Whose Church?

The well suited, bowler hatted, orange sash wearing official angrily said, “No one will tell me which road I can or cannot walk to church”. The words stuck in my mind and I couldn’t shift the image of the angry man who was on his way, with his marching band  to his place of worship. Or was he? A little while later, in order to maintain the peace, the police tried to reroute the orangemen away from a possible flashpoint. But why stop trouble from the enemy, when you can make some of your own. After all, they didn’t really want to march, they wanted to fight, and fight they did.

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Luke 10:29 NIV

A modern day parallel would be where a protestant orange marcher, seeing his catholic neighbour hurting (that could be physical or emotional) would leave the marching band and try to look after the catholic. After all, the orangemen were on their way to church, right? If only it was that simple, or easy. But it isn’t because we have complicated it.

You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:43-45 NIV

The man who was on his way to church had been walking behind an open Bible, a symbol of the faith he possesses, but it is evident that his Bible doesn’t have these passages, or if it did, he had missed them somehow. The resulting yob, mob violence against the police was inexcusable on every level. One of their ‘own’ MPs was even knocked unconscious as he tried to intervene, but a mob has no ears, just very angry voices, and wielding a big stick (or two!). Was I dreaming, or did Northern Ireland host the recent G8 summit, and receive all sorts of praise for the progress they had made in achieving peace across the sectarian divide? In the words of the ancient sage, ‘aye right!!’

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:21,22 NIV

In the interests of accuracy, could we rename the euphemistically titled ‘marching season’ to the ‘fighting season’, or maybe the ‘angry season’, or even the ‘hate season’? At least until that church going angry man, and others like him, can find these passages in the Bible?

Marching Season

Everybody likes a band, and especially a marching band. These spectacles are exciting and stimulate the blood of supporters. The sound of the massed pipes and drums never fail to confirm my Scottish blood. But wait a minute, I am a first generation Scot. My Dad was, and all his family still are Irish, so I can claim legitimately to have a vested interest in both countries and cultures.

The ‘Marching Season’ stirs my blood too, but for very different reasons. The name is given to the time in summer, in Northern Ireland, where masses of marchers take up their flutes and drums, and beat their way down the public streets, including those areas who are opposed to their views... and especially those opposing areas, to celebrate a battle some 300+ years ago. I am not aware of any other band which marches to a 300 year old tune. Do you? Once again, some marches were spoiled by sectarian opposition throwing stones, bottles and petrol bombs at the police. The authorities stood by and watched while the violence unfolded in the streets of Belfast, just like the old days of ‘the troubles’. Supporters of the march will say it’s their right to march wherever they want, and they are right. It is a free country after all, but freedom at what price? Is the price of blood and broken bodies enough?

To balance the scales, there are also the Irish Republican Hibernian marches, which are staged to say simply, we are here and you didn’t whip us 300 years ago after all. In my book, one side is as bad as the other. Neither are interested in anything other than their own narrow view, and each is right (in their own minds). Having said all that, let me make an observation about the minority of Republican protesters in Northern Ireland, living in a country they don’t like. They are happy to live in a more prosperous part of Ireland, and work there paying taxes, or if they are unemployed will happily draw benefit payments, and use the health services. If they have children, they will be educated in the same system as the one they are opposed to. I may be simplistic in my thinking, but would it not be the rational thing to move to the Southern part of the land where they can live out their own ideal lifestyle? That would let them march in the Hibernian parades without the threat of violence, and they wouldn’t have to put up with the Loyalist marches in the North which annoy them so much.

Let me try to balance things a little, while realising that there will always be a minority living among us, in our multi cultural society, who cannot be reasoned with. Why persist in marching to celebrate a 300 year old battle? Why keep old wounds open and sore? Would it be so very bad for society if these marches were stopped? Of course that applies to the other sectarian half of the problem, the Hibernian marches. These also attract trouble from the ‘opposite side’. If we are ever going to be able to live together, does it not follow that we shouldn’t intentionally wind the other side up? Of course it’s deliberate, what other reason can there be? The rest of us are only putting up with these marchers as they peddle their own hatred, and we can easily live without them. So, if either side doesn’t like where they live enough to make them violent against it, can they just leave and go elsewhere? Please? For the sake of the rest of us who want to live in peace with each other. Oh yes, Protestants and Catholics really can get on together. It’s really not difficult. Ordinary, good people do it all the time. It’s only the bad ones who can’t. These same ordinary, good people, can live without BOTH of these sectarian, troublesome, violent, hate filled parades!