The current argument in Britain and Canada over white peace poppies as a legitimate alternative or complementary means of remembrance has highlighted what some regard as the pernicious nature of the quasi-religious idea that violence is ënormalí and produces ‘solutions’.
US theologian and commentator Walter Wink has for many years been analysing and criticising the roots of the “myth of redemptive violence” in ancient religious mythology – and its perpetuation today in both secular militarism and religiously sanctioned justifications for war, such as those used by the Bush administration in Iraq or by terror groups.
In an article published on the website of UK Christian think tank Ekklesia, which says that there should be more debated and choice about how to remember the victims of war, Wink declares: ìThe belief that violence ësavesí is so successful because it doesnít seem to be mythic in the least. Violence simply appears to be the nature of things.î
He continues: ì[The popular presentation is that] itís what works. It seems inevitable, the last and, often, the first resort in conflicts. If a god is what you turn to when all else fails, violence certainly functions as a god. What people overlook, then, is the religious character of violence. It demands from its devotees an absolute obedience-unto-death.î
Ekklesia is in the news today with its call to question the ëpolitical correctnessí of red poppy wearing. The think tank emphasises that it is not criticising the important work of the Royal British Legion in supporting the families of veterans, but it says that current forms of remembrance tend to emphasise ìfighting for freedomî and ìthe glorious deadî ñ and that a more critical approach is needed.
In his article, Walter Wink declares: ìThis myth of redemptive violence is the real myth of the modern world. It, and not Judaism or Christianity or Islam, is the dominant religion in our society today.î
Through detailed study he points to the origins of the idea of the ësaving power of violenceí in ancient Babylonian myths, and to its perpetuation in both secular and religious cultures ever since. The idea is also sustained by films, video games and popular culture he says, which portray war-like avengers as a source of the triumph of good over evil.
Ekklesiaís Jonathan Bartley, writing in todayís Church Times, says that there needs to be much more serious consideration of these issues. He calls on the churches to join peace organisations supported by other religious and non-religious people in promoting white poppies, which are often worn alongside red ones.
Wink points out that violence has become an alternative ëreligioní in an age of scepticism and change.
He writes: ìIn a period when attendance at Christian Sunday schools is dwindling, the myth of redemptive violence has won childrenís voluntary acquiescence to a regimen of indoctrination more extensive and effective than any in the history of religions. Estimates vary widely, but the average child reported to log roughly 36,000 hours of television by age 18, viewing some 15,000 murders. What church or synagogue can even remotely keep pace with the myth of redemptive violence in hours spent teaching children or the quality of presentation? (Think of the typical ìchildrenís sermonî ñ how bland by comparison!)î
Adds the theologian: ìNot all shows for children or adults are based on violence, of course. Reality is far more complex than the simplicities of this myth, and maturer minds will demand more subtle, nuanced, complex presentations. But the basic structure of the combat myth underlies the pap to which a great many adults turn in order to escape the harsher realities of their everyday lives: spy thrillers, westerns, cop shows, and combat programmes. It is as if we must watch so much ëredemptiveí violence to reassure ourselves, against the deluge of facts to the contrary in our actual day-to-day lives, that reality really is that simple.î
Ekklesia points out that, contrary to a claim by Michael White in todayís Times, it is not calling for the abandonment of the red poppy.
Read more on the roots of the “myth of redemptive violence” here. Walter Wink is Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City, USA. His books may be purchased here.