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Presbyterian Moderator Dr John Dixon has issued the following statement concerning the present situation.
I have been greatly saddened and utterly appalled to see the dire consequences flowing from the inability of Orangemen and local residents to reach agreement over the Drumcree parade.
We all acknowledge the right to parade and the right to protest, but when houses are petrol bombed, people are intimidated out of their homes, cars are hijacked, public roads blocked and livelihoods put at risk, the situation has gone far beyond legitimate peaceful protest.
Without reservation I condemn the abuse, burning, violence and intimidation directed against the RUC, our Roman Catholic neighbours, and those protestants who act and speak graciously and love generously as good neighbours should.
Both Orangemen and Residents have made their point and it is now time for those involved to reach agreement or else, as the General Assembly stated in June, keep the law and obey the legal determination as set down by the lawfully constituted Parades Commission.
I call on all who profess the name of the Lord to respect everyone, fear God and honour the Sovereign.
Now is the time for those who profess to be redeemed by grace to relate with grace to their neighbours who are under threat, to the authorities God has set over us, to the Police appointed to keep the peace and to those who disagree with us. Christians should love their enemies.
All true believers have a divinely given obligation to be peace makers and so be recognisable as children of God.
In God's name let's rise to that challenge here and now.
NOTE: In June, the Presbyterian General Assembly, the decision making body of the Presbyterian Church made up of ministers and elders from every Presbyterian Church in Ireland passed the following resolutions relevant to the parades issue:
'The General Assembly urge that local agreement about parades be reached and where possible , local ministers or elders offer themselves as facilitators of this process, but where such agreement about a particular parade cannot be reached, the Assembly remind everyone of their calling to obey lawfully constituted authority, to show a gentle attitude towards everyone (Titus 3) and urge those who parade and those who protest to abide by lawfully taken 'determinations' of the Parades Commission.'
'The General Assembly affirm that since people are made in the image of God they have rights which are to be recognised and protected. They call upon people to respect these rights, but, in addition, to balance any pursuit of these rights against our obligations to the well-being of others.'
'Allowing for the fact that people hold divergent political allegiances, the Assembly nevertheless believe it necessary that we move away from confrontation to attitudes which recognise that we are an interdependent community.'
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