Reflections on Peace

I actually started this post last summer, but it was becoming so long that I set it to the side. These thoughts have reared themselves up again this week, so here I go again.

I detest this sign. It actually makes my skin crawl. My father (an American hero...US Marine and Vietnam Veteran) finds offense at this symbol (as do many, many others.) And it's everywhere. I can't shop at Old Navy, Target, Wal-Mart or Children's Place for my daughter without finding clothes plastered with this symbol. Every day at school, at least half of the girls in any given class are sporting the peace symbol somewhere on their clothes.

I get it. The world is looking for peace. But peace is not the absence of conflict, it's the presence of God. Let me say that again: PEACE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF CONFLICT, IT'S THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

But Satan, that great deceiver, is trying to get people to settle for false peace. The apparent peace that comes from the absence of conflict. That's why this symbol is everywhere.

The night before His crucifixion, Jesus had His last heart-to-heart talk with His disciples. Read John 14-16 to catch a glimpse of Christ's heart. But one of the most precious promises He makes is found in chapter 14, verse 27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Jesus does not promise that all of their conflict will be over. He does promise to give them the same peace that has allowed Him to continue to do His Father's will, even in the face of opposition, death threats, and His pending crucifixion.

I guess the thing that makes me so disturbed by the presence of the peace symbol everywhere is knowing that the peace that's offered by that symbol is so imperfect. It's so shallow and empty, and we have a world getting sucked in to the empty promises it offers.

On sharing these thoughts the other day with other Christians, I was surprised to find how many of them (who also proudly sport the peace symbol) think it's a great thing. They view it as an opportunity to open doors of conversation. I see their point, but let me offer a few of my own:

1. If our veterans are highly offended by this symbol, and you claim to support our troops, why wear it?

2. (and maybe my bigger point) There is a lot of evidence that the origins of the peace symbol (and it's use through the ages) are very anti-Christian (and possibly Satanic). During Nero's reign, many Christians were crucified upside down (tradition tells us this is how the Apostle Peter was martyred). The peace sign is an upside-down broken cross. I found this information at http://www.crossroads.to/: PEACE SYMBOL or a BROKEN UPSIDE-DOWN CROSS: Like many simple symbols, it meant different things at different times. Some call it Nero's cross, linking it to the notorious Roman emperor who persecuted Christians. Centuries later, it was recognized as an old Norse Rune. After WW2 (1939-1945), it was found on the tombstones of some of Hitler's SS troops and labeled 'The Dead Man Rune.' Revived in the sixties by hippies and others who protested nuclear weapons, Western culture, and Christian values, it became a worldwide symbol of a new age of global peace and earth-centered unity. But many heavy metal rock fans would agree with Nero and have used it to mock Christ and His followers.

Even if there was little to support this (but I believe there is), the very fact that this symbol could be anti-Christian makes me wonder why so many Christians would choose to wear it. It's obviously a stumbling block to many, and I believe misleads those who haven't yet experienced perfect peace through Christ.