THE SWASTIKA, THE PRINCE AND THE BLASPHEMY
Prince Harry, the second son of the heir to the throne, Prince Charles,
has been photographed at a fancy-dress party, wearing an Afrika Corps
military uniform, complete with swastika. For those war veterans, like
my very ill eighty-five year old father, who gave up five of the best
years of his life to fight against the Afrika Corps in the deserts of
Egypt and Libya and later against the Nazis in Italy, the affront is unthinkable.
Imagine an Eighth Army English soldier, fallen into a coma in 1942, waking
up in 2005 and being shown this photograph. He would probably conclude:
'So we lost the war after all'. He might then return to his coma, giving
up the desire to live in an England where the heir to the throne freely
dresses in a Nazi uniform.
Sensibly, many seeing this thoughtless young man, including it seems Prince Charles himself, have suggested that the twenty-year old be forced to watch the film 'Schindler's List' and pay a visit to Auschwitz, which was liberated sixty years ago this month. Others, more extreme, have suggested that this young man is not so much thoughtless, as brainless. In any case, all would probably agree that this mindless antic is the result of great privilege with no responsibility.
Yet others have suggested that the symbol of the swastika should be banned, at least all over Europe. I am not sure whether this is possible. Of one thing I am, however, sure: that before the swastika is banned, the hammer and sickle should be banned. For under the dictators of the hammer and sickle, Lenin, Stalin and their cronies, far more died in Soviet death camps than ever died in Hitler's work camps. The strange thing is that, although in Western Europe since 1945 Neo-Nazi parties have been frowned on or banned, Communist parties have been and are free. Even twenty-five years ago they were still at the reins of power in at least two Western European countries. As for contemporary mindless, Harry-like, Western tourists, they freely buy Red Army memorabilia with their insignia of death in the kiosks of capitalist Eastern and Central Europe. Why? They would not buy garments with Nazi swastikas, would they?
However, beyond a desire for political balance, I have an even more serious desire for spiritual balance. This relates to other recent events.
Firstly, there have been the foolish attacks on the Christian Faith relating to the tragic tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean countries. Apparently, in spoilt rich Western countries, this tragedy has forced some to 'doubt' their faith in God. All that can be said is that their faith in God must be very weak indeed. Perhaps they are not even Christians at all, merely humanists? It certainly does not seem to have made the survivors of the disaster doubt their faith. On the contrary, as one ragged Indian peasant said: 'This was for our sins'. And mosques, temples and churches in the countries affected have been full. Let the rich and spoilt Western world learn from the poor and dispossessed: 'Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted'.
However, there is worse to follow.
Some ten days ago, on Saturday 8 January, the day after Orthodox Christmas, on the feast of the All-Pure Mother of God, the eve of the Day of the Resurrection, the BBC broadcast a blasphemous attack on Christ through a so-called 'Opera', based on the life of a notorious American publicist. This had been preceded in December by the performance of a revoltingly blasphemous, anti-Christian play in Edinburgh.
Despite the many outraged protests of Christian believers of all hues, both the producers of that play and the BBC this month have resisted all objections. No doubt they are proud of their daring and 'progressive' 'modernity'. They do not yet realize that they have brought a curse on themselves. However, it is my suggestion that if Prince Harry watch Schindler's List and then visit Auschwitz, then most certainly the governors and chairman of the BBC should definitely be forced to view Gibson's film 'The Passion of Christ' about the Crucifixion and then visit Golgotha. It seems strange that no-one else in this country, for example the Archbishop of Canterbury, has suggested this already.
'And
he said unto them: Where is your faith?' (Luke 8,25).
