So did anyone have a problem with attending the service....nope.
They were there to pay their respects to the member irregardless of their religion. I've talked to a few afterwards about this and they pretty much say that it really does not bother them in the least, nor do any of the other services that have gone on over the years.
They see it as a "non-denominational" part of any parade.
I do suggest though that Colours should hold exactly the same power for all members of a Regiment, Atheists included.
They do. It honours all that have fallen during the battles on that Colour or Guidon....irregardless of religion.
If we tell people that only a religious blessing can turn a "moth-eaten rag on a worm-eaten pole" into a Colour, we are automatically excluding a large segment of the troops. (That's Kipling, by the way)
Woopee on Kipling :
It's pretty much consecrated in a multi-denominational service these days. I'm sure that the "non-believers" find it quite harmless.
Got a problem with the way it's done? Bring it up through the chain of command to your superiors and get it changed.
In the year 2006, we have to accept that these traditions should now only be used when it is a voluntary gathering. Marching 250 people up in front of an altar of drums, or a church altar, teaches them nothing. And how you can use the most divisive factor in humanity to promote cohesion is beyond me.
Good intentions.....wrong avenue of approach IMHO. I can think of about a dozen ways of promoting cohesion in a unit without the need of a church parade.
Two Canadian soldiers stand on parade, their medals proclaiming proudly that they have put their lives on the line for what their country stands for. One is male, the other female, one is white, the other not, one is a sincere believer, the other an equally sincere atheist. We would not hold to a tradition of proclaiming the superiority of the white race, or the male gender. We cannot therefore hold to one which says that believers are more accepted than non-believers. If those soldiers are on parade under orders, nothing should be done that differentiates between them on those three bases.
There is no difference.....at least to me personally.
It's official within the CF.