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TRANSLINK has said it is “sympathetic” to the pressures faced by Northern Ireland farmers as it responded to criticism of advertisements on its buses promoting a vegan lifestyle. Ulster Farmers’ Union President Ivor Ferguson (above) said the farming community was “outraged” by Translink carrying the adverts.
A HIGH-profile Presbyterian minister last night explained why she had decided to speak at a LGBT conference set for Cookstown later this year.
Rev Cheryl Meban, who is Presbyterian chaplain at the Ulster University, will attend the ‘Blessed are the Queer’ conference on April 1, which has been organised by Mid Ulster Pride.
She will be joined by Professor Laurence Kirkpatrick, a former lecturer at the church’s Theological Training College in Belfast who has been at loggerheads with the Presbyterian Church over its stance on same-sex marriage.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph last night, Rev Meban said: “As a chaplain, I meet people from all walks of life, with all kinds of experience.
“I want them to know that God knows them and loves them — and that’s why I want to be involved in this event.
“The Gospel is for everybody — not just for people who conveniently fit our ideas of what’s normal. We are all made in God’s image.”
On Thursday evening, a group of Free Presbyterians held a protest against the first rural LGBT pride parade to be held in Northern Ireland.
Around 80 protesters gathered outside the Royal Hotel in Cookstown on Thursday evening when Mid Ulster Pride announced plans for its April conference.
Mid Ulster Pride has also organised a pride parade in Cookstown on June 13. It is billed as being the first of its kind in a rural area of Northern Ireland.
Free Presbyterian minister Rev Marcus Lecky from Coalisland called for opposition to the parade through “prayer and other lawful and peaceful methods”.
Protesters held placards carrying scripture about homosexuality, the “true” meaning of love, the gospel message and the “love of God towards sinners”.
On a social media post Rev Lecky said: “A sad, stark and significant choice has been forced upon the people of Mid Ulster; will they accept and perhaps even support the reported forthcoming ‘Rural Pride’ event, or will they follow the teachings of Jesus Christ?”
He added: “The very last thing that Mid Ulster needs is more ‘Pride’... Mid Ulster cannot afford to brazenly parade the sin of homosexuality through its streets in this proposed Pride event.” Louise Taylor, from Mid Ulster Pride, said that one protester who spoke at the event told those present that homosexuality was wrong.
“It takes a lot to get the LGBTQ community to engage publicly in rural areas, and as the wellbeing officer of Mid Ulster Pride my concerns were with regards to their mental and emotional safety,” she said.
“This community has been oppressed and repressed for a long time as a result of spiritual abuse and they need to be protected by those who try and control and condemn them by trying to shame them for being who they are. “Whilst we respect all opinions and beliefs, to infiltrate our event and target young people was unacceptable. We hope there were lessons learnt by these individuals last night and we hope in future they will adopt more peaceful and respectful forms of protest.”
Two high-profile speakers from the Presbyterian Church in
Ireland are due to speak at the conference in April. Professor Laurence Kirkpatrick, who was dismissed from the theological college in 2018 after saying he would be “horrified” if a student at the college was taught that a same-sex marriage was sinful, will also speak at the conference.
“I am coming along to speak about fundamentalism in our country and the view that is taken,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.
“I think we are in 2020 and we have got to move on.
“I am coming from what was the Queen’s University equality and diversity policy, which is to treat everyone — no matter what they believe or practice — with the same dignity and respect. It is as simple as that.”
“This is highly emotive for some people. It comes down to whether you take the Bible absolutely literally.
“You can take a verse from Leviticus that says that this (samesex relationships) is an abomination and they should be stoned to death.
“The Free Presbyterians doesn’t take that literally but they are highly condemnatory of what the law of the land is now.
“That is their right, but why are they protesting against what other people think?”