Love Ulster

When does patriotism become idolaterous? In the midst of the street protests and the street rioting in Northern Ireland there is the "love Ulster" campaign. In the community of Belfast and all over this tiny province there are people who are deeply frustrated and angry about what they perceive to be the gross injustice that they have experienced over the last 30 years since the begining of the, so-called, troubles. Talk to anyone of the majority of Protestants [also called Unionists or loyalists depending on how they see themselves] and they will give a list of concessions made or taken and always demanded by the nationalist [or republican] community: the loss of the RUC and the Stormont government are only two examples.

The "love Ulster" campaign have published a newspaper which perports to be a record of the death and suffering of their community and I am quite sure that it has not had a healing or calming effect on the population- some had hoped that it would give people a chance to tell their story as was the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I am also sure that it would be of great benefit if people were given the chance to talk to one another about their stories from both sides of the community and indeed even from within the community: we forget and some do not know that there are several communities within the protestant community and the strife between two parts in recent days is an example of that.

In this common territory the mix of denominational allegiance and political allegiance is very strong but there are people who have bucked the trend. My feeling is that there is something very wrong about the thinking behind "for God and Ulster" as if God were subservient to Ulster. I have no quibble with those who have a patriotic heart but we need to question if it is the land or the people that we love? Someone said to me the other day, as we waited for the street protest to be lifted, "I'm sure Mars is a nice place". It might be but without any people the peace must be deafening. When Jesus talks about peace he was not thinking about the peace of the school that has no children he was thinking of harmony between people. Does patriotism have any real meaning if it only relates to the soil? does peace have any real meaning if it excludes those we don't like?

If I am to really love ulster I will have to love all her people- those who share my faith and those who don't, those who agree with my political aspirations and those who don't. There will be peace in heaven but it will be a totally differant knd of peace. In this land or is it country or nation or just province, we are are a part of a tangled mess. We were not alone in creating that mess but we all have to live with its effects and surely we all have a part in straightening out the wool. But how can I love those who are different to me? Put another way, how are they to love me? I think Christ sets me free to serve and free to live with those of another culture and religion.

The more purest out there each want nothing less than the whole cake but the reality is that none of us can have the whole thing and we will have to accomodate each other - is that different to compromise? i think it is. In compromise no one is happy but in accomodation we all seek to reach out to the other party- could we do that? Are there Christians who can do that in Northern Ireland, in Belfast? If Christians can't do that no one can since we have benefited greatly, even eternally from the work of Christ which accomodates us in our state of sin- he gave all that we might live. If I love Christ I will also love Ulster including all her people.