General Chat

Totally agree with Carol, white poppies to me have a nasty similarity to the white feathers handed out by stupid women, to men not in uniform. The red poppy has no religious symbolism to me and I wasn't aware that it was supposed to! OC

I had always thought that it was a WHITE DOVE that was a universal symbol for peace. During WW!, white FEATHERS were sent to 'conchies', people who were considered cowards and to my mind, wearing a white poppy is tantamount to saying that these brave young men and woman who sacrificed there lives, were cowards! I shall wear my RED poppy with pride this week-end.

Hi Aileen:-)) I agree what has religion got to do with it,nothing! Men/women of all creeds have died in war,not all of them were Christians,I believe some were Hindus,Jews e.t.c who fought In the British army alone. religion has nothing to do with it. Roxanne x

Poppies are red. Period .....as they say in the US

Personally, I would never dream of wearing a white poppy. It symbolises nothing to me. To me the red poppy is in remembrance of those who fell in all wars not just at Flanders. It cuts across all colour, creed, faiths etc. What has religion got to do with it. Could someone explain? Aileen xxx

How ridiculous is that suggestion? I've seen Hindu's wearing Remembrance Poppies, so why would they want a white 'christian' one? They are red for the reasons stated previously (which I never knew so thank you) and they should stay RED!!

what an absolute disgrace - white poppies have you ever heard anything so stupid I for one wouldnt buy them - stick to the red and tell these people to get lost is my answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Karen,I thought so too,this is from the B.B.C Red poppy 'less Christian' claim The red poppy is a symbol of remembrance for fallen soldiers A Christian lobby group says the wearing of red poppies is 'politically correct' and stifles debate. The director of Ekklesia, Jonathan Bartley, says people should be able to choose between red or white ones. He told the BBC: 'The red poppy suggests the idea that our soldiers died for freedom but that's not a value-free position.' The Royal British Legion said the red version was 'a symbol of the need to... reflect on the human cost of war'. The Co-operative Women's Guild produced the first white version in 1933 as a symbol for peace. Mr Bartley, writing in an edition of the Anglican newspaper The Church Times, said that the red poppy implied redemption can come through war. He wrote that the Christian story implies redemption through non-violent sacrifice, and therefore the white poppy is more Christian than the red type. Mr Bartley also said British public figures wear the red poppy almost as an 'article of faith' while simultaneously being told not to wear items like crucifixes. RED POPPY DAY Flower has been symbol of remembrance since 1921 for those who died during the two World Wars and other conflicts Canadian doctor John McCrae wrote a poem in his pocket book in 1915 called In Flanders Fields Poem eventually published in Punch Magazine and the poppy became popular symbol for those killed in battle In 1918 American Moira Michael wrote a poem in reply We Shall Keep the Faith promising to wear a poppy in honour of the dead, beginning tradition of remembrance poppies First Poppy Day held in Britain on November 11, 1921, and hailed a success, raising £106,000 What's the right time to start wearing a poppy? He said: 'The Christian tradition, and specifically the crucifix, have a great deal in common with the poppy. 'Both are linked to sacrifice. Both take a location of bloodshed and violence and make a statement about it. 'And both attempt to give us hope in the face of death. They imply that those who died did not do so in vain. 'But whilst apparently banned from wearing one symbol of hope, the cross, public figures in Britain are simultaneously urged, indeed in many cases, required, to wear another, the red poppy, almost as an article of faith. 'There is a political correctness about the red poppy, which often goes unnoticed.' Mr Bartley, a member of the Church of England, also said churches should offer congregations alternatives to the red poppy, such as the white one. HAVE YOUR SAY I wear red. The red poppy is not a religious or PC symbol Ed, Teesside Send us your comments 'Churches, who host so many services of remembrance, should at least give people the choice, and make white poppies more widely available, alongside red ones.' A spokesman for The Royal British Legion said: 'The Legion cannot comment on matters spiritual. Our concern is with remembrance and the welfare of the living. 'The Red Poppy is an internationally-recognised symbol of remembrance and has been so since the end of the First World War. 'The Legion held the first Poppy Appeal in 1921 to raise money for its welfare work in the ex-service community and since then it has encouraged the wearing of the red poppy as a poignant symbol of the need to pause and reflect on the human cost of war.' The BBC's religious affairs correspondent, Robert Pigott, accepts that Ekklesia's call for parity for the white poppy is provocative. He also reports that the white version have been a controversial symbol since being introduced by anti-war groups 73 years ago.

It just goes to show that the person suggesting white poppies replace red has absolutely no idea of the history or meaning behind the whole thing. Tell me it's a wind up. In fact, it has to be!!!!! Karen x

Hi All,Im glad im not alone:-) I knew about the poppy fields, and why we wear red poppies,I think its so sad that people have to make out theres something sinister in it,I will be wearing my RED poppy,with Pride:-) Hi Linda,Im fine,I hope you are too, we must stop meeting like thislol

No i wouldn,t buy a white one Red is significant a tribute to the fallen. Junex

Hi Roxanne, How are you, I dont think white poppies should replace our red like you say it is for our men that gave there lives. And the reason that they are Red is because they started to grow on the fields at Flanders where many of our men lost lives So thats how the poppy was picked Linda

I wish the cretin who resurrected this one again would keep quiet The red poppy is used as a symbol of remembrance, used because the WW1 soldiers were buried in poppy fields. Any suggestion that it is somehow sinister is nonsense. He may be some important clergyman, but he's still an idiot.

It has been said that white is more Christian, personally I dont think the colour means the glorification of war. the wearing of a red poppy is s mark of respect for ALL the men and women who died for freedom, In all the wars ever fought. red is the colour of blood,blood shed for our freedom, I dont see anything shameful about it. what do you think?