Was denying my faith ok?

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It’s not about religion.

I doubt that these thugs would have been darkening the doors of their own Protestant Churches.

I agree. This is about tribes and alcohol and the use of tribalism as an excuse to get into fights.
 
My family is from Iran. I´m a convert. Death penalty is still used in such cases - please don´t teach me lessons on this theme.
 
i agree; OP did the right thing

“live to fight another day”

frankly, i am at least a little surprised that this sort of nonsense is still going on in belfast
 
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I’m just applying what you said.
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Exactly, and you got your response. People dying every day because of religious conflicts. The least we need is another teenager get harmed, even when “only” in a brawl.
 
These thugs were looking for a victim that night.

If they had come across a Muslim they would still have beaten that person up.

They could have run across a white Protestant and if this Protestant supported another football team, he too would have been beaten up.

In short, these thugs were looking for trouble.
 
I’d advise the OP to stay at home and hopefully she won’t have to be in such a dangerous situation again.
 
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I think it’s less of a Protestant vs. Catholic thing nowadays.

It’s just thugs being thugs. This sectarianism is just an excuse to indulge in violence.

I doubt these thugs are devout churchgoing men whose sole motivation is to defend their faith. If they were, they wouldn’t be ganging up against a 15 year old girl.

My opinion.
 
brian_custer said:
frankly, i am at least a little surprised that this sort of nonsense is still going on in belfast
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Sectarianism is entrenched in Northern Ireland. People may not be being killed as much as was the case in the past, but the sectarianism is still there. It will take a lot more than a few decades to get rid of that.
 
Again, how many times must I write this, are people reading the thread

This girl did not deny her faith in God
 
Cjbhoward said:
I think it would have been beneficial to your soul had you taken the beating.

I don’t think I would have. I’d most likely have done the same as you. But I’m human. A sinner from birth.

That you feel guilty is a good thing. Your conscience is working like it should.

Pray. Go to confession. Prayerfully do your penance. Pray some more.

Be careful out there.
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Flagged. Don’t ever give out advice that says a fifteen year old should have accepted physical abuse. And don’t say she should be guilty because she has done absolutely nothing wrong.
 
Let’s NOT conflate the two. We don’t live in Belfast.

I had a friend who is Catholic, had been married had a few kids. Marriage ended. As things went she met a guy from Northern Ireland who was here to escape the troubles. He was Protestant.

They married, had more kids. They could not tell his family and friends in Ireland that she is Catholic. Ever.
He got stomach cancer at a young age, 20’s , died. His parents came out to bury him and take her and all the children back to Ireland.

That’s the way of Northen Belfast. After the troubles.
 
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@sarcelle was right, these were not religious people and they were not people of good will, in fact they had evil intent.

Our Lord warned His disciples before they left that they would be among wolves and so to be innocent as doves but as wise as serpents. And that advice was given to grown men.

No reasonable man would suggest that a young woman should put herself in possible mortal danger in the way the OP described. She preserved the safety of her temple of the Holy Spirit, that served God and herself. A young life should not be given up so trivially.

That she did the right thing is beyond debate as far as I’m concerned.
 
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Personally I’d get advice from a really good priest that knows and understands the local situation. Hopefully he can give the best advice about how to handle these things.
 
I agree with all of you.

My advice was to pray, consult a priest (go to confession) & pray some more.

I did not suggest she should have done any different. Not all of us are called to be martyrs.

As far as “guilty” those were her words. I’m thinking more of a, "at least you considered this question as someone “evil” wouldn’t even consider her line of questioning.

Didn’t mean for any “condemnation” in my post.
 
The OP clearly says that a group of twenty 18yr olds (young adults), were looking for young juvenile catholics, to physically assault (or worse), that her answer/ silence could have caused her two protestant friends to be physically assaulted also (or worse),
As the OP has stated in Northern Ireland, violence between catholics/ protestants is still ongoing,
Such as one side beating/ maiming/ killing others because of their religious denomination.
No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it. (CCC 2488–2489)
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2488 The right to the communication of the truth is not unconditional. Everyone must conform his life to the Gospel precept of fraternal love. This requires us in concrete situations to judge whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it.

2489 Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information or communication . _ The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not be known or for making use of a discreet language. The duty to avoid scandal often commands strict discretion. No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it

Catechism says, if faced with people demanding truth they have no right to, to respond with silence or discreet language.

Silence would not have warded off suspicion from this adult gang that were preying on juvenile catholics.

A very careful answer was needed to this adult gang, the slightest suspicion in them, that they had found a young juvenile catholic to prey upon, could have had disastrous consquences, (they