A talk I heard recently given by a Pastor really resonated with me for many reasons; mostly when he highlighted the vast range of opinions people of the same Christian faith have. Not differences in doctrine, simply opinions.

He pointed out that everyone has an opinion, but everyone thinks that their opinion is more important than those of others; and moreover, they unreasonably force their opinion on them and possibly don’t consider others worthy of even having an opinion.

He suggested that fellow Christians who wonder whether it was OK if they engaged in certain behaviour should simply “ask God” and then follow their conscience. The answer may be different for different people.

I enjoyed the talk, particularly his remarkable tolerance of people of difference. It’s not so common nowadays.

And it’s not just people of faith, is it? Deep and aggressive intolerance of someone with a different point of view is endemic in our society.

Nowhere is this more evident than this week of Remembrance. Even the very act of remembering individuals killed in war and conflict has become incredibly contentious.

Like most things, sadly, there has been great division over remembrance throughout Northern Ireland for many years. But it seems quite remarkable that in Britain itself, which played such a leading and central role in two world wars, there is increasing controversy over the nature of remembrance.

The student council at Cambridge University voted down a proposal for remembrance events, with talk of in some quarters of “imperialist propaganda” and more and more now we hear British voices suggesting that remembrance “glorifies war".

This seems remarkable to me for a country such as Britain, and I suppose one should say that the majority voices and the establishment still revels in the pomp and ceremony of Armistice events. In a BBC programme, Jeremy Paxman was discussing World War One conscientious objectors, particularly those of the extreme view that their principles were absolute in not taking part in any act of war. One living descendant said her relative believed “The message of Jesus was not to kill".

Paxman thought these people were “cranks”. “War was dreadful and it was bloody,” he said. “But unless Britain was prepared to see the rest of Europe turned into some enormous German colony, it had to be fought and most British people saw that.”

That’s more akin to the British establishment view, no?

This week, of course, is the 100th anniversary of the ending of the First World War, and much television coverage has focused on that awful conflict in which 17 million people died.

A glorious conflict? Hardly, as young soldiers, many of them just kids suffered the horrors of mucky, cold, trenches infested with rats and lice. Some of the letters home from young men that emerged were truly heartbreaking. Many of them sent to certain death “over the top”. And many of those who survived the unimaginable horror of war returned home with shocking injuries or mental nightmares for the rest of their lives.

Who can forget the poignant ending to the “Blackadder Goes Forth” series when Rowan Atkinson’s character had tried to unsuccessfully to be discharged from the army by pretending to be mad. “I mean,” he said, “who would’ve noticed another madman around here". As he blew his whistle and said “Good luck everyone” and signalled his men to charge hopelessly into a barrage of gunfire.

The original idea for Armistice Day and Remembrance Day was simply that, to remember and to honour those people who died.

Like many people, I had a relative killed in World War One, my great-uncle Private Willie Woods. He had emigrated to Canada but joined the Royal Canadian Highlanders who fought in France. A few days before he was gassed, he wrote to his parents in Ballinamallard, a letter which is still in the possession of my relative, Helen Humphries.

Uncle Willie’s last letter recalled getting a letter from Mr. Brownlee; “I was in such a hurry to read it that I crept into a dugout, out of the way of the shells and bullets to read it; they were not half flying around at the time. Our artillery were shelling the German trenches. We could hardly hear each other talk with the roar of our guns.”

It is correctly recognised now that many Irish men, north and south, Protestant and Catholic fought for Britain, for varying reasons. A spectacular art display in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin remembers the 36,000 Irish men and women who died in World War One. There are many tales of heroism and laying down lives for their fellow man.

The nature of war has changed over a century, with different and ever more powerful weapons. But the death and destruction, the suffering of those left behind and the continuing agony of those returning with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder remains as the same testament to the brutality and futility of young men and women being sent to certain death in their thousands by governments in power.

Rather than glorifying war, acts of remembrance highlight its horror and be a lesson to today’s society. Nobody needed to tell the families suffering loss that war was far from glorious. Originally, the people who engaged in Remembrance ceremonies were honouring the sacrifice of their loved ones in a personal way. And that’s the way it should still be.

People who are remembering the war dead in this respectful way are entitled to do so, and if they consider it appropriate they should wear their poppy, which is after all a universal symbol.

There is, though, a line being continually crossed. Some misguided factions in Britain now use the poppy and remembrance itself as a political badge and a way of forcing others into their jingoistic agenda.

Neither do I understand the obsession with sport, in particular football, with displays of remembrance.

The story of the footballer James McClean emerges at this time year as regular as clockwork. Why is it even a story any more? He has explained why he doesn’t wear a poppy on this shirt. Move on.

The video clip of so-called football fans, faces contorted with rage, coming down to the sideline to pour venomous abuse on McClean shows the very nature of disrespect for other people that would abhor the men and women whose young lives were cut short.

Anyone who doesn’t want to wear a poppy shouldn’t even have to explain why they don’t.

And those who do wear one to remember the sacrifice of previous generations should also be respected.

As my Christian Pastor friend said, respect and tolerate everyone’s opinion.