Home

Personally, I think it's in poor taste to take an iconic symbol of a gruesome war (Iwo Jima) and use it as a self-serving religious logo that had NOTHING to do with that battle. Especially when you consider that 3 of the 6 men depicted in the actual Iwo Jima flag raising photo were killed in action.

Well, personally, I don't see it that way. The youth group wanted something that represented hope and dedication. They wanted something to show that they weren't giving up, on their future or their generation.

%22Hope%22 and %22dedication%22 are noble pursuits and are definitely good messages for a youth ministry - that's not what I'm adverse towards. The Iwo Jima photo is an icon of that war and is representative of the thousands of soldiers who died in it. IT'S A MEMORIAL TO THOSE MEN - not clip art. The fact that you've taken that image and spun it to fit the needs of the ministry is just plain insulting IMO. I doubt a veteran of that war would be too supportive of your alteration of the visual. I'm sure there are other less sacred visuals out there that you could have used instead.

I have to disagree with sdijock. I like the logo. Christianity is often called a war or a battle. Thriving to be as Christ-like as possible in a world that tempts otherwise. I think it's especially fitting for a youth program. This is coming from someone who has several family members who fought in Iwo Jima, some of them dying there.

Sorry, I should have clarified the %22hope%22 and %22determination%22 remark. It sounds like you're a history guy, like my self, and if you remember when this photo was taken the war wasn't going well for the US. War bond sales were way down, supplies and rations were shrinking rapidly and the morale was low. This picture gave people hope. That was my thinking. I'm not sure how veterans would interpret the logo, I'm not one. My grandfather was though, and I can only draw from that. To use this likeness for a Christian youth group in a Christian church I don't think would offend him. Offending any veteran is far from what I had in mind. I know I won't change your mind, nor would I want to. Thanks for the feedback.

@red - I appreciate your insight and your heartfelt defense of your work. Good luck to you.

@sdijock - this concept has been used for many things, including having the men put up a golf flag... i wouldn't read to much into it :) good design tho

@penflare - No offense, but regardless of how it's been used in the past still doesn't make it right to alter the original image IMO. If you took an image of the twin towers and altered it to suit your logo needs, regardless of how good your intentions were, you'd most definitely be persecuted in America today. Why is the Iwo Jima image any different? It's still symbolic of a specific tragic event, just as the towers are.**I'm not reading into anything and I'm also not trying to stand up on a soap box by any means, but things like this just don't sit well with me sometimes. And I agree, the overall execution of the logo is good, I just think the image choice could be better.