Ireland
... History
Ireland has a rich religious history. In the fifth century, the legendary St. Patrick travelled through Ireland preaching the gospel for 30 years. Although the facts surrounding him are often obscured by myths, Patrick had great influence on Ireland. So much that one historian records that "he broke the power of heathenism in Ireland."
Since Henry II of England brought Ireland under the influence of the Roman
Catholic Church in the twelfth century, the Irish became thoroughly Catholic.
As England turned to Protestantism in the Reformation, Ireland became
more Catholic. John Wesley came to Ireland later on and preached extensively,
but his teachings were followed mostly by English settlers.
So Catholicism grew to the point that Ireland has become both the most
devout Catholic country and the only English-speaking Roman Catholic country
in the world. Until recently 97% of the Irish people were Roman Catholics
who until the late 1970's were discouraged from reading the Bible. Thus,
in spite of their ignorance of the gospel, their religious zeal led to
thousands of Roman Catholic missionaries leaving Ireland for mission fields
around the world. Ireland has had an incredible religious impact on the
rest of the world. However, in the late 1960's, Ireland was described
as the most closed country to the Gospel in the free World.
... Current
A few decades ago there were few established international businesses or developed resources, and most Irish exports were agricultural. Ireland was considered the second poorest country in Western Europe until the early 1990's. Yet today Ireland is being urbanized, industries are moving into Ireland, and the emigration of Irish people has been stemmed. Ireland joined the Common Market in 1973 and later joined the European Monetary System. The economy has steadily improved since 1995 when the European Union injected £9,000,000,000 into Ireland to bring the infrastructure of the country up to the standards of Europe. Today Ireland is regarded as having one of the healthiest economies in Europe and one of the highest costs of living in Europe.
Politically, the unrest that has simmered for centuries is boiling. Since
1921, when the Republic of Ireland became independent and Northern Ireland
became part of Great Britain, the two countries have argued and fought
over this territorial division. The current conflict was especially fierce
during the 1970's, 1980's and early 1990's and claimed thousands of lives.
During the 1970's and 1980's the former Soviet Union armed and trained
the terrorists and later other known terrorist supporting nations were
involved in the 1990's. In spite of its label as a religious war, the
situation is political and appears to have no workable solution even though
a supposed cease fire has been in effect for several years.
Religiously, the Roman Catholic Church is changing. People are now encouraged
to read their Bibles. Also, the church is losing some of its influence
as many people are beginning to doubt their religious tradition and look
for other viewpoints. While the church still gets almost unanimous following
and loyalty among the Irish, many are only nominal Catholics. False cults
and the New Age movement are trying to convince the wavering, with considerable
success.
The Gospel is also finding acceptance. Many individuals and even schools
are requesting copies of the New Testament. Where tracts and Bibles were
once shunned, many are accepting this literature and are willing to talk
about what they believe. There is still only a small Evangelical movement,
and less than 1% of the population is "born again", but there
is an unprecedented openness to the Gospel. In fact, Luis Palau held a
crusade in Dublin a number of years ago that thousands attended, many
of whom made professions of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
... Future
Ireland, along with the rest of Europe, is entering a new era. This year, 325 million Europeans will integrate into the European Economic Community Monetary Union. What does this mean for Ireland? Economically, many multinational corporations are trying to get a piece of the enormous new European market. Culturally, national pride and independence is being replaced by a vision to "Think Europe." As the materialism and secular humanism of Europe rushes into Irish thinking, the Irish are rapidly becoming a more secular European nation.
Religiously, the pope has attempted to become the spiritual head of a
unified Europe. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes a need to fill the
spiritual void that the European Parliament cannot fill. But false cults
also see this opportunity, along with the encompassing New Age movement.
As Ireland rapidly integrates into Europe, the Irish people are becoming
less religious and also less open to the Gospel than they were even five
years ago. There is a real need in this least evangelised continent for
missionaries to tell people the Truth now before this door for the Gospel
closes once again.
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© Copyright 2003, Ireland Outreach International
Last Modified: Thursday September 18, 2003
