Should the EU ban the Swastika?

[Iron Lion]

by the way the Raelian religion use the swastika as well. though they changed it in some countrys for the obviously reasons.

 

[arunma]

Universally?

I would think that you know better than I do that it is not Universally condemned. For many people the Swastika has no negative connotations whatsoever. The only blot in it's history was when the Nazi's chose to use it as it's symbol. Otherwise it has been used by peaceful Hindus, and Buddhists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

Anyway, i'm just playing devil's advocate here. If Hindus or Buddhists don't have any problems with it being banned, why would I?

I was referring to the Nazi Swastika, which is somewhat different from the Hindu Swastika.

 

[Blackmarch]

Since the European Union is considering banning the use of swastika altogether, I would like to know what you people think about the idea.

The Hindus have always been using the swastika for their religious purposes, before, during, and after Hitler's rule.

I personally think the Hindus should be allowed to continue their usage of swatika

Yes, unless it's the law to commit Genocide against a certain people there.

 

[ander_cool]

It shouldnt be banned.

 

[Sunil Bhalla]

No

 

[Machjo]

Jack Van impe said the anti christ will come from thee EU. it's suposedly where the ancient roman empire was..JVI is a prophecy scholor and televangelist.

Jack Van Impe?! yah, I remember him. Is e still on TV? He was loads of fun to watch! But a Scholar?! From what I could tell by simply following the logic of his arguments, was simply for him to pick any current event, find any random quote which could parallel the event in prophecy (which is a pretty easy thing to do if one considers te sheer size of the Bible), and link 'em together. heck, even I could ave done that job.

 

[Machjo]

"

That's quite a different situation, because let's remember that the cross is viewed by over a billion individuals as the symbol of Christianity. The swastika is universally condemned."

I thought Hindus used the swastika, so it would seem that it isn't universally condemned, but condemned only by those who lack a proper interfaith education. Just one reason I'm in favour of compulsory interfaith education in school, so as not to be so uick to label the symbols of other religions to be evil.

"I think the problem is that many evangelical Christians are also patriotic Americans. And this can become a problem, because patriotism is often incompatible with Christianity. We're Christians first, let's not forget that."

Might we be confusing patriotism and nationalism here? I generally define 'patriotism' to mean 'love of ones country', and I consider earth to be my country, so from that standpoint, I see no conflict between Christianity and patriotism, according to my definition of patriotism. As for 'nationalism', I'd devine that as a belief in the moral speriority of one nation over another, and that I sold consider to be opposed to Christian principles. maybe just different ounderstandings of 'patriotism'.

 

[Alchemist]

I voted against the EU motion. It is true that neo-nazis associate with the swastika. But it had been used as a symbol of peace and religious concepts for millenia before Hitler twisted its meaning in the public domain. I think it is a lack of education amongst the public regarding the original meaning of the swastika that is the problem.

 

[Machjo]

"

The cross is not evil, it is a symbol of great goodness. The Swastika, as used by the Nazis, cannot be rehabilitated into any semblence of goodness and represents an enormous evil. "

From my experience, some people wo were not initially aware of the dwastika's prior history quickly changed teir minds about condemning it. So as interfaith dialogue continues to spread, I suspect the animosity towards the swastika itself will disappear witin a generation. I've been able to soften people's stance on the swastika within fewer than five minutes of informing them of its historical origins, wit a permanent and non-coerced chane opinion on the part of the listener!

"Your question about the Christian cross being misused to represent evil... that has happened in the past. I would say the Christian cross would be an exception to my rule. It should never be banned.

"

So wy wold a christian symbol be an exceptin, but the swastika not?

 

[Machjo]

by the way the Raelian religion use the swastika as well. though they changed it in some countrys for the obviously reasons.

Why did they change it a bit? It's not their fault that the Nazi symbol looked the way it did? That means the Nazi's get precedence and special preiviledes to keep the swastika for themselves.

As a parallel example. here in China there's a big problem with prostitution in some cities, and te city I live in now is one of them. Now when i first came here, I was so shocked by this and ill at ease to even come near any brothel (and by near I mean even walking on the same side of the streat they're on or, if there are many on both sides of the street, avoid the street altogether. I'd even take the long way to get places just to avoid such streets until a local friend of mine, taking me to visit one of his friends, happenned to take such a street as a shortcut to get there. When he saw I did'nt like the street, he replied, 'then you're relegating your rights to the prostitutes. This street is public, wasn't created for them alone, and so there's no way I'll walk around the block so that they can have this street just for themselves. I have a right to this street too, and so will use it!" And guess what, he was right. From that point forward I'd just ignore the brothels and use whichever street was most convenient to get where I need to go. The same ought to apply fro the swastika. It was not created for the Nazis, the Nazis stole it, wo wy should the EU now grant the Nazis perpetual rights to it? The Hindus, Bddhists, etc, ought to reclaim it as their rightful property!

 

[Machjo]

This from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

Te first paragraph goes:

"The history of the swastika goes back to the origins of human habitation of the Eurasian continent. The swastika is an important symbol in Buddhism and Hinduism, among others, and was also used in Native American faiths prior to World War II. In Buddhism, this sign was used to express the four elements. What may be the first known book included a picture of Buddha with a swastika sign on his chest. By the early twentieth century it was regarded worldwide as a symbol of good luck and auspiciousness. A swastika was featured on the spine of books by Rudyard Kipling and the symbol was used by Robert Baden-Powell's Boy Scout movement."

Wuite arich history, if I may say so myself. And the next paragraph:
"Since the rise of the National Socialist German Workers Party, the swastika has been associated with fascism, racism, World War II, and the Holocaust in much of the western world. Prior to this, it was particularly well-recognized in Europe from the archaeological work of Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the symbol in the site of ancient Tro

It wold seem to me that the Nazis have really done a wonderful job of highjacking such a rich part of history.