27.10.2017
Rubicon 2017 – Stimulating Conversations from Prayer and Faith to Direct Provision and Conflict
Exploring the interface between faith and culture in Ireland today, Rubicon 2017 took place last Saturday (October 21). Once again the conference gave participants the opportunity to join conversations on a wide range of subjects and to challenge their own and each other’s perceptions. This year’s venue, the Sugar Club on Dublin’s Leeson Street, brought the conference to a new level bringing faith culture into the heart of secular popular culture.
Now in its seventh year, founders the Revd Rob Jones and Greg Fromholz, have designed Rubicon to be a safe place for conversation, dialogue and disagreement.
This year’s keynote speaker was author and podcaster, Mike McHargue (aka Science Mike) who’s work focusses on how to know God in an age of incredible scientific insight and the exploring interplay between faith and science. He spoke of his funny and moving journey from evangelical Christian to atheist and back to Christian.
At Rubicon he spoke about prayer and admitted that when we talk about a God who answers prayer, it raises all sorts of logical issues such as why God answers some prayers and not others? However, looking at the neuroscience of prayer, he said studies found that praying affected areas of people’s brains in a positive way. “The neuroscience of prayer shows us the power of talking to God about your hopes, dreams and fears. It can be as effective as therapy,” he said. “Does God answer prayer? I don’t know if he does or not. But I know that sometimes when we reach out for love, love reaches back.”
Later Mike talked about Spiral Dynamics and its use in dealing with conflict, particularly where people are talking past each other. He highlighted the different layers and colours of the spiral and pointed out how they related to the church.
Rubicon began with a presentation from the Barna Group on their recently published research ‘Finding Faith in Ireland: the shifting spiritual landscape of teens and young adults in the Republic of Ireland’. David Kinnaman said that they were ministering in an new kind of world, a digital Babylon, in which the majority of young people in Ireland were still Christian but in name only. He said there were a lot of challenging realities in the research but also a lot of hope.
“This generation is living in a different context and we are so busy defending tradition that we haven’t prepared for the next generation,” he stated. He outlined five ways of reaching out to young people through meaningful relationships, cultural discernment, reverse mentoring, vocational discipleship and first hand experience of Jesus. Details of their research can be found here: https://www.barna.com/research/faith-crisis-todays-irish-youth/
Participants in Rubicon were also treated to the wonderful poetry of Padraig Ó Tuama, who apart from being a poet is a theologian and a Corrymeela Community leader. He started by sharing poetry in what he termed the ‘feed the beast’ category which addressed the issue of how we understand the theological question that is the Devil. He spoke of his theology of hell which he suggested was present in or at the edges all our lives and could be found in areas of conflict. It was more apparent in the Troubles, he said, and even mentioned Brexit asking “How will we live with our limitations no matter where the border might be?”
One of the most emotional and challenging parts of the day was the panel discussion on responding to the global refugee crisis. The panellists were Carol Baxter of the Department of Justice, Dr Mairead Collins of Christian Aid, Thiru Guru a Sri Lankan Refugee, Marissa Ryan of Oxfam Ireland and David Moriarity of the Jesuit Refugee Services. They were facilitated by Greg Fromholz.
Journalist and poet, Thiru Guru, spoke of his journey from Sri Lanka where he was abducted and brutally tortured. He was brought to India where he began his recovery but continued to write which resulted in him being detained. He came to Ireland as a victim of torture and spent four years in Direct Provision before being granted asylum.
Thiru said that being forced to live in one room with four or five unknown refugees was not good. They couldn’t study, work or choose their own food. “Over six years I forgot what education I had and when I got leave to remain, they say ‘get out now, go and find your life’. It is a total culture change, climate change, everything change. We don’t know what we are doing,” he recalled. He brought the panel discussion to a close by reading one of his poems.
