Finding Real Security in Northern Ireland
THE view from the windows of the hospital, on its high vantage point above the city of Londonderry in the northwest corner of Northern Ireland, is beautiful. But the young male nurse did not have time to contemplate the beauties of creation. His mind was on other, more horrifying, things. He had witnessed firsthand the results of the bitterness and barbarism that mark the religious/political disputes that plague the province.
“It was horrifying,” he said, “to see young men blown to bits. As a medical team, we could not afford to think of them as either Protestant or Catholic, but only as lives to be saved. It continually made me think, ‘What is the point of it all? Why does God allow it to happen?’”
A Legacy From the Past
Like the young nurse, most people in Northern Ireland know from their history lessons at school that this is not a new problem. From the 12th century on there have been religious and political fights between the English and the Irish.
In time there came to be a Protestant concentration in the northern part of the country. Finally, early in this century the country was partitioned. This resulted in the predominantly Roman Catholic Republic of Ireland in the south and west, and the mainly Protestant province of Northern Ireland. Here the majority wish to maintain their close links with the rest of the British Isles.
Early Promoters of Real Security
Charles Taze Russell, first president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, visited Northern Ireland four times—in 1891, 1903, 1908 and 1911. On his final visit to the city of Belfast a “class,” or group, of about 40 Bible Students met with him. Their activity bore fruit slowly, mostly at first in Protestant areas. By the end of World War II in 1945 there were 120 Witnesses of Jehovah in Northern Ireland.
One of the early full-time workers was a slightly built, frail woman. In earlier days some of those to whom she preached threatened her with violence. For example, a woman chased her with a pitchfork, and a man tried to grab her by the throat after calling her a Delilah.
“On the whole it hasn’t been bad,” she explained recently before finishing her earthly course. “We got used to them shouting at us. If you pray for the Lord’s protection he gives it to you.” This faithful Witness became a familiar sight as she traveled all over Northern Ireland on her bicycle.
Another early worker tells about the time he and his companion were mistaken for Protestants while preaching in a solid Catholic area. They became the objects of a barrage of stones and other missiles. Getting into their car, they quickly turned around and headed back down the street that had only one outlet, trying to find a way through the gathering mob. As the car passed, the mob shattered the windshield and battered the car with iron bars. However, apart from the shock, no serious injuries were suffered.
Due to such sterling early examples of determination, there are now 778 persons sharing in the work of helping others to see the Bible’s solution to the insecurity that has caused so much heartache in Northern Ireland. What is happening among the 30 congregations and smaller groups of Jehovah’s Witnesses here?
Present-Day Experiences
In 1979 a young teacher of history, well aware of the tragedies of the past, came across a copy of The Watchtower at the home of a friend. Intrigued by what he read, he obtained more literature. “Being an avid reader I eagerly devoured it,” he explained, “all the time becoming more and more impressed with how things all fitted together and, most importantly, made such good sense.”
However, the man’s own Protestant family did not appreciate what he was learning and bombarded him with anti-Witness literature. “I was rather taken aback by the opposition I encountered,” he said, “until I read Matthew 10:36, which says that ‘a man’s enemies will be persons of his own household.’ So the literature, with its twisted, bitter comments, had the opposite effect. It only served to convince me that Jehovah’s Witnesses did have the truth.”
In the meantime, the man got married and his desire was that his wife would appreciate what he was learning. He explained: “One Sunday, after attending a particularly uplifting meeting, I prayed with all my heart to Jehovah. At home, I was astonished to find my wife reading her King James Version Bible. I began talking to her about what I had learned at the Kingdom Hall and was surprised that she listened intently. Then she surprised me even more by saying she would like to attend meetings with me. I learned that earlier in the day, while looking through her Bible for the first time since we got married, it was as if Psalm 83:18 had jumped out of the page at her: ‘That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.’ This had triggered her interest.”
This young couple are now dedicated and baptized servants of Jehovah with, as they describe it, “a deep resolve that no one will rob us of the prize of true happiness now and everlasting life in the cleansed earth.”
While in the past it was mainly Protestants who responded to Bible truths, this is no longer the case. Since the beginning of the present troubles it has become much easier to witness in Roman Catholic areas. Some of those contacted had been actively involved in the strife here.
For example, violence was nothing new to two fleshly sisters in their early 20’s. As children, they saw a boy shot dead by the army. Their family was forced to leave their home by a gang of militant Protestant youths. On another occasion a nail bomb was placed on the window ledge of their home. As teenagers, they tried to correct what they thought were political and social injustices.
