Latest news with #Presbyterianism
New Statesman
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
Why Donald Trump couldn't honour the Pope
Photo by Tom Williams/ Getty Images Donald Trump may well be the funniest politician of the 21st century. But he hits the heights of comedy when the issue at stake is as profound as Heaven and Hell. In these moments, his absurdity reaches biblical proportions. It's the asymmetry between the severity of the topic and the speaker. It's not that Trump is indecorous. It's that he has constructed a world in which the idea of decorum does not exist. Recall Trump's reaction when he learned that the Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had passed; he had been speaking at a campaign event in Minnesota. 'She just died? Wow. I didn't know that. You're telling me now for the first time,' he said on the tarmac, as Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' blared from speakers in the background. He then paused, shrugged his shoulders and rearranged his face into a serious expression: 'she led an amazing life – what else can you say?' Or remember the photo in the Oval Office of pastors in a semi-circle around Trump touching his shoulder in prayer as if he was sent down from up high. Trump is the only president to change his denomination in office since Eisenhower, dropping his Presbyterianism for the politically flexible refuge of non-domination (Eisenhower made the same transition in reverse). On 21 April, as centuries-old traditions were unfurling in Rome to mark the death of Pope Francis, the annual Easter party took place on the White House South Lawn. There was hopscotch, a brass band and five year olds in red Maga hats, while Trump's adviser, deporter-in-chief Stephen Miller, watched the children with disdain through aviator sunglasses and Don Jr refereed the egg rolling with camp flourish. The South Portico columns were braided in white peonies and blue hydrangeas. The President's Marine Band played piccolos and tubas under the dull and cloudy sky. In Trump's words, the event was 'beautiful and spiffy'. But what was Trump's judgement on the life of the recently departed Pope Francis? Flanked by the First Lady and the Easter Bunny on the balcony, Trump told the audience the Pope was a 'good man, worked hard – he loved the world'. Trump then walked down the stairs, stopped and turned to salute the Easter Bunny. Where traditional orators try to make the mundane profound, Trump turns the sacred sacrilegious – and he is more effective for it. After his speech, Trump and the Easter Bunny posed for photos along the white picket fence separating him from the crowd. One child ran up to his mother and said with pride: 'I saw Trump!' Trump's unseriousness often masks the enormity of the Maga movement. In the same way that Trump's love for the Windsor family gives No 10 more hope for the special relationship than America First allows, the president's comedic instincts make his administration look more innocuous than reality. The last time the president was in the White House gardens for an event was the Trumpian gameshow known as Liberation Day, where both allies and foes became contestants trying to win the prize of low tariffs. Afterwards, Trump flung Maga hats from the podium as the world recoiled and markets plunged. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Contrast Trump's flexible embrace of religion with his vice-president JD Vance, a practicing Catholic, who converted in 2019 and met the Pope the day before his death. Vance got into a theological spat on social media with the Church in late January over whether you should love those closer to you more than those far away. In a letter to American Bishops on 10 February, Pope Francis directly attacked the administration. He criticised Trump's mass deportations as 'damag[ing] the dignity of many men and women' and warned against the idea that the 'will of the strongest [was] the criterion of truth'. Trump's clipped eulogy was fitting, then, because Pope Francis opposed the type of politics which the president represents. Pope Francis sought to walk the beam between conservatism and modernity, between both the tradition which the Catholic Church represents and the Christian love which Francis tried to practice in a world with rising migratory flows and a reckoning over social justice. Trump rejects the binary between the two. His instincts rebel against the idea that the meek will inherit the Earth and that establishments which don't include him – whether ecclesiastical or political – have moral authority over everyone else. Top-down liberalism is poison to the populist: Trump is a New York reactionary. Trump is funny in religious moments because his arrogance and self-centredness is deeply un-Christian. He cuts a blasphemous figure. His online followers revel in his unknowingly Nietzschean embrace of strength as the sole criterion of truth. At the same time, many in his coalition rejoice at this administration's reassertion of religion. 'We are bringing religion back!' Trump announced from the White House balcony on Easter Monday. Humour is one of the most potent ways in which the president keeps these tensions at bay. When his followers worship him – and even think he was saved by God when he was shot in Pennsylvania during the campaign – his religiosity (or perhaps lack of it) matters less. In fact, they can project onto him whatever saving grace they want. Yet the schisms lurk beneath the frivolity. No wonder Trump was more interested in the Easter Bunny. [See more: The myth of progressive Catholicism] Related
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Free Presbyterian Church holds Irish language event
Languages, including Irish, are "a gift of God to communicate and to make connections with people". That is according to the Reverend Kyle Paisley, the son of the late First Minister Ian Paisley. Mr Paisley spoke to BBC News NI at an event organised by a Free Presbyterian Church on the history of the Presbyterian Church and the Irish language. He said his late father would have been "deeply interested" and would have attended. The event, called Preispitéirigh agus an Ghaeilge, was held at Farranshane House in Antrim's Rathenrawe estate. It included a talk on the history of the bible and Presbyterians in the Irish language by Dr John Duffy and an exhibition of bibles printed in Irish. Preispitéirigh agus an Ghaeilge was organised by the Pastor of Antrim Free Presbyterian Church, the Reverend Paul Thompson. He said the event was the "the fruit of a lot of work that's been going on behind the scenes in our community". "There's a deep intersection between Presbyterianism and the Irish language," Mr Thompson told BBC News NI. "I think there's a great ignorance over the role of Presbyterians. "From a Christian Pastor, we're seeing young people embrace this as something that's part of their past, their heritage. "It's creating that environment for people to look back at their history," he said. "For myself and others in there tonight, it's been a journey looking at history and realising just how much of the past belongs to us. "It's nothing to be afraid of, it's a great bridge builder. "We're not asking anybody