April 21, 2010
In her Easter 1 sermon Sande Ramage, former military chaplain and presently chaplain at Iona College, questions the church's participation in the myth of redemptive violence celebrated on such occasions as Anzac Day. "ANZAC commemorations draw heavily on the value of redemptive violence by honouring the role of the soldier, sketched out as a saviour figure sacrificed in battle so that we can live in peace and freedom. Across time this mythology has been used to soothe the internal human terror of being overwhelmed by forces we cannot control and ultimately our fear of death. If we think beyond this imagery we know that ANZAC Day only remembers part of the story. A more complete memory includes the women raped in military campaigns, children bombed, conscientious objectors tortured and imprisoned, families torn apart, cultures, animals and environments destroyed and political deals done in the name of greed." Full text and video link available at www.stmatthews.org.nz/nav.php?sid=535&id=1057.
