Below
is a selection of open-ended responses that relate to the question:
'Thinking how you feel
about the other main religious community, what do you think has been
the most important influence on your views?'
[…] A few of your questions asked about
are Protestant or Catholic favourable? Both religious communities
are favourable; they are equally the same, and that is what I've been
brought up to believe. I reckon the whole sectarian ideas come from
the home or areas; even as a child you are liable to pick up hard
feelings and anger towards your counterpart. I am confused about why
people have so much hatred in their hearts; is it to do with history,
is it because that is what they have been taught + brought up to do?
[…]
A lot of people are influenced due to
the way that they are brought up and this causes a rift between communities,
automatically without anything being done to cause it. The news and
politics does a lot to reinforce these rifts as they are so visible
on T.V. […]
All politicians are to blame. The only
thing they agree is to disagree.
As a child from a mixed family I believe
it is possible to live in peaceful communities. I believe that many
rivals are from people who don't respect their religion as a Catholic
or Protestant.
Both the Catholic + Protestant communities
are equally to blame for the state in which our country is in today.
Many of those who are involved in paramilitaries + sectarian riots
do not even know of the original religious reason why there are different
religions in N[orthern] I[reland]. I think many are influenced by
school, friends + parents. Sectarianism is pointless + drags our country
down.
I believe that people are letting religious
biases be passed down from generation to generation and it is about
time that this stops. Younger generations have a chance to change
things and they should use this opportunity to make a difference in
N. Ireland.
I believe that the people of Northern
Ireland will never be able to live in a peaceful environment. This
is because older generations can't forget the past and so they pass
their bitterness and anger onto younger generations. People can't
and shouldn't forget their history.
I don't think enough is done by the government
etc, to ease the problem. I also don't agree with non-mixed schools
& think that if all schools were mixed, students would learn more
about the other sides' opinions & ways of life.
I don't think relations between Catholics
and Protestants will ever really improve because religious prejudices
are passed down from parents to their children. Religious hatred is
not a natural thing; it is not in-born, it is created by people.
I think everyone should just get along.
Some of my family + friends wonder why I socialise with Protestants
because they were actually the cause of my granddad's death as they
murdered him. I just don't understand the difference in us. I would
love to see peace in the community.
I think it's all down to your family
if you don't like Catholics or Protestants and Paramilitaries. If
someone in your family is [in] an organisation you will probably follow
in their footsteps. It's the upbringing you've had and the background.
I think strong views are still kept over
these religions because of our parents' views. I feel the views will
change as years go by.
I think that a lot of people from my
community are blind to the true history of Northern Ireland and their
views of hatred are merely based on morals + paramilitary influence.
I think that the tension will always
be there due to parents passing on their traits to their kids. Most
people who have potential in N[orthern] I[reland] by the age of 18
want to get out because of it and will move away. N[orthern] I[reland]
will always have bitterness because of it.
I think the government should increase
cross-community relations at an earlier age, after all the children
of today are the adults of tomorrow. We carry the opinions we receive
at a young age into our teenage and adult years.
I think young people nowadays don't have
a problem with people from different communities; it is their elders
that have lived with the troubles, who have sometimes bad opinions
and therefore pass it onto their children. It has nothing to do with
religion - just politics, however people just stereotype. I go to
a mixed school and it's taught me to respect anyone and everyone,
if they respect me.
If you grow up in a neighbourhood, e.g.
[a] paramilitaries [e]state, then you are brought up to not like the
other religion.
In the area I live in, people would not
like me mixing with Protestants - I could even get beaten up + assaulted.
In the summer, I worked on a street reach
team on [name of the street]. We cleaned up the area and played with
the children. What I found out was that the children don' t know why
they hate the Catholics. They hate them because their mum, dad or
both parents tell them to.
It depends where you live and how you
were brought up.
It's sad seeing children involved, like
at band parades or whatever, because the poisoning had already begun
at an early age. Uniforms are terrible. I had personal experience
of people (Protestants) shouting at me because of my uniform.
Paramilitary groups like the IRA on UFF
fuel [the] dispute between the two religions - also politics has a
lot to do with attitudes.
Parents should be teaching their children
that religion should not make people different. Parents should set
good examples.
People base too much on the words Catholic
and Protestant. Until people in Northern Ireland realize they are
religions groupings, and 'not' political beliefs, nothing will change.
And until parents give their children the freedom to form their own
beliefs and opinions […], problems will only get worse.
People should encourage their kids to
be friends with everyone.
The feud between Catholics and Protestant
is getting better, but the cause is the parents .If we are to make
the problem better we need to target the parents. They put the ideas
into the heads of their children.
The way in which people act with religion
I think is the way they were brought up to think.
There will never be total peace until
parents bring their children up with open minds and educate them well.
When I was young a family member of mine
was attacked by a person of another religion. I thought of them as
bastards. But as I grew up I thought life's too short to be always
hating.
I don't think relations between Protestants
and Catholics will ever be better because everyone is being brought
up in a prejudiced culture and the younger generations are being influenced
by the older generations who already hold that attitude.
