Religion is the double-edged sword that unites, protects, and secures while it divides and conquers and endangers, always and ever in the name of God. The mixed message of all religions is that, while we are all God s children, God likes some of his children better than others and that heaven, wherever the hell it turns out to be, will be populated by those of one kind and not another. Of course in Belfast, as in Bosnia or Jerusalem, the issue isn t doctrine or observance. There are fewer true believers than we like to think, and true believers honor true belief in others even when it is not one they share. How we separate ourselves from other human kinds.
Religion is just one of the several easy ways for the blessed and elect to remain just that.
In the border counties of Ulster, where it is hard to tell Kenneth from Sean, or Alison from Mary, where everyone is fair and freckled, he digs with the wrong foot is both the sublime and ridiculous truth. And whether we are random accidents of Creation or the much-loved children of a Creator, our mortality makes the modifiers irrelevant. Inc. All rights reserved. Use of this site is subject to Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy . Constructed by Beliefnet.