Irish Church Culture

G.K. Chesterton said, "When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing - they believe in anything."

In chapel yesterday the students were able to hear from a panel of four Church leaders from the Greystones area. A few things stuck out to me as they shared from their experiences in this country.

*Churched Irish people tend to be very welcoming and laid back. While this is nice, it can lead to a passive nature when dealing with conflict (or a complete avoidance of conflict all together).

*There is a sense of "tribal loyalty" which is most evident in that the Republic is culturally Catholic.

I wondered to myself, "Is the 'culture of connection' to the church a detriment? Has it allowed people (especially Gen-Y) to be physically present in the church but not understand the Gospel?"

The church leaders agreed that one of the major issues they are dealing with is secularization. While we can trace the cultural shifts and decline of moral integrity in America's history over many decades, Ireland's move to an individualistic relativism has been rapid. In Ireland's very recent history, it was illegal to get divorced. It is still frowned upon to have an abortion but co-habitation, homosexuality, and having children out of wedlock is becoming increasingly less taboo. The unfulfilling pursuit of wealth and the detachment from the community of faith have both shaped this generation. Ireland's youth suicide rate is the fifth highest in Europe, and many believe this is due, in part, to the difficult economic times the country is facing right now. The problem is that the Church (specifically the Catholic Church) has disappointed and hurt people so deeply that it is the last place people will turn in times of struggle and need. A trust must be regained so that the Truth of relationships - with Christ and with one another - will triumph over the institution of religion that has reigned in Ireland for so many years.