church and state

Unionism and the Separation of Church and State.

Willie Drennan on April 13, 2015, 5:17 pm

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Recently, tourists coming to Northern Ireland around Easter were denied the option of having a glass of wine with their meal at lunch time on Good Friday. Okay, we do have a serious problem here with abuse of alcohol and binge drinking: but to suggest that there is something anti-Christian in alcohol in itself, is a matter of opinion to say the least. Of course there are much more serious issues to consider: take the issue of abortion for instance, …

Presbyterian Church Punishes Ford for Marriage Equality Vote

Gerry Lynch on April 25, 2013, 8:45 am

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The News Letter and the Antrim Guardian have both reported that Justice Minister David Ford has ‘agreed’ to step down from his duties as an elder at Second Donegore Presbyterian Church in County Antrim, as a result of his vote in favour of civil marriage equality. This seems to have been the result of what has clearly been quite serious pressure in what the News Letter describes as “months of private meetings” at the sub-regional body to which Second Donegore …

British monarchy under threat of being opened up to [Roman] Catholics

John Ó Néill on December 8, 2011, 12:01 am

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It looks like we could be in for yet another installment of false rage now the DUP has endorsed a shared (sic) future platform. The Telegraph is reporting that the political and constitutional reform committee have said that: “The scenario does beg the question of whether it remains appropriate for the monarch to be required to be in communion with the Church of England. “The most obvious difficulty in having a Catholic monarch — beyond the purely statutory obstacles — is the crown’s role as supreme governor of the …

“Reconfiguring the relationship between the church and wider society”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on June 4, 2011, 10:51 pm

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Speaking on Friday afternoon, Dr Norman Hamilton – the outgoing moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland – called for “the reconfiguring of the proper relationship between the church and wider society”, while the moderator designate Dr Ivan Patterson said he “would welcome” the invitation of Cardinal Brady to the opening night of the General Assembly. After twelve months in the role, Norman Hamilton has seen a lot of church and state: chairing boards and committees; acting as the denomination’s …