Photo above – Rev Dr David Bruce became the 175th person to hold the post when he was installed during a ceremony in Belfast on Monday which was a livestreamed.
The newly installed Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said US President Donald Trump “crossed the line” when using a bible for a photo opportunity outside a church in Washington DC, Mark Bain reports in the Belfast Telegraph.
Rev Dr David Bruce’s words come after the President’s stunt outside St John’s Chapel in Washington where he posed for a photo opportunity as riots continued across the USA following the death of George Floyd.
The Moderator warned against the use of religious symbols for personal gain.
“Normally I would not comment on events happening outside of my own country but I felt provoked to speak by the President’s use of religious symbols for a photo opportunity at a time when his country is facing multiple challenges through both coronavirus and race riots,” he said.
“The bible is often described as a double edged sword and everyone must always be careful when handling it.
“We cannot appropriate it for our own cause, either ideological or party political. When we think we own it, we find out it owns us. It reflects hard truths.
“While this is not intended as a direct criticism of the President, all statesmen need to know that the bible is not your own.
“The situation in the USA is tragic and I see echoes of our own history here in Northern Ireland.
”I’m of a generation that lived through the worst of the troubles and if any culture ought to have an understanding it’s ours. We are extremely conscious of the prejudices we’re now seeing across America.
“I don’t want to see symbols of faith being used in this way and on this occasion we had two – the church and the bible.
“Appropriating those for a cause is crossing the line.”
The Church of Ireland said it would not be commenting on events which have occurred outside the country.
President Trump faced widespread criticism from church leaders in the USA.
The Episcopal Bishop of Washington, the Right Reverend Mariann Budde, said: “The president just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese, without permission, as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus.”
James Martin, a Jesuit priest and consultant to the Vatican’s communications department, tweeted: “Let me be clear. This is revolting. The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. God is not your plaything.”
Belfast Telegraph. June 03 2020
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