On Oct 24, 7:58 pm, Hugh Lawson <
hu.law...@gmail.com> wrote:
> MITO MINISTER <
cigarmanw...@gmail.com> writes:
>
> > Hell-fire and brimstone Presbyterian bullshit. Say hello to Ian
> > Paisley, the unrepentant triumphalist bigot.
>
> Piffle.
Paisley promotes a form of Biblical literalism and Anti-Catholicism,
which he describes as "Bible Protestantism". The website of Paisley's
public relations arm, the European Institute of Protestant Studies,
describes the institute's purpose as to "expound the Bible, expose the
Papacy, and to promote, defend and maintain Bible Protestantism in
Europe and further afield." Paisley's website describes a number of
doctrinal areas in which he believes that the "Roman church" (which he
termed Popery) has deviated from the Bible and thus from true
Christianity.
In 1988, when Pope John Paul II delivered a speech to the European
Parliament, Paisley shouted "I denounce you as the Antichrist!" and
held up a red poster reading "Pope John Paul II ANTICHRIST" in black
letters. John Paul continued with his address after Paisley was
ejected from the hemicycle by fellow MEPs. Some reports claimed that
other MEPs, including Otto von Habsburg, assisted in expelling him
from the chamber, and that Paisley was booed and struck by other MEPs,
who also hurled objects at him, leading to his hospitalisation.
Paisley continued to denounce the Catholic Church and the Pope after
the incident. In a television interview for The Unquiet Man, a 2001
documentary on Paisley's life, he expressed his pride at being "the
only person to have the courage to denounce the Pope".
After the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Paisley expressed
sympathy for Catholics stating "We can understand how Roman Catholics
feel at the death of the Pope and we would want in no way to interfere
with their expression of sorrow and grief at this time." This was in
contrast to Paisley's reaction to the death of Pope John XXIII in June
1963, when Paisley organised protests against the lowering of flags in
public buildings after the death of the Pope.
He has claimed in an article that the seat no. 666 in the European
Parliament is reserved for the Antichrist.
He and his organisation have publicly spoken out against what he views
to be blasphemy in popular culture, including criticism of the stage
productions Jesus Christ Superstar and Jerry Springer: The Opera, as
well as being strongly pro-life.
Although at political odds with the Republic of Ireland, he has some
religious followers in two counties (County Donegal and County
Monaghan). It was specifically in his religious capacity that he first
agreed to meet the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. Paisley revised this
stance in September 2004, when he agreed to meet Ahern in his
political capacity as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party.
Known for a sense of humour, at an early meeting with Ahern at the
Irish embassy in London, Paisley requested breakfast and asked for
boiled eggs; when Ahern asked him why he had wanted boiled eggs,
Paisley quipped "it would be hard for you to poison them".