You don’t have to be the sharpest knife in the drawer to realise that any organisation that splits is far less effective than that which is at one. Any trade union or political party that divides, and the reasons may vary, will never have the same edge or potency as one that puts on a united front.

Maggie Thatcher knew that if she could spilt the miners, she could win the battle to decimate the trade unions and once that happened the fight was out of the dog and they never had the same bite again.

Any leader worth his salt knows he has to keep everybody on board, no matter how difficult the task, but do it he must at all costs. It is human nature to agree and to disagree, but from within we must learn the art to agree to disagree, otherwise chaos reigns.

Jesus knew of the importance of keeping the church united. He coined the phrase “A house divided against itself shall surely fall”. He prayed that the body would be as one, but as yet his Father hasn’t answered this prayer here in Ireland. A friend informed me lately that in a town in N.Ireland there were 33 denominations. What a strange situation has occurred in a country where so many declare they “go by the book”. Is it any wonder the church is impotent and not functioning as a body the way the Lord meant it to. Paul warned the church in Corinth “Every one of you say “I am of Paul, and I of Appollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ”. Is Christ divided?” He also encouraged the church at Phillipi to “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”. Paul knew he needed to nip any thought of division in the bud.

Even the beasts, the fish, and birds know if they stick together they are safe. Our lack of intelligence in the basic interpretation of the simplest of scriptures “A house divided against itself shall surely fall” does not seem to have captured the Irish Christian intellect.

Lets pray to Jesus for the renewing of our minds and for unity in the body because at present the eye functions without hearing, and the hand tries to operate without the feet.

Nowadays I fear there is much money to be made by those who head up denominations, and by those who are in the ministry. The old cliche “good living for a living” always rings true, money taking precedence over God’s will.

The devil’s motto “divide and conquer” has far outreached his expectations as he sees the church limp into the 21st century, and he’s laughing up his grubby sleeve at the state of the church in Ireland.

Meanwhile, I can picture Jesus looking down in exasperation saying to bewildered angels “While the cats away the mice will play”. He must hear our hypocritical cry “thy will be done on earth” and put his hands over his ears in disdain.

Not even the King of Kings horses, or all the King of Kings men couldn’t put the humpty dumpty church back together again. “A house divided against itself shall surely fall”

Ned Kelly