Crisis and Commemoration

We had a great conversation this week about the essay by Kurt O. Berends called "Confederate Sacrifice and the 'Redemption' of the South.  His claim centered around the give-and-take, push-and-pull between religious interpretation and war rhetoric.  Most scholars (he identifies three different camps) discuss the effects of Christianity on the war (did it undermine the Confederacy, support it, etc.).  Berends suggests, though, that there was a lot happening the other way around, too--that the rhetoric surrounding the Confederacy: patriotism, notions of a "holy war," sacrifice, etc., influenced the way that people understood their faith.

Then we meandered over to the front of the Amelia Gayle Gorgas library and looked at the commemorative rock erected outside on the quad to memorialize those soldiers from UA who fought for the Confederate forces.  Here are two pictures, one I filched from google images and one I took while we stood there reading it Monday:

Hope you can read it...  Let me know if not, and I'll type it out and post.  The choices made with the language used is fascinating.  I'll give you the meaty bit: "The University of Alabama gave to the Confederacy-- [this many colonels, majors, officers, etc.].  Recognizing obedience to state, they loyally and uncomplainingly met the call of duty, in numberless instances sealing their devotion by their life blood.  And on April 3, 1865, the cadet corps, composed wholly of boys, went bravely forth to repel a veteran federal invading foe, of many times their number, in a vain effort to save their alma mater, from destruction by fire, which it met at the hands of the enemy on the day following"...

We talked about Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, who thought that religion should be subservient to the state...  The memorial notes the "obedience to state" which was what ostensibly led the veterans to fight (loyally and uncomplainingly, no less!)--the distinction that began to be drawn between social/political/state matters and internal religious convictions is part of what allowed "the government to lay claim to citizens' ultimate allegiance and to demand the paramount sacrifice: their lives" (Berends 103).  What do do with words/phrases like: "boys," "life blood," "veteran federal invading foe," "enemy," devotion," "call of duty"...?  

Commemoration/Memorializing is obviously an involved process...