One of the girls joined a terrorist organization. At age 16 she was imprisoned for three weeks for illegally possessing a pistol. Both girls shared in demonstrations in support of terrorist organizations. Wearing blankets, they would frequent public bars to collect money for Republican prisoners who were demanding political status.
In time, however, as the girls observed the hatred in the hearts of some with whom they associated, they became disillusioned. In 1979 a person called at their home to share Bible knowledge. As they listened carefully they were very skeptical. That a good government would provide real security seemed farfetched. But gradually they came to appreciate that by means of God’s Kingdom government such true security would become a reality.—Matthew 6:9, 10; Isaiah 9:6, 7; Daniel 2:44.
It was very difficult for the girls to believe that anyone in a city like Belfast could be neutral as regards the political situation. Yet as they associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses they saw the real unity and genuine trust in God’s Kingdom that exist among true Christians. “There is no political talk at the Kingdom Hall,” they noted. The girls quickly progressed, taking a firm stand for God’s Kingdom despite intense opposition.
Neutrality Brings Protection
A young full-time minister of Jehovah’s Witnesses was calling on some interested persons in the small town of Newry near the southern border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Here there was strong support for terrorist groups.
Suddenly a car came up beside him. One of the occupants, gun in hand, ordered him into the front seat. “At first I thought I was going to be shot,” the young Witness noted, “having been mistaken for a soldier in plain clothes. However, I was driven to a house and locked in a small coal shed in the back. After what seemed a lifetime, I was led blindfolded into the house.
“There I could hear persons going through my briefcase and commenting on the records I had made regarding people I had visited. They asked who I was and what I was doing in the area. Repeatedly I said that, as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I was helping people to understand the Bible, and that those I had been calling on liked to read our magazines.
“One of the persons left the room, saying: ‘Keep that gun on him and if he makes a move blow his head off!’ Needless to say, I kept very still and continued to pray to Jehovah. After some time the first man returned and told the others I could be released. He must have found someone to corroborate what I had been saying. Still at gunpoint, I was led back to the car and released near the center of town.”
There have been a number of similar experiences in which the neutrality of Jehovah’s Witnesses has served as a real protection. This neutrality toward political affairs has made it possible for them to engage in their Bible education work in any area throughout the province.
Kingdom-Hall Building
Congregations here are usually relatively small in size, not many exceeding 60 to 70 persons. However, the Kingdom publishers are whole-souled and energetic in their activity. One fine evidence of this has been the building of many new Kingdom Halls. For example, in Belfast and in the area within 20 miles (32 km) of the city, nine congregations have built their own Kingdom Halls.
Such building activity has not been without opposition and difficulty. An elderly member of the Londonderry Congregation noted: “I remember that some in the congregation used to say, ‘We’ll never have a place of our own.’ If only they were alive today they would see that Jehovah’s spirit is with us in our new Kingdom Hall.”
Even some small groups are getting their own meeting places, such as the congregation in Enniskillen, which had only 14 Kingdom publishers. For years they rented a place in which to meet, but then they realized they needed a hall of their own. Although they had limited resources, they went ahead with full faith in Jehovah’s power to provide.
The congregation obtained a prefabricated building, located a good site for it and found problem after problem melt away. As other congregations heard of their need, contributions came in. An older member of the congregation noted: “This help from others made us in Enniskillen really feel part of our international brotherhood.”
Real Security Not Just a Dream
Despite the ongoing troubles and the ever-present bitterness and division in the country, more and more people are finding real security as they learn about Jehovah’s provisions to set matters right. You may have wondered, for example, about the young nurse who had witnessed such dreadful things.
When two of Jehovah’s Witnesses of English origin called on him, his initial attitude was: “No foreigners should come and teach us religion in Ireland.” But his attitude changed as he saw that everything they said was firmly based on the Bible. The man is now serving as a ministerial servant in the congregation. He, and many others like him, now have the firm confidence that we are living in the time when Jehovah will fulfill his grand promises to bring an end to all the conditions that cause grief and heartache and will see to it that, in time, Paradise conditions are established everywhere on earth.—Psalm 37:9-11, 29.
[Maps/Picture on page 13]
(For fully formatted text, see publication)
NORTHERN IRELAND
LONDONDERRY
BELFAST
Newry
Enniskillen
[Map]
IRELAND
GREAT BRITAIN