www.belfastlive.co.uk/.../mum-autistic-child-12-hurt-27033456
A twelve-year-old boy, from the Protestant end of Derry, was attacked by Youths asking him whether he supported Celtic or Rangers. He was diagnosed with Autism, and was placed in instant panic.
its funny irish always blame britain for the violence in ireland and claim "england started it" when infact england did nothing and they started killing each other over their religion, which is the exact same religion anyway if they didnt realise lol then british troops had to stand in the middle of it to stop a the killings of civilians they was doing.
in the uk we dont really have religion.... we have it, but its not important... so we dont get it one bit why ireland is like that. especially seeing as its all just christianity, its not supposed to be at war with itself.... id understand if it was like... in greece or something and orthodox vs catholicism seeing as catholicism ruined byzantium and got most of the greeks wiped out. but thats the only real justification for christianity against christianity.
its funny irish always blame britain for the violence in ireland and claim "england started it" when infact england did nothing and they started killing each other over their religion, which is the exact same religion anyway if they didnt realise lol then british troops had to stand in the middle of it to stop a the killings of civilians they was doing.
in the uk we dont really have religion.... we have it, but its not important... so we dont get it one bit why ireland is like that. especially seeing as its all just christianity, its not supposed to be at war with itself.... id understand if it was like... in greece or something and orthodox vs catholicism seeing as catholicism ruined byzantium and got most of the greeks wiped out. but thats the only real justification for christianity against christianity.
I know what you mean and I can understand your sentiment given the rise of secularism over the years but Protestantism for better or for worse was an English invention stemming from Henry VIII being frankly a bit of a kn*b (after you realise lack of male heir falls on the father who is responsible for the X or Y chromasome of the child, and he just wanted a swift out so he could try again with a new woman after beheading a few for no fault of their own) also it has always benefitted England to subjugate it's neighbours it might not have always kept it's foot on the gas pedal but in historic terms yes in actual fact England TECHNICALLY did start it. However I am with you, even as I am from a Catholic background it is
all just christianity,
afaic for all intents and purposes. When you consider the greater difference to other religions.
Anyways I've gotten off track - a wee bit. Really TBH I thought you might appreciate this skit by Dara Ó Briain on the topic of Prot' meets Cath' in a wedding.
I replied clarifying one or two things you’ve understandably got muddled on there (the news media tends to use reductive shorthand that significantly obfuscates things to anyone who’s not from NI) - but because I made a refining edit or two, Askimet (I assume) flagged it as spam. Hopefully it will reappear in due course once the mods get a chance to see it’s fine.
I’m less well versed than I should be on the intricacies (because I just want a life detached from all of the whataboutery that will still take a generation or two to fade in a fair few others - I’m not interested in ‘sides’) but even I know that what you’ve said is a bit of a misunderstanding. Put it this way, nobody here during the troubles was fighting over a difference of opinion on transubstantiation or whether clergy should be married or anything like that.
Instead, the main issue has been unionism vs republicanism/nationalism. A territorial dispute. And one over what constituted a fair definition of equal civil rights. I can understand why it seems in a five minute news piece like ‘Catholics vs Protestants’ is what it amounts to. But that’s because unionists tend to be Protestants (though not exclusively) and nationalists tend to be Catholics (though not exclusively). Has it led as a side effect to some bigotry about ‘opposing’ the other religious denomination in a significant minority? Yes. But it’s not really what the whole things been about. No more than it’s been about football teams.
And most Christians here -the vast, vast majority- of any denomination are just good, well intentioned charitably minded people with a faith that guides their hearts, just like it is anywhere else in the world. Lots of inter-faith collaboration just like every other part of the globe. And a fervent hope among the overwhelming majority that nobody else ever gets shot or blown up or attacked because of dislike for the unlike.
But I absolutely understand that soundbite journalism has unhelpfully made it sound otherwise.
