THERE IS a problem with sectarianism right across much of Northern Ireland “and it is acute in what might be seen as some very surprising places”, the new Presbyterian Moderator, Rev Norman Hamilton, has said.
“The failure to agree a community relations agenda and community relations strategy is, in my view, a public disgrace, given our history. That disgrace is heightened by the apparent failure of much of wider society to even be concerned about it, never mind outraged by it,” he said.
Mr Hamilton was speaking in his inaugural address to the Presbyterian General Assembly in Belfast, which continues until tomorrow. His comments have been welcomed by Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, who said: “I have long argued that sectarianism is the single greatest threat facing society in the North today, and it is imperative that political, church and community leaders take a decisive stand against it.”
In his address, Mr Hamilton noted latest figures from the PSNI which showed that in 10 of the 25 District Council areas outside Belfast, there had been a rise of over 25 per cent in sectarian-motivated incidents between 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. In only two of those councils had there been a reduction of more than 25 per cent.
“Our apparent contentment with widespread social apartheid is, to quote again those words from the Book of Proverbs, a disgrace to the nation,” he said.
He would love to be part of a public discussion, he added, “carried out with grace and with rigour, as to how to face this demon in our midst”.
He said: “I might even be bold enough to say that I would like to help kick-start the moribund, even non-existent, public discussion about what a coherent, shared and healthy society looks like.”
Mr Hamilton also warned: “We really do need to resist the temptation – and it is a strong one – that man lives by politics alone. We do not. Politics is certainly important.”
Democracy was “one of the jewels of a good Christian heritage”, but “the privilege of choosing political leaders and representatives can – and often does – degenerate into passing the buck to them for every perceived problem and evil, and then criticising them when they appear powerless to fix them for us”.
“How often do so many of us who are Christian people complain about our leaders – long before we even think it proper to pray for them and ask for the spirit of God to guide them in their work?” he asked.
He felt that giving in to the temptation to always expect Stormont or the Dáil or Westminster or the local council or the doctor or the teacher or the social worker or the community group to fix things was to deny the power of prayer, the work of the spirit and the biblical imperative of active warm-hearted Christian citizenship.
As a society, he said, “we have not yet learned that challenge is different from opposition. It is quite proper for the church to be challenged about what we believe and why we believe it . . . But the political world too needs to embrace and welcome constructive and rigorous challenge for its own good, as well as the good of everyone in our whole society.
“No political party has a monopoly on wisdom, any more than a church has.”
If the moral, spiritual and intellectual capital of wider society was neither sought by nor offered to those who govern, “we should not be surprised if there is poor government”.
“Wider civic society has a direct responsibility to provide a good seedbed for the growth of good government,” he said.