Monday 11 May 2009

Rangers and Celtic

Religious bigotry is still rife in the West of Scotland and beyond, and in this part of the world it tends to personify itself with an allegiance to one part of the Old Firm or another. Celtic are the "Catholic" team, and Rangers are the "Protestant" one.

Their supporters still sing of the IRA and glorify it, or the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and being up to their knees in fenian blood.

I have often blogged, in the old blogstead, about my disdain for that sort of lunacy, and even said, quite publicly that I have no time for either camp, and that's why I've always followed Partick Thistle Nil, the great Glasgow footballing alternative. Some Rangers supporters have never forgiven me! (Some even think I'm a Catholic priest!)

Again, at the weekend, they met and Rangers triumphed 1-0. I waited for the abuse to appear on my blog and I was not disappointed. One of the Neanderthals wrote, "F*** you priest and all your mumbo jumbo superstition. Now thats an accusation the Vatican can't handle."

Eh? I just want to go and watch football! These people simply show the world what we have to deal with under the surface of the most beautiful, trendy, vibrant and incredible city in the world. God help us!

3 comments:

dtedac said...

Fr. Kenny,

I guess we should not be amazed that this behavior persists, but it is discouraging. All we can do is reject it.

All this reminds me of the story by the late Fr. Anthony de Mello about Jesus going to a football match. The match was between the Protestant Punchers and the Catholic Crusaders. Each team scored a goal and Jesus cheered wildly for both teams. One man asked him why He did that and He said "Oh, I'm just enjoying the game." The man commented "Oh, an atheist!"

After 500 years, maybe we could find a way of enjoying the game and leaving the hatred behind.

David

Fr Kenny said...

We have! That's why God invented Partick Thistle Nil!

Tommo said...

I feel sorry for these bigots. I really do. But I feel sorrier for you having to suffer their moronic and spiteful attacks. They're a disgrace to 'the beautiful game'.

Like you, I decided to leave the BCUK blogging community due to constant heckling. However, in my case, it came from just one anonymous person. To be heckled and, presumably, more seriously abused, by many must have been unbearable.

I have since returned to BCUK as I refuse to give my heckler the satisfaction of seeing me depart. So I now have two blogs.

I look forward to reading more of your entertaining postings and wish you more peaceful blogging in your new site.