I think all of us would likely be greatly repulsed if we found that a group of people were memorializing Nazis (along with swastikas, iron crosses, etc.), but claimed that they were doing so, NOT to celebrate or support the Holocaust or other Nazi atrocities, but rather to memorialize their bravery, etc. Yet I have to admit that I despite the South having stood for slavery, I am not at all happy with the removal of such Civil War monuments, etc.Why is that? Am I being hypocritical? I certainly am not for slavery. Yet I feel saddened about the almost joyous removal of these relics (if you will). We know that no matter how we spin it, we will never be able to make it a matter that does not include the preservation of slavery. So why do we feel that those who fought for the South are somehow underserving of the righteous indignation, etc.?At the same time, do the anti-Southern forces understand that to be logically consistent, they may have to take Washington and Jefferson down from Mt. Rushmore…remove them from currency…change the name of states, cities, towns, etc.?Can we make an argument that would work for US, but not for Nazis? If not, then why hold that our ancestors were any different?
Rushmore is next – right after Stone Mountain.I, nor any ancestors I can trace, have ever lived anywhere but the South.But, I have no problem having every monument to the losing side torn down. We lost. It’s just the way it is.Who gets trophies for losing unless you are the Tennessee Volunteer football team?I do wonder what we will do at Gettysburg – do we dig up all the Confederate soldiers graves________________
Nazis were a political party, not a people.Southerners were a people, not a party. Confederate is not the name of a political ideology, just the name of the group of states that seceded from the Federal Union.
My concern is that level headed white Southerners will become infuriated by the desecration of Confederate monuments.And retaliate! ________________Charles A. HutchinsSenior Pastor SPWCCongregational Church of Godwww.spwc.church
I’ve said this before:I’m all for removing Confederate monuments……as long as we remove 1. Mt. Rushmore2. The Lincoln Memorial3. Jefferson Memorial4. U.S. Grant of the $50 bill5. Jackson of the $20 bill You get the ideaHow we can hate Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, etc…..but ignore the racism of Jackson, Lincoln, Jefferson, etc is beyond me________________
Not sure you really want that, but its coming, its already started. Any memorial of American history including George Washington and eventually the very Constitution is fair game for this mindset. They can even find an excuse for Lincoln if they dig hard enough (like the fact that he said some pretty racist things about blacks not ever being equal to whites). Its THE PURGE, and it is real and will only grow in scope.
The Civil War was Hamiltonianism (North) vs. Jeffersonianism (South). Both were white supremacist. Thus, I side with the ones who at least understood the dangers of Hamiltonianism________________
Somehow it is impossible for HUMANS to understand you cannot change history. I am so sick of people who cannot see this country was and has improved in the area of racism. YES it existed in my life time and still does at a MUCH smaller scale.The town of Valdese, NC (and many others) up until the 1960’70 era would not allow a sale of land, house or property to black citizens. They were not allowed to walk the streets after 6PM inside the City limits except Fri or Sat nights when they were allowed to used the HS baseball field, but could not use the toilets or water fountains.(I used Valdese as an example because I saw it first hand. But I saw the same in North central Missouri when stationed there.)A couple years ago I visited Valdese, stopped in Myra’s Cafe and lo and behold there was a mixed couple, eating at a table and NO ONE was concerned.Getting better? you bet your life it was getting better.YES we were headed to continue change. I am GLAD. BUT NO matter what is done WE CANNOT CHANGE the PAST. Some of us feel badly about it but it was not our families, etc________________Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/
How about letting the people decide by referendum? I notice the people never seem to get to decide the fate of these statues. I proudly honor the men who fought that my State could keep the sovereignty it possessed upon entering the Union________________
Truthfully, not many people go to museum and not very often if they do. In the public square these monuments should beg a question from people and get them to get off Facebook, snap-chat etc. for a while and truly delve into history. Who was Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, William T. Sherman? What did these people do?
[quote=Quiet Wyatt]As a big-time history buff who just about became a history teacher, and as one who has long held racism/white supremacy as a terrible stain on our nation,
I don’t have a problem with statues being taken down. I am white, from the south, and it isn’t that emotional of an issue of me, but I understand while it might be for blacks.While I believe sins occurred related to how slaves were taken care of, I do not consider owning slaves a sin. That idea is not reconcilable with the Bible. I don’t think we are required to own slaves either. If God judges us as a nation for everything in history, will He judge us for the ‘sin of slavery’ when He never forbade slavery? We might debate the ethical issue of a Christan not freeing a fellow brother after seven years, and things of that nature. I’d be more concerned with covenant breaking when it comes to the Indians. Covenant breaking is a sin.While slavery certainly played a big role in the politics that led up to the Civil War, I do not believe that the average southern soldier thought it was about slavery. This was during a time when people were more inclined to think of their state as their country, and the US as a union of states. The southern states had left the union, and foreign invaders had attacked. The men left to fight for their states and their independence________________
I am for offensive statues being moved to museums where those that want to visit can go get all the viewing they want. History would be preserved and all should be happy.
Are you suggesting that only Confederate history is offensive, and only memorials of that time period should be removed________________
You mean like this statue of Teddy Roosevelt at a MUSEUM from just a couple of days ago?
You mean like this statue of Teddy Roosevelt at a MUSEUM from just a couple of days ago?They will never be happy, it doesn’t end with the confederacy, it won’t even end with founding fathers, it will never end until America is overthrown in every way possible. Yet the church snoozes on. Sunday my nephew’s church had a service to repent over our nation’s racist past. They are just throwing blood in the water. Of course this same church has drunks in the church band and people living together in leadership. Sounds to me like they need to repent of other things________________
I think God weeps as the region that won the war seeks to remove him from public life while the region that lost defends his word________________