Sunday in Connemara, Joy and I went to the only Protestant church we could find--the Church of Ireland, just around the corner from the house we were staying. It was an old stone building, not large, but impressive, which seemed to have fallen into disrepair. There were only four members of the church there along with the priest and one other couple, making nine in all. The other couple were also a Presbyterian minister and his wife from northern Ireland. The priest was so glad to see us that he asked me to read the Old Testament reading. Afterward we went out with the other Presbyterian minister and his wife--Joe and Sheila. He was an Ulster man, and gave me the rundown on the church in Northern Ireland.
Before we left the church, Joe pointed to a large cauldron sitting in the foyer of the church. It was the size of a bathtub, and would make a fine cannibal jacuzzi. "That's a famine kettle," he explained. It was a sacred piece of remembrance in western Ireland.
From 1847 to 1849, a potato blight destroyed the potato crop in Ireland. The potato was one of the few crops that would grow in the poor soil. In those years, more than a million people starved to death. More than a million more left for America in ships, called "coffin ships" because of the many travelers who starved to death in transit. These troubles left an indelible mark on the people of Ireland that remains till this day.
In that time, the Protestant church,which had mainly been associated with the hated English landlords, attempted to make inroads among the people. They set up "famine kettles" and brought in food to feed the people. As a result, they made many converts to Protestantism.
But the priests and preachers were so set against the Catholics, and preached so vehemently against them, that the Catholic church reciprocated. Catholic priests encouraged their people to discriminate against Protestant converts. Fistfights and sword fights broke out between Catholic and Protestant clergymen at funerals. The Catholic Church began to send in relief themselves, and eventually outdid the Protestants. As a result the Protestant churches was nearly exterminated. What few remain are the remnants of the old landed gentry, or new transplants.
My friend Joe explained that when you become a Protestant or Catholic in Ireland, you are assumed to take a certain political position as well. You don't just take on a new faith, you join a new team. As a result, honest religion based on faith and belief became secondary to political affiliation. In both Scotland and Ireland, faith became an extension of politics. It became more about fighting than praying.
Today, both Catholics and Protestants are in trouble in Ireland. Religion is seen as a relic of the past. Many churches are empty or have become historical monuments. It is not uncommon for old churches to have become houses, night clubs, or stores.
When they had their famine kettles and their worship services, they served the people for God's sake. But then the English Lords and the revolutionaries both began to see the church as a tool to fight for political ends. As a result, the church began to be seen more for its swords than for its kettles.
Today, of course, it is very different. Catholic and Protestant churches both go out of their way to cooperate. They have to, since both are becoming minorities in an increasingly secular place.
Maybe they should have spent more time feeding people with the famine kettle and less time sharpening swords.
Before we left the church, Joe pointed to a large cauldron sitting in the foyer of the church. It was the size of a bathtub, and would make a fine cannibal jacuzzi. "That's a famine kettle," he explained. It was a sacred piece of remembrance in western Ireland.
From 1847 to 1849, a potato blight destroyed the potato crop in Ireland. The potato was one of the few crops that would grow in the poor soil. In those years, more than a million people starved to death. More than a million more left for America in ships, called "coffin ships" because of the many travelers who starved to death in transit. These troubles left an indelible mark on the people of Ireland that remains till this day.
In that time, the Protestant church,which had mainly been associated with the hated English landlords, attempted to make inroads among the people. They set up "famine kettles" and brought in food to feed the people. As a result, they made many converts to Protestantism.
But the priests and preachers were so set against the Catholics, and preached so vehemently against them, that the Catholic church reciprocated. Catholic priests encouraged their people to discriminate against Protestant converts. Fistfights and sword fights broke out between Catholic and Protestant clergymen at funerals. The Catholic Church began to send in relief themselves, and eventually outdid the Protestants. As a result the Protestant churches was nearly exterminated. What few remain are the remnants of the old landed gentry, or new transplants.
My friend Joe explained that when you become a Protestant or Catholic in Ireland, you are assumed to take a certain political position as well. You don't just take on a new faith, you join a new team. As a result, honest religion based on faith and belief became secondary to political affiliation. In both Scotland and Ireland, faith became an extension of politics. It became more about fighting than praying.
Today, both Catholics and Protestants are in trouble in Ireland. Religion is seen as a relic of the past. Many churches are empty or have become historical monuments. It is not uncommon for old churches to have become houses, night clubs, or stores.
When they had their famine kettles and their worship services, they served the people for God's sake. But then the English Lords and the revolutionaries both began to see the church as a tool to fight for political ends. As a result, the church began to be seen more for its swords than for its kettles.
Today, of course, it is very different. Catholic and Protestant churches both go out of their way to cooperate. They have to, since both are becoming minorities in an increasingly secular place.
Maybe they should have spent more time feeding people with the famine kettle and less time sharpening swords.
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