It had been a year since I saw my family. In the Army, it was a year of obeying orders, marching routines, weapons drills, fire and movement, and making beds my non-commissioned officers (NCOs) could bounce a coin on. Still, the wide eyes and strange rumours that passed to me from family and friends piqued my curiosity — I’d missed something big. I had left a small Christian church that was ambitious but still grounded in what I believed to be community values and selfless ideals. I returned to a church that had joined a radical, international network spurred to indoctrinate the broader community: the ISAAC Network. 

The Gallipoli campaign was an important secondary campaign of the war, though far from decisive for its outcome. I want to address three apparently common beliefs about Anzac Day which I believe are misconceptions: that Australia was a (or the) major participant at Gallipoli; that Anzac Day commemorates those who died to defend our country; and that Anzac Day is a glorification of war or crude nationalism. Then I will conclude with some reflections on what I consider to be the real purpose of Anzac Day, and the proper mode in which it ought to be observed.

In The Australian on March 25 this year, front page and op-ed coverage was given to objections by the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney to the final report of the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) on religious schools. The ALRC’s final report had been released the previous Thursday. The headline on page 1 was, ‘We are losing our religion, slice by slice’. Archbishop Anthony Fisher’s objections warrant comment among Rationalists... Fisher declares that the ALRC has ignored expressions of concern raised in response to its interim report and has given “no weight to the benefit faith-based schooling has been to millions of Australian families for more than 200 years”. But he confuses two things here: the motivation of religious believers to teach children knowledge and skills useful in making a life, versus the instruction of such children in specifically religious belief.

Most people, at one time or another, act foolishly. However, truly ignorant individuals exhibit a lack of introspection and stubbornly cling to their opinions, regardless of how irrational they may be. These people demonstrate unwavering self-assurance and are often oblivious to their own inadequacies. They craft retrospective justifications to validate their beliefs and hold onto them. Even when presented with opportunities for personal growth and change, they seem incapable of breaking free from their entrenched habits. Reasoning with stubborn individuals can be as perplexing as it is frustrating. Many have written it off as a hopeless task.