: What are the main differences between the views of the Nationalists and the Unionists in Ireland today?

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Ateeb Wahid                10G-Hi1

Irish Coursework Q1

Q.1: What are the main differences between the views of the Nationalists and the Unionists in Ireland today?

One of the most basic differences between the nationalists and unionists are their religious beliefs. On the one hand the Nationalists are Catholic and have very strong, strict religious rules. They have one central religious leader, the Pope in Rome, who decides all the matters of worship for every single Catholic in the world. They want their churches to be beautiful and be decorated with rich ornaments and statues. For the Catholics the Virgin Mary is a central figure of worship. Also the Catholics continue to attend Mass in which Jesus Christ is remembered, as the worshippers drink wine and eat wafer. The wine represents the blood of Christ and the wafer represents his flesh. Catholics believe they should not eat meat on Fridays and also believe the priests and nuns should not marry, as they should preserve their chastity. This is because Catholics believe people close to God should remain pure and untouched. Finally Catholics strongly forbid abortions, as they should never take place under any circumstances, even if the mother’s life is at risk. The feel the same way about artificial birth control and should never be used.

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On the other hand Unionists are Protestants and the only thing they agree on with the Catholics is that they both worship God and believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. They believe individuals should make up their own mind on how they worship and no one should dictate other people on their ways of worship. They believe churches should be plain and look like a casino; with gold and ornaments everywhere you look. As the Catholics believe Virgin Mary is a very important figure, the Protestants believe she is a rather minor figure and only God should ...

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