to give up their identity, but just to enjoy the rich Presbyterian heritage which is a massive part of this island." A crowd of around 100 people attended Preispitéirigh agus an Ghaeilge, including the historian and former Sinn Féin Mayor of Belfast Tom Hartley, DUP founding member Wallace Thompson and Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney. Mr Paisley, who is now a Free Presbyterian minister in England, said the event was "a time of learning, and I have a lot to learn about it". "You don't get anywhere by ignoring history, and you don't get anywhere certainly by ignoring religious history," Mr Paisley said. "That's the purpose of tonight's meeting, to highlight something that is often forgotten in the midst of arguments over other things. "People may tend to think that the Irish language belonged to one section of a community at a time, as opposed to another section, but there was an interest in it in Presbyterian and in Protestant circles, certainly way back then. "We lose nothing by acknowledging that and we may learn some practical lessons for today," he said. Mr Paisley added: "I think it was Nelson Mandela that said: 'If you speak to a man in a language that he understands you'll reach his head, but if you speak to him in his language you'll reach his heart'.'" Presbyterians were among those who kept the Irish language alive in the 18th and 19th centuries. According to the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, some churches still proclaim themselves part of Eaglais Phreispiteireach in Eirinn (The Presbyterian Church in Ireland). The Reverend Dr Henry Cooke, a famous Presbyterian minister from the 19th century, evangelised in Irish and required students for the ministry to go to classes in the language. Alastair Bonar had brought a display of historic bibles in the Irish language to the event, some of which dated back to 1685. "The Old Testament was translated by a man called William Bedell, who was an English puritan," he said. "He was the Church of Ireland bishop of Kilmore in County Cavan. "He was the man who, painstakingly, along with a team of other scribes translated the Old Testament into the Irish language. "And a man William O'Donnell, he spent a long period of time translating the New Testament into the Irish language. "And then in the early 1800s a complete copy of the two testaments together was published and that is the Bible that is commonly used today." Mr Bonar said that William Bedell "wanted the people to have the Bible in their own language". He said that "a lot of people wouldn't realise the depth of history in the Presbyterian Church concerning the Irish language". "I can think of one example of a Presbyterian Minister in the Bushmills area who preached every week in the Irish language to his congregation."
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Free Presbyterian Church holds Irish language event
Languages, including Irish, are "a gift of God to communicate and to make connections with people". That is according to the Reverend Kyle Paisley, the son of the late First Minister Ian Paisley. Mr Paisley spoke to BBC News NI at an event organised by a Free Presbyterian Church on the history of the Presbyterian Church and the Irish language. He said his late father would have been "deeply interested" and would have attended. The event, called Preispitéirigh agus an Ghaeilge, was held at Farranshane House in Antrim's Rathenrawe estate. It included a talk on the history of the bible and Presbyterians in the Irish language by Dr John Duffy and an exhibition of bibles printed in Irish. Preispitéirigh agus an Ghaeilge was organised by the Pastor of Antrim Free Presbyterian Church, the Reverend Paul Thompson. He said the event was the "the fruit of a lot of work that's been going on behind the scenes in our community". "There's a deep intersection between Presbyterianism and the Irish language," Mr Thompson told BBC News NI. "I think there's a great ignorance over the role of Presbyterians. "From a Christian Pastor, we're seeing young people embrace this as something that's part of their past, their heritage. "It's creating that environment for people to look back at their history," he said. "For myself and others in there tonight, it's been a journey looking at history and realising just how much of the past belongs to us. "It's nothing to be afraid of, it's a great bridge builder. "We're not asking anybody to give up their identity, but just to enjoy the rich Presbyterian heritage which is a massive part of this island." A crowd of around 100 people attended Preispitéirigh agus an Ghaeilge, including the historian and former Sinn Féin Mayor of Belfast Tom Hartley, DUP founding member Wallace Thompson and Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney. Mr Paisley, who is now a Free Presbyterian minister in England, said the event was "a time of learning, and I have a lot to learn about it". "You don't get anywhere by ignoring history, and you don't get anywhere certainly by ignoring religious history," Mr Paisley said. "That's the purpose of tonight's meeting, to highlight something that is often forgotten in the midst of arguments over other things. "People may tend to think that the Irish language belonged to one section of a community at a time, as opposed to another section, but there was an interest in it in Presbyterian and in Protestant circles, certainly way back then. "We lose nothing by acknowledging that and we may learn some practical lessons for today," he said. Mr Paisley added: "I think it was Nelson Mandela that said: 'If you speak to a man in a language that he understands you'll reach his head, but if you speak to him in his language you'll reach his heart'.'" Presbyterians were among those who kept the Irish language alive in the 18th and 19th centuries. According to the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, some churches still proclaim themselves part of Eaglais Phreispiteireach in Eirinn (The Presbyterian Church in Ireland). The Reverend Dr Henry Cooke, a famous Presbyterian minister from the 19th century, evangelised in Irish and required students for the ministry to go to classes in the language. Alastair Bonar had brought a display of historic bibles in the Irish language to the event, some of which dated back to 1685. "The Old Testament was translated by a man called William Bedell, who was an English puritan," he said. "He was the Church of Ireland bishop of Kilmore in County Cavan. "He was the man who, painstakingly, along with a team of other scribes translated the Old Testament into the Irish language. "And a man William O'Donnell, he spent a long period of time translating the New Testament into the Irish language. "And then in the early 1800s a complete copy of the two testaments together was published and that is the Bible that is commonly used today." Mr Bonar said that William Bedell "wanted the people to have the Bible in their own language". He said that "a lot of people wouldn't realise the depth of history in the Presbyterian Church concerning the Irish language". "I can think of one example of a Presbyterian Minister in the Bushmills area who preached every week in the Irish language to his congregation."
