Letters to the editor

I thank the Herald for dealing with so many important issues. Issues like infertility, parenting and mental illness need to be addressed. Dealing with these touchy issues makes us responsible as Christians to be sensitive to our brothers and sisters in Christ that are trying to cope.

I disagree with Norman Fehr's article (Oct. 23). It is terribly important to me to recognize Remembrance Day and teach my child why we have it. I pin the poppy on my four-year-old and myself, and go to the local cenotaph to watch the officials lay wreaths.

My son's Grandpa Wiens is in heaven. My son will know that Grandpa went to a conscientious objectors camp in northern Ontario. There, my father cut his fellow objectors' hair, sang in a quartet, read Scripture and even preached instead of killing his fellow man. Many other men in our MB denomination went to similar camps or drove vehicles in the Red. These men were brave.

Remembrance Day is to remember the sacrifices, atrocities, horrors and shames of war. I shake my head and wonder at the total cruelty of all wars, past and present. My husband, an ESL teacher, knows firsthand the outcomes of present day wars, as the children tell their tales of war. We need to thank God for the wonderful country we live in and for the peace He has given refugees past and present. I celebrate Remembrance Day, not as a joyful time, but to give honour to those who gave me a country of peace to live in so that I can worship my God.

Mary Somerville, (E)

Kitchener, Ont.

I agree with Norman Fehr (Oct. 23) that "there is nothing worthy in war to celebrate". I have always been part of a peace church and am convinced that God is grieved when His children fight and kill one another. I don't, however, see Remembrance Day as a celebration of

War but as a time of remembering the people who died as a result of it.

The statement about "army officers bent on killing anyone who did not walk or think their way" is an inaccurate view of the men and women who were and are committed to peace even if their methods of attempting to bring about that peace are contrary to what we MBs believe is right.

I understand the hurt that many Mennonites (and others) have undergone as a result of the military, but that is no reason to ignore the need of veterans and their families to remember their lost loved ones and friends. If we are to respond in a Christ-like way, we must minister to these needs and not miss out on a valuable opportunity to bring the gospel of the Prince of Peace to them.

Craig Frere, (E)

Stoney Creek, Ont.

Thanks for the Oct. 23 editorial--my pet peeve is the immaturity of Christians who do not make a concerted effort to study the Word of God or do not apply basic hermeneutics.

Re Norman Fehr's article (Oct. 23). I have recently decided to commemorate Armistice Day, and believe this is in keeping with pacifism. Remembrance Day is not a celebration of war. The parades and park services honour those who died purchasing our peace. They are memorial services, not parties. They remind us of the atrocities of war, so we will not repeat history. It saddens me when MBs thank God that we live in a country where we can worship in peace, yet don't acknowledge the price paid for that peace. It is exclusionary to not join our neighbours in honouring their lost family members. We do not have to agree with the cause of death to support (and ultimately evangelize) fellow Canadians at what amounts to a mass funeral for their loved ones.

H. Robert C. Pankratz, (E)

Abbotsford, B.C.

I respond to Norman Fehr. I do not have Mennonite roots. My ancestors came to Canada in 1750.

Remembrance Day is not a celebration, but a remembrance of the soldiers whose lives were sacrificed for their country. Many did not die but were physically maimed and/or tortured with haunting memories. The First and Second World Wars occurred in defence of democracy, in a desperate attempt to quell communism. There seemed to be no alternative.

Nobody likes war! Every person who immigrated to Canada in this century should be thankful for those whose lives were sacrificed for our freedom.

My father fought in World War I. He was a sniper, and fought with the Black Watch Highlanders at Vimy Ridge. He was wounded four times. He lived a torturous, frustrating life because he could not erase the horrendous memories. He was also the kindest man you would ever want to meet.

It was only after he died that I came to grips with the silent torture that he lived with. One of my children one day pointed a toy gun in fun at someone else. My father went into a rage. Only now do I know why.

Catherine Hurd,

Kelowna, B.C.

Speaking as a Canadian citizen and an ethnic Mennonite, I don't think November 11 is supposed to be a day of celebration. It is a time to remember the past and to honour those who have died in service of their country. Second, what would Norman Fehr say to those Mennonite men who did participate as soldiers in the wars? I'm not sure it's fair to label them "merciless".

Roland Derksen,

Vancouver, B.C.

