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Faces on Faith: Serving those who served

By REV. DR. JOHN H. DANNER 3 min read
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PHOTO PROVIDED Rev. Dr. John H. Danner

On Nov. 11, 1918, the guns of World War I were laid aside as the armistice ending that brutal conflagration was signed. One year later, exactly 100 years ago tomorrow, the first observance of Armistice Day was held. Congress had declared that Nov. 11 should be a day “commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through goodwill and mutual understanding between nations.”

In time, when it became clear that WWI was not the war to end all wars, the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans Day, and it became a day to honor all those who had served in the military — dead or alive, in times of war or in times of peace.

Veterans Day, despite the original call for prayers in the Congressional declaration of 1919, is not a religious holiday. It is a secular holiday. You do not need to be a Christian to observe it, you don’t even need to be a person of faith. For being an American, and celebrating a national holiday like Veterans Day, is not dependent on belief in God or any other religious understanding.

This is a nation built on freedom of religion. And that is good. And I for one am grateful for that freedom to worship, or not to worship, as I see fit. Sometimes though, we forget that, and try to conflate religious beliefs and patriotism. Being a real American, we sometimes assume, means believing in God — or even being a Christian. But that is to true. Being a loyal American is not synonymous with being a Christian. Millions and millions of Christians are not Americans! And many, many, many Americans are not Christian. Being an American is not even synonymous with being a believer in God. You can be an atheist or agnostic and still love this country.

That original Congressional proclamation noted spoke of offering prayers and words of thanksgiving, but it also spoke of engaging in “exercises designed to perpetuate peace through goodwill.” Perhaps that is the finest way we can honor those who have served our nation on our behalf. By serving folks. It is estimated that of the 580,000 homeless folks in America, 38,000 of them are veterans (www.militarytimes.com). Perhaps this year you could offer your support to veterans, help perpetuate peace through goodwill, by supporting financially or as a volunteer one of the many agencies assisting homeless folks in general or veterans in particular. Don’t just say “Thank you for your service,” offer real help. You don’t have to be a Christian to serve others, but as one who calls himself a Christian I am under a special obligation to do so. For, as Jesus reminded us in the story of the good Samaritan, love is serving others. And in the end, that may be the most important lesson we can learn on this and every Veterans Day.

The Rev. Dr. John H. Danner is the senior pastor at Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ.

To reach REV. DR. JOHN H. DANNER, please email