Journal News
A news bulletin for E-mail subscribers from Christians Evangelizing Catholics
E-mail: Do67done@aol.com Website: www.dodone.org
November 20, 2001
Copied from Protestant Truth. November/December 2001
See Rebuttal at the close of article
It is sadly predictable to see how the broadcasting media continue to demonstrate a biased selectivity in the choice of coverage of events in Northern Ireland.
The recent images of Roman Catholic children being escorted to school through a small Protestant community despite the fact that their parents knew that protests, which had started a few days before the end of the previous term, were inevitable, typically gave little insight into the widespread grievances among the Protestant residents.
Prior to the start of these protests the broadcasting media showed no interest in the terrible suffering the Protestants were having to endure on a daily basis to the extent that they had reached the point of exasperation.
Did the media not wonder why, when throughout the 30 years of the "troubles", Roman Catholic children had been able to walk this route to school unharmed and unhindered, the Protestant community suddenly felt compelled to demonstrate frustration at the ignoring by everyone of their situation.
Your readers will of course not be aware that since the signing of the so called "peace agreement", entire Protestant communities in three streets in north Belfast have systematically been driven from their homes because of nightly attacks by Roman Catholics orchestrated by Sein Fein; the objective is to acquire more housing for an increasing Roman Catholic population. In Twaddell Avenue, to mention only one situation, all 45 homes owned by Protestants were attacked by a mob of over one hundred Roman Catholics, who carried bins filled with stones and bottles into the area, and of the homes attacked apart from five families the other forty are occupied by pensioners - I didn't see any television interviews with the traumatised pensioners.
Recently one elderly Protestant gentleman was in the process of moving his belongings when two Roman Catholics came into the street and beat him to death and did this receive any television coverage not a mention!
Similarly both in 2000 and 2001 the annual junior Orange parade in Portadown has been attacked by Roman Catholics throwing stones and petrol bombs the boys in the parade are in their early teens - and again this was not on your television screens.
One can't help but think of the Drumcree situation where Roman Catholics are able openly to say they don't want a Protestant orange lodge to return from a Somme commemoration church service down the mainly nationalist Drumcree road and the Government brings in extra troops to ensure that no orange feet are placed on that road.
Contrary to many news reports, the blast bomb was thrown at the police and not at the children. It was at a time when emotions were at their highest in the Protestant area as the previous day a 16 year old Protestant boy who had thrown a stone at a car owned by a Roman Catholic lady had been killed after she chased him in the car and knocked him down: she is currently under arrest.
The Sein Fein representative for the area Gerry Kelly admitted that many of the parents were Sein Fein supporters and no doubt at these meetings at the end of each day he congratulated them on their television appearances and gave them a briefing on what to say in their interviews the following day. Sein Fein are masters at propaganda because they are the best liars and know how to milk every situation to the extreme. Again I would point out that Brendan Mailey, the spokesman for the Catholic Ardoyne families, had a 1974 conviction for an IRA killing of an off-duty policeman.
True to style, a bus transporting school children was today stoned and had its windows smashed as it passed a Catholic area but as usual the broadcasting media ignored this as it was only Protestants.
REBUTTAL
"Frankly I am somewhat surprised that the Protestant Truth Society should publish an article which has nothing to do with Protestant Truth.
Though the writer refers throughout the article to 'Protestants' and 'Catholics' the issues involved in the dispute have nothing to do with either Protestantism or Catholicism. It is clear from the article that this is not a theological difference of opinion, it is not a matter of truth versus error, but rather it is a story of two opposing tribes warring over the same piece of turf.
Regardless of the labels appended to these two tribes, whether that be 'Prods and Taigs', 'Unionists and Nationalists' or 'Protestants and Catholics', it remains a social and political problem and not one of religion. This being the case why has the PTS published what is simply a piece of propaganda on the behalf of a tribe that erroneously claims to be in some way Protestant?
No true Protestant, (that is a Bible believing blood bought Christian), should have anything to do with preventing anyone from going about exercising their religious or civil liberty, for to do such is plainly at odds with a Christian spirit. There can be no justification for the Holy Cross protest, no doubt the "protestant" community there feel that they have a legitimate grievance, but throwing bombs at anyone is not the right way to air that grievance. Incidentally, is it any less offensive to throw a bomb at a policeman than primary school children? Certainly not! Though this is the impression the article seems to seek to leave one with.
The Catholic parents too have behaved despicably in this matter by using their young children to prove a political point. Both tribes have behaved reprehensibly in this matter, both tribes have broken the law, endangered life and indulged in riotous behaviour. None of this is advocated or encouraged either by the Bible or by the catechism of the Roman Catholic church. This dispute has nothing to do with either Protestantism or Roman Catholicism!
To attempt to draw parallels between the Drumcree and the Ardoyne disputes, as the PTS article does, is sheer folly for there is already a consensus of opinion that says the Holy Cross issue was invented by Loyalist paramilitaries in a 'tit for tat' response to Drumcree, i.e., They wont let us walk down their road, so we wont let them down ours! The average person looking from the outside in does not see a community under pressure trying to raise public awareness to their plight but simply a bunch of mean spirited thugs who wont let school kids walk in peace to school because they are from the other tribe. At least that's the way it seems to Joe Public.
Since when did two wrongs make a right? They never did, and if any Christians are in any way associated with either of these disputes I would urge them to take a step backwards from them and ask themselves seriously 'what would Jesus do?'
It is time that clergy, politicians and community workers stopped trying to justify the actions of their constituents, actions which are oftentimes criminal and at the least not conducive to living in an atmosphere of peace and mutual respect, but rather put their every effort into stopping this madness!
Finally, I would appeal to the PTS to return to their long term, and greatly blessed of God, agenda of setting forth real Protestant Truth of the biblical and theological kind and leave the religio-politico ranting to those who do it best - Viz.: those mean-spirited types who though claiming to serve Christ have hearts that are as black as night, who instead of a Christ-like spirit have a sectarian streak a mile wide which is plain for the world to see.
Furthermore, I feel it is a retrograde step for the Protestant Truth Society to now be found supporting, at least in some measure, the Orange Order as in the past, if my memory serves me correctly, they have openly, and in my estimation correctly, opposed Orangeism.
May the Lord be please to deliver the PTS and their supporters from a sectarian spirit, for His names sake.
Yours in the Lord,
Rev Dr Ray Pulman, sometime sectarian bigot and Orangeman, now delivered by the grace of God. 24 Arney Close, Belfast BT6 0EN E-mail: info@sovgrace.co.uk