BBC News
17-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Antrim: Free Presbyterian Church holds Irish language event
Languages, including Irish, are "a gift of God to communicate and to make connections with people".That is according to the Reverend Kyle Paisley, the son of the late First Minister Ian Paisley spoke to BBC News NI at an event organised by a Free Presbyterian Church on the history of the Presbyterian Church and the Irish said his late father would have been "deeply interested" and would have attended. The event, called Preispitéirigh agus an Ghaeilge, was held at Farranshane House in Antrim's Rathenrawe included a talk on the history of the bible and Presbyterians in the Irish language by Dr John Duffy and an exhibition of bibles printed in Irish. Embrace 'their heritage' Preispitéirigh agus an Ghaeilge was organised by the Pastor of Antrim Free Presbyterian Church, the Reverend Paul said the event was the "the fruit of a lot of work that's been going on behind the scenes in our community"."There's a deep intersection between Presbyterianism and the Irish language," Mr Thompson told BBC News NI."I think there's a great ignorance over the role of Presbyterians."From a Christian Pastor, we're seeing young people embrace this as something that's part of their past, their heritage."It's creating that environment for people to look back at their history," he said."For myself and others in there tonight, it's been a journey looking at history and realising just how much of the past belongs to us."It's nothing to be afraid of, it's a great bridge builder."We're not asking anybody to give up their identity, but just to enjoy the rich Presbyterian heritage which is a massive part of this island." 'May learn some practical lessons' A crowd of around 100 people attended Preispitéirigh agus an Ghaeilge, including the historian and former Sinn Féin Mayor of Belfast Tom Hartley, DUP founding member Wallace Thompson and Sinn Féin MLA Declan Paisley, who is now a Free Presbyterian minister in England, said the event was "a time of learning, and I have a lot to learn about it"."You don't get anywhere by ignoring history, and you don't get anywhere certainly by ignoring religious history," Mr Paisley said."That's the purpose of tonight's meeting, to highlight something that is often forgotten in the midst of arguments over other things."People may tend to think that the Irish language belonged to one section of a community at a time, as opposed to another section, but there was an interest in it in Presbyterian and in Protestant circles, certainly way back then."We lose nothing by acknowledging that and we may learn some practical lessons for today," he said. Mr Paisley added: "I think it was Nelson Mandela that said: 'If you speak to a man in a language that he understands you'll reach his head, but if you speak to him in his language you'll reach his heart'.'"Presbyterians were among those who kept the Irish language alive in the 18th and 19th to the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland, some churches still proclaim themselves part of Eaglais Phreispiteireach in Eirinn (The Presbyterian Church in Ireland).The Reverend Dr Henry Cooke, a famous Presbyterian minister from the 19th century, evangelised in Irish and required students for the ministry to go to classes in the language. 'Depth of history' Alastair Bonar had brought a display of historic bibles in the Irish language to the event, some of which dated back to 1685."The Old Testament was translated by a man called William Bedell, who was an English puritan," he said."He was the Church of Ireland bishop of Kilmore in County Cavan."He was the man who, painstakingly, along with a team of other scribes translated the Old Testament into the Irish language."And a man William O'Donnell, he spent a long period of time translating the New Testament into the Irish language."And then in the early 1800s a complete copy of the two testaments together was published and that is the Bible that is commonly used today."Mr Bonar said that William Bedell "wanted the people to have the Bible in their own language".He said that "a lot of people wouldn't realise the depth of history in the Presbyterian Church concerning the Irish language"."I can think of one example of a Presbyterian Minister in the Bushmills area who preached every week in the Irish language to his congregation."
