Are confederate flags and monuments a symbol of hate?

[98cwitr]

As a Southerner and yet also a Follower I often wonder if I exist in a perpetual state of cognitive dissonance. I was raised, subversively, to admonish the South as its own entity and yet have come to experience a hatred for southern heritage that has any reflection on the past sins of slavery. I watch confederate monuments be torn down and it concerns me; only in fact that people feel the need to destroy things that they feel are hateful symbols. Maybe they are right to want them down, but are enacting their own hatred in an unlawful manner. I wonder what will become of it all...if we are, as the South are either to end up being seen as the Romans are, or as Nazi Germany, or simply a failed coup against the USA. I see the monuments as an honor to history, as a tribute to my fallen kinsmen for a cause that may have been regarding the right to own people as property, but moreso, they were willing to give their lives for the sake of what they considered their own nation; a fight against what they considered to be an oppressive government. I'm sure I am on the wrong side of history, and yet I feel the spirit of the South run through my own blood and understand that we, as Americans, can never tolerate tyranny, but also as a Christian, we cannot tolerate sinful ideologies. What are your thoughts?

 

[nChrist]

I know that we can't erase history. We can learn from the things that definitely did happen.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I wonder what will become of it all..

According to Scripture, all society is rotten (perverse, wicked, evil, deadly) and it is
all continuing on the track of sodom and gomorrah, and as in the days of Noah when everyone except 8 people were destroyed.
(note the Jesus provides the one and only way to the kingdom of Yahweh(God), true salvation that will be revealed fully in the life to come (but not now to most people on earth anywhere)

I'm sure I am on the wrong side of history, and yet I feel the spirit of the South run through my own blood and understand that we, as Americans, can never tolerate tyranny, but also as a Christian, we cannot tolerate sinful ideologies. What are your thoughts?

Why are you sure you are on the wrong side of history ? (what do you mean?)
Americans as a country/ government/ entity are tolerating a lot worse things than tyranny, very sinfully and very wickedly, as written in Scripture.

If you cannot tolerate sinful 'ideologies', repent of them and seek the Father's Face for His Wisdom and His Understanding.
The sinful ideologies and all that is wicked is getting more wicked (growing) on earth, and will until Jesus Returns. (regardless even that the disciples of Jesus follow Him and DO what the Father in Heaven Says DO) ....

 

[98cwitr]

Christ says love your enemies and bless those that persecute you. I guess it's high time to do just that then.

 

[JM]

 

[thecolorsblend]

I am a native Southerner. My roots here go back a very long way.

We should be allowed to have whatever symbols, flags and so forth we want. Nobody else has to join in if they don't want to.

In high school, Confederate flags were pretty commonplace. People like the "Rebel" image, the independence of it, etc. I hate the "heritage, not hate" meme for a lot of reasons but there's a germ of truth to that. Kids just liked the image of it all.

At the end of the day, words have a specific meaning. Symbols, by their nature, do not. So calling anything a symbol of something something Hatred as though it's an objective, non-controversial fact is unspeakably idiotic, and not worthy of a response.

 

[Hazelelponi]

It's not it's hateful symbol in my pov.

There is a heritage that Americans shouldn't forget, because you only erase history when there is a reason you don't want people to remember it, because you want to rewrite it, or relive it in some form.

Hate is hate, overall its always existed and always will exist, racism is neither new nor limited to any one group of people. I've met racist whites, blacks, and browns and I've met those of each group who have been victims of racism. There is always the bully on the playground pulling some girls hair, and stealing another boy's lunch money.

This world is not an ideal, and we can't make it into one.

What we can, and should do is make sure people know the Gospel of Jesus our Messiah, the Christ. Help them to understand salvation, and pray God gives them such an understanding as they come to a saving knowledge..

We can't save this fallen world, but we can share salvation with His lost sheep, and do our part in bringing them home.

The politics of men cant stand against it. If we stand on anything it should be for truth.

As a beside, if you were wanting the pov from other Baptists, my church membership and Baptism is with the Baptist church.

 

[Willie T]

As a Southerner and yet also a Follower I often wonder if I exist in a perpetual state of cognitive dissonance. I was raised, subversively, to admonish the South as its own entity and yet have come to experience a hatred for southern heritage that has any reflection on the past sins of slavery. I watch confederate monuments be torn down and it concerns me; only in fact that people feel the need to destroy things that they feel are hateful symbols. Maybe they are right to want them down, but are enacting their own hatred in an unlawful manner. I wonder what will become of it all...if we are, as the South are either to end up being seen as the Romans are, or as Nazi Germany, or simply a failed coup against the USA. I see the monuments as an honor to history, as a tribute to my fallen kinsmen for a cause that may have been regarding the right to own people as property, but moreso, they were willing to give their lives for the sake of what they considered their own nation; a fight against what they considered to be an oppressive government. I'm sure I am on the wrong side of history, and yet I feel the spirit of the South run through my own blood and understand that we, as Americans, can never tolerate tyranny, but also as a Christian, we cannot tolerate sinful ideologies. What are your thoughts?

What will become of it? It is inevitable.... Civil War. The Left is working hard and steadily for it to happen.

 

[twin1954]

First of all the Stars and Bars is not the Confederate flag. It is the Confederate Battle flag. The Confederate flag is altogether different.

You cannot erase history by pulling down statues. It is idiosy and ridiculous. I am a Southerner by choice and by birth. While slavery was an abomination it has, and still does, exist since Cain. Trying to erase it accomplishes nothing. It is only one of the first steps toward control by the Progressive Left. Yet the controversy brings history into light. People are having this conversation throughout our land.

I would remind all to register to vote and not let those who want to control every aspect of our live by force to win the day. VOTE!
It is in our hands to keep our freedoms given to us in the Providence of God.

Yes we belong to an Eternal Kingdom but we still live in this world. Excercise your right to vote and leave the rest to the purpose of God.

 

[Newtheran]

Like most wars, winners write the histories and simple explanations tend to leave more people in darkness than light. So repeating simplistic public school explanations like "the civil war was about slavery" or "the confederate flag is racist" is not helpful when the reality was that all sorts of different people fought and died for both banners for their own reasons.

One of the best books on the topic was written by a Professor Gene Kizer and can be seen and ordered here:

Featuring several outstanding books including, Slavery Was Not the Cause of the War Between the States, The Irrefutable Argument. by Gene Kizer, Jr. AND Charles W. Ramsdell, Dean of Southern Historians, Compiled and with Introduction by Gene Kizer, Jr.

Incidentally, recent moves by the Southern Baptist Convention to pass resolutions condemning the Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, express solidarity with homosexual nightclub goers, and promote the influx of refugees were utterly despicable and are the worst sort of pandering to a lost culture. But having thrown out the hymnal and instead installed rock bands, dancing girls, and disco balls I suppose one shouldn't be too surprised.

 

[Babe Ruth]

To me it's all subjective.. some people admire the memory of the Confederacy, some people despise it. That's a reality I can live with & respect.

The problem (my opinion) is the extreme Confederacy-haters are turning into totalitarian creeps. The lawless destruction of UNC's Silent Sam statue, uprooting & vandalizing Confederate graves, tearing Confederate flags off people's private property, etc.. it's a disturbing purge. The purge won't end with Confederate monuments, they're a low-hanging fruit. It's really about re-writing American cultural mythology.