Demographic percentages can’t ever adequately represent the deep sense of identity felt by the peoples of Ireland. Nor can they tell the story that each side tells itself about a colonial past, about wars, monarchs, borders, and famine. 100 years ago, in 1921, Ireland was partitioned and the political state of Northern Ireland was created. Today for the first time there are more Catholics than Protestants in Northern Ireland. This is leading to resentment among those who see themselves as British (Protestants) and a sense that they are losing to those who see themselves as Irish (Catholics). This demographic anxiety has been exacerbated by Brexit which has upped the stakes and left a growing number of Irish Catholics believing that a reunified Ireland could be around the corner.
The book of Ruth tells a story that turns a stereotype on it’s head. An ancient myth was that Moabite women will come and steal our good Hebrew men away from us. It was an “us and them” story about fearing “them”, the other. Yet the Ruth story is a redemptive telling of a Moabite foreigner showing self sacrificial love for her Hebrew mother-in-law and being included in the wider family. Inclusion and embrace are stances that offer healing, something our divided peoples need now more than ever. It has been said “Our identities are what make us different. Our stories are what make us the same.” We need to build society where we can hear the stories of each other and find common community in them.
Jonny Clark is Programme Manager for Public Theology at Corrymeela Community and will lead the workshop on The Bible and Borders at CTBI’s Life Beyond Borders conference.
