I’ve been thinking of this for a while and thought with Remembrance Day just around the corner, this would be a good time time to bring it up. I have written enough about Remembrance Day itself in the past (You can look those up using the search bar in the upper right corner of the site if you want).
I have never served in the forces in any capacity, but I’ve noticed differences in the way veterans are treated in Canada, because I live there versus in the United States, when I’ve traveled there. I find these differences interesting.
In Canada when a veteran returns from war, they are appreciated for their service and there are medals and all that, but after that some veterans have trouble re-integrating into regular society, obtaining jobs and the rest.
From what I’ve seen in the United States, war veterans there are treated as gods and practically worshiped by everyone. There are parades all over the place, and veterains are hailed as the best most important people ever. Possibly even more important than Jesus Christ Himself, depending on the opinion of the person you talk to. This is strange to me because the soldiers died for freedom from Hitler, but Jesus died and was raised to life again, so we could be free from our sin, be reconciled to God, and not have to spend eternity in Hell…which is far worse than a temporary dictatorship under anyone. None of the veterans could have done that. Though what the veterans were able to accomplish is worth a “thank you.” It’s just not on the same level as what Jesus was able to do for us. He did what we could not do ourselves and we can’t forget that. He won the ultimate war.
I think veterans should be thanked for their service, I think they should be able to get the things and help that they need when they need it, like anyone else can, but to put war veterans in the place of God as some people do, that seems a little far fetched to me.