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No, the Mennonite Brethren denomination, as I know it, has never made a celebration of Remembrance Day. It may be mentioned during a Sunday service, but very few of us go to celebrations in the parks because the memories of stories told by our older folks of what they saw and experienced are still with us. Just the sight of decorated military men sends shivers through our veins. To remember the fear and uncertainty when I stood before a military court, to remember army officers bent on killing everyone that did not walk or think their way, to remember what thousands of others of our faith have experienced from merciless soldiers--these are enough to persuade us not to take part in a Remembrance Day celebration.
There is nothing worthy in war to celebrate. If anything, Remembrance Day should be a day of great mourning and repentance. There is no victory in war.
Yes, I am thankful that I was born in a free country. It was because of the persecution and death that war brought on our ancestors that I was born here.
Someone may ask, "Why did you not go to war?"
By the Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faith and by our inborn conscience, we say, "We do not kill our fellow men. We would rather flee than shoot to kill humans."
Norman H. Fehr is a member of Armstrong (B.C.) Bible Chapel.
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