Carol Baxter outlined the two categories of asylum seeker in Ireland. The first are mainly from Syria and come here through the EU relocation mechanism. The second are spontaneous asylum seekers who can opt to go into Direct Provision or can be self sufficient. At the moment there are about 4,300 people in Direct Provision and a similar number independently seeking asylum.
She said that the Department sees Direct Provision as a pragmatic matter, providing food and shelter. “It is greatly criticised but it is intended to be an emergency space where you get your needs responded to while you move your case,” she explained adding that the problem arises when the person and the government don’t agree on the refugee status. Supermarkets had been introduced in the largest centre, Mosney, and Carol said that they were interested in NGOs joining the process, working in centres and bringing their experience. She added that they were interested in faith based organisations offering accommodation through the Red Cross.
David Moriarity said the Jesuit Refugee Services were present in 10 centres in Ireland and said the length of time spent in Direct Provision was the biggest issue they see. “The community living, no choice as to what you eat, the fact that you can’t work, the paltry allowance, no access to education – all this is ok for a number of months but not for many years,” he said.
He said every individual could make a contribution and people must challenge themselves to engage with the crisis. He said one of the key issues for people leaving Direct Provision was finding accommodation and integration. “There are imaginary walls between the asylum seeker and the community. The community must take action and look at building bridges between themselves and those isolated in Direct Provision centres,” he stated.
Marissa Ryan said that in Ireland Oxfam was trying to raise awareness of Ireland’s role in combating the mismanagement of the refugee crisis. She said it was difficult for people to stay engaged with the situation and pointed out that when the images of Alan Kurdi hit the headlines around the world in 2015 there was outcry in Ireland and the resulting pressure saw the government agree to welcome 4,000 refugees in the 2015–17 period. Ireland is seeking a non permanent seat on the UN Security Council in 2020 and is known for conflict resolution, she said adding that individuals could lobby the government to make conflict resolution a priority. Ireland and Luxemburg are lone voices in Europe for a liberal migration policy and she said Ireland needed to hold the line for a national and international policy based on human rights rather than stopping access. She added that people must stand against rising racism in Ireland and reach out to people who are marginalised.
Mairead Collins, who is an advocacy officer in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon for Christian Aid UK, highlighted the situation in Lebanon where over one million Syrian refugees live in tented accommodation or, as the vast majority do, in rented accommodation at vastly inflated rates in terrible conditions. There are also over 16 million people internally displaced in Syria and further millions in hard to reach areas. She said Irish people must lobby the government and European Parliament and communities of faith must get behind movements supporting refugees.
Continuing the theme of responding to the refugee crisis, Greg interviewed Ellie Kisyombe of Our Table, a community driven non profit which highlights the Direct Provision situation through food. Ellie spoke of her background as a daughter and niece of prominent opposition politicians in Malawi. Both her father and uncle were assassinated which prompted her to get involved in politics with her fellow students. Her decision to flee her own country came after seeing a close friend being shot. She has been living in Direct Provision for eight years but she has turned her frustration into activism, volunteering with the Irish Refugee Council and founding Our Table.
“I have come from pain and being angry. I appreciate life the way I am. Even in Ireland, I don’t have papers but I still don’t shut up. I have life. I escaped Malawi. All these things made me realise there can be good things in life,” she stated. “Now I feed people and also help people to understand how it is to live in Direct Provision. Food is so powerful.”
A team of 15 people volunteer for Our Table. While those in Direct Provision, including herself, cannot be employed, they are receiving training. Those who have refugee status are paid. She hopes to set up a café and is currently building up the funds to do so.
“My big dream is that I want to do something that Ireland has denied me and a generation of refugees. I am going to build an empire in Ireland,” she stated. “We have a system of Direct Provision. It is not a good system for any purpose. It is inhumane and degrading. It is a lose lose game. I’ll be nine years there … it is not only a government problem, it will be a community problem.” Ellie urged people to use their voices to put pressure on their TDs about Direct Provision.
