Life After Death

Earlier this week, I noticed Rowan Williams spouting guff. Now, I’d expect religious leaders to try to convince us that their myths and legends are “the truth” it is, after all, their business. But Soldiers?

Death is not the end and soldiers need to be spiritually better prepared for war, according to the head of the British Army.

General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, said that Christian leaders and chaplains in the Army needed to equip soldiers for the spiritual issues at stake.

I know, there was a time when they did – Cry God for England, St George and Harry and all that. Leaders have used the idea of others’ sacrifice on their behalf in this life for the hope of eternal reward in another often enough in the past, but in this day and age, do people still fall for this charlatans’ fraud? General Dannatt may be sincere. He may genuinely believe in the Christian God and Heaven, but, like the rest of us, he cannot know that this is what happens when the lights are finally snuffed out, no one does. Therefore, surely, it is an individual matter and nothing to do with anyone else.

“In my business, asking people to risk their lives is part of the job, but doing so without giving them the chance to understand that there is a life after death is something of a betrayal,” he said.

No. The betrayal is the peddling of false hope. Without absolute certainty, without absolute proof and evidence, no one can make such promises. To do so is fraudulent.

Soldiers go to war. When they do, they do so knowing full well that they might not come home again. They do so with the only certain knowledge that this life is the only one they have, that it is precious. Feeding them myths and legends isn’t going to help them – unless, they are predisposed to believe it and in that case, they go with their own god(s).

The General, an unabashed evangelical Anglican Christian himself, said that he saw it as incumbent on him in his role in the Army to include a spiritual dimension when preparing soldiers for war.

Sigh… Then he should behave like a professional and keep his religious beliefs to himself. Using his position to peddle them is a disgraceful abuse of position. But, then, that’s Christianity for you – part of the system is to convert non-believers, no matter how reprehensible such behaviour is.

“I think there is very much an obligation on . . . a Christian leader to include a spiritual dimension into his people’s preparations for operations, and the general conduct of their lives,”

No, there is nothing of the sort. As a General, your obligation is to ensure that the men and women under your command are properly trained, equipped, competent and knowledgeable for the tasks they face. Their spiritual beliefs are nothing to do with you and using your position to peddle your faith is wickedness.

“Qualities and core values are fine as a universally acceptable moral baseline for leadership, but the unique life, death, resurrection and promises of Christ provide that spiritual opportunity that I believe takes the privilege of leadership to another level.”

Qualities and core values are plenty sufficient. The rest is nothing more than ancient Hebrew myth and legend with no empirical evidence to support it – or do we now believe that Mithras, Hercules, Thor and Ahmun were all real?

“Character defines the person – it answers the question as to whether this is someone to emulate and with what enthusiasm. Integrity establishes the moral baseline to lead.”

Oh, absolutely. One does not, however, need to believe in the supernatural to have those qualities. People can, and do, go knowingly to their deaths with no expectation of anything to follow. As for General Dannatt, he is obliged to ensure that should they want to, his service personnel have access to a chaplain. That is the end of his spiritual obligations. Anything more than that, is an imposition.