I have a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon on my desk which says
“History is the fiction we invent to persuade ourselves that events are knowable and that life has order and direction.”

I find this more accurate than the cliché “history is written by the winners” because Calvin highlights that we yearn for an understanding of life—even if we have to create fictions to comfort ourselves. This is fine if we all agree on our fictions, but we don’t.

I have a small buddha statue in my yard. I like it. Likely not everyone would. But it is only visible within my fenced back yard.

But why do we have public statues?
Well, as humans, we have been making monuments to glorify people and ideas since human beginnings. And since we started making statues, other people have started tearing them down. The ancient Romans had a policy of this: damnatio memoriae is Latin meaning “condemnation of memory”, indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts. New Roman governments would attempt to destroy visual depictions of emperors or public figures who were deemed unworthy of being part of the “new” community. Their names would be scratched out from inscriptions; their statues destroyed, their portraits reworked on frescos; and coins bearing their image would effaced. On July 9, 1776, rebellious American colonists pulled down a statue of King George III in New York City. The statue was melted down to make musket balls to fire at the British.

A statue is an attempt at immortality. It is a way of solidifying an idea and pressing it on other people. That is what’s really at issue today with the destruction of Civil War statues. It is not the statues themselves but the idea they represent. And these are public displays, so these statues are claiming that their version of history is “the” version of history and their ideology is “the” ideology.

But, our societal version of history is shifting. Some folks might say it is “eroding,” but I prefer to say it is “progressing.” The increasing cries against racism, George Floyd’s killing, and militarized police are so loud that our agreement of history is evolving. Statues that glorify the Confederacy or suppress Blacks are falling. Why? Because more and more of us are outraged by the highly fictionalized account of how our society was formed and how it manifested. A statue that glorifies those who fought to support the institution of slavery is no longer inspiring—it is destructively harmful. Finally, these statues are being seen with new eyes that reveal the hidden agenda of sustaining of slavery and racism.

A statue is best when it inspires us—not when projected as an historical fact. History is a version of the past that is mutually agreed upon. Since history is not a record of facts, but of an implicit agreement—and when we no longer agree, history must evolve to fit the new agreement. But currently we do not seem to be able to agree upon anything. Our divisiveness extends to most aspects of what is important to us. We cannot agree on issues that are moral, political, religious, climate, or financial. No wonder we cannot agree upon history. More statues will come down—and more anger will be flamed. I guess this is how history evolves.

So, what can a religious person do or think about public statues?
That is up to you, but I’m trying to see statues as representations of our cultural values.
And if a statue does not represent values that I desire for future generations (or values that inspire me), I think it is time for the statue to leave the public arena. If it no longer serves to inspire values that can guide us toward the beloved community, I believe it should go. But do my opinions change history? Only if there are enough people who share my opinion, and we make a new mutual agreement. I hope that is happening.

The norm of humanity is destruction, not preservation. May we all hold onto and preserve and promote the values that bring more compassion, more caring, and more justice to everyone……………….yours in shared virtual ministry…………..Russ