The Order of St Michael and St George: a racist Royal honour, or just apocalyptic dualism?

Jun 23, 2020 by

by Archbishop Cranmer:

As the statues fall, the expurgation expands. Someone has noticed (quite impressively) that The Order of St Michael and St George (instituted in 1818) depicts a white St Michael standing on the neck of a black Satan. “This is a highly offensive image,” they say. “It is also reminiscent of the recent murder of George Floyd by the white policeman in the same manner presented here in this medal.” And so they have started a petition: “We the undersigned are calling for this medal to completely redesigned in a more appropriate way and for an official apology to be given for the offence it has given!”

Yes, there’s an exclamation mark.

And there might well be, because, oh!, this campaign is a shriek of an absurdity and a vertex of ridiculousness. Black and white dualism is as ancient as the Ancient Near East: when the earth was without form and void, there was darkness upon the face of the deep. And when the Spirit of God moved, He spoke the light into existence: ‘And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.’ And in this light there is truth and virtue and the heavenly host; and in the darkness is sin and evil and the doctrine of demons. We moved from the Dark Ages toward the Age of Enlightenment; from obscurity to clarity; from nightfall to morning.

Evil is darkness and shadows; good is whiteness, purity and innocence. We dream of a white Christmas; the President lives in the White House; Snow White is radiant and so is the Pope; pacifist poppies are white; wedding dresses are white; white lies are excusable; Mary’s lamb had a fleece…

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