Hamilton, Andrew
‘Anzac Day celebrates humanity, not nationalism‘, Eureka Street, 17, 7, 16 April 2007
Extended discussion of the religious aspects of Anzac Day, including whether it qualifies as a secular religion. (The author suggests ‘that in the Christian tradition, at least, we should hesitate to describe Anzac Day as a sacred event’.) Also looks at the secular side, in terms similar to those of another author from a Jesuit background.
More ambiguous are the recent nationalist emphases in the celebration of Anzac Day—the proliferation of flags, the singing of national anthems, and the desire to make Anzac Day emblematic of Australian values. These things diminish the real humanity of those who have died in order to allow another generation to inflate its image of itself.