Ian Paisley

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Murray (talk | contribs) at 14:58, May 24, 2007. It may differ significantly from current revision.

Template:Expand

Doctor the Reverend Ian Paisley MP

Dr. the Reverend Ian Richard Kyle Paisley MP, MLA (born April 6, 1926) is a Northern Irish politician and religious leader. He is currently First Minister of the new Northern Ireland government. Paisley uses the title "Doctor" on the basis of an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree awarded by Bob Jones University.

He is the founder and head of the fundamentalist Free Presbyterian Church and the head of the Democratic Unionist Party. He is a lifelong teetotaler, a creationist, pro-life, and supports the criminalisation of homosexuality.

In 1988, during a speech by Pope John Paul II to the European Parliament, Paisley, who was a Member of the European Parliament, held up a poster reading "Pope John Paul II Antichrist" and called "I renounce you as the Antichrist"[1][2].

In 2007 Dr Paisley became First Minister of the devolved Northern Ireland Government, with Martin McGuiness, a senior Sinn Fein leader and former IRA commander in Londonderry, as his Deputy First Minister.

References

  1. ↑ MacDonald, Susan (10 February 1988). Paisley ejected for insulting Pope. The Times.
  2. ↑ Chrisafis, Angelique (16 September, 2004). The return of Dr. No. The Guardian.