Remembrance Day is not a celebration of war. We are remembering the millions of young men and women who suffered in the fight for freedom; we honour particularly those who died in that struggle. A Remembrance Day service is a sombre and sad meeting.

My point is not to take issue with pacifism; I am concerned that the Christian community not discredit itself by misrepresenting Remembrance Day. Our soldiers who fought in the World Wars were not people without conscience, merciless oppressors eager to shoot another human being. They restored freedom to millions and maintained our freedom. In many cases it cost them everything in the world.

On the same page as Mr. Fehr's article is poem from a Mennonite man who died fighting in WW II. How can we refuse to acknowledge our own brethren who gave their lives for us? Are we opposed to buying poppies, which pay for artificial limbs and support veterans' families?

In response to, "We would rather flee than shoot to kill humans", I wonder where in the world we would flee to.

Diane Schroeder,

Edmonton, Alta.

In response to Norman Fehr, I am one MB who is very thankful for the sacrifices made by many brave men and women on my behalf.

I do not ask for a celebration of war. I ask for thankfulness, remembrance and respect for those who lost their lives and those who served and survived the horror of war.

S. Franklin,

RCAF 1951-1954

St. Catharines, Ont.

I do not believe in "celebrating" Remembrance Day. However, it is a day of remembrance in respect, the men and women who gave their lives that we might live in a country where we can worship the true and living God. I, and many other Christians (other than Mennonites) do not believe in killing our fellow man.

Re "We would rather flee than shoot to kill humans": if you know a way of stopping communist aggressors, please let the rest of the world know.

Do you have a solution as to how to handle Saddam Hussein?

Ethel Rempel,

Abbotsford, B.C.

Norman Fehr's article (Oct. 23) is an affront to me and thousands of men and women.

I (of Mennonite heritage) served 27 years in the Canadian Forces, 14 months in the Korean War. My uncle, also of Mennonite heritage, served in the Army during World War II in the First Aid Corps, dragging out wounded and dead comrades.

Why did the thousands of men and women serve? It was to prevent godless, despotic regimes from forcing their ruthless ideologies on nations not able to defend themselves. Yes, there is nothing about war to celebrate; each year for 27 years on Remembrance Day I mourned those who gave their lives for freedom. I am a born-again Christian and take great pride in knowing that my minuscule effort may have helped preserve freedom for others. Go to a Remembrance Day service. The crying eyes of those who defended nations show this is not a "celebration". Men and women died and were wounded so we could have the freedom to speak, write and think without fear.

Major (Retired) Len Sperling,

Abbotsford, B.C.

When I read the article by Norman Fehr (Oct. 23), I felt angry. I am a former member of the Canadian Forces (Reserve).

Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Many people, including soldiers, have laid down their lives for others in wartime and peacetime, and they are whom Remembrance Day is to remember. Jesus commended a soldier's faith in Luke 7:1-10. In Acts 10:30-45, Peter found that a soldier could receive the Holy Spirit. Paul was helped by a soldier in Acts 27:43. The Lord sent the Israelites to war against the Amalekites in I Samuel 15:1-3, telling Saul, "Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants." The Lord sent David to kill Goliath in I Samuel 17:37. Because David had faced a bear and a lion, he was courageous enough to face Goliath. Perhaps one purpose of war is to prepare us for even greater conflict and hardships ahead.

The Lord tells us that trials of many kinds develop perseverance (James 1:2-4). Perhaps there is victory in war! Human conflict may be one of God's ways of helping us grow to spiritual maturity.

There is "a time for war and a time for peace" (Ecclesiastes 3:8). One time, God seemed to expect David to be at war, when he was making love instead (II Samuel 11:1). There once was war in heaven (Revelation 12:7-8). War will herald Jesus' Second Coming (Daniel 9:26, Revelation 16:16-18;19:11).

We dishonour God if we do not recognize the value of military service in spiritual development, and the sacrifices of those who gave their lives for others. God is not merely the God of the peaceful mountaintops; He is also the God of the violent valleys (Psalm 23:4).

John R. Johnson,

Burnaby, B.C.

Please discontinue my subscription to the MB Herald. Norman Fehr's article was an insult to all those who sacrificed their lives so that he could be born in a free country. None of us celebrate war. We mourn the fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and friends who bravely faced the foe for us, making the ultimate sacrifice. Doesn't that sound familiar? Jesus was the Prince of Peace, but He knew when to pick His battles.

M.L. Mack,

Port Coquitlam, B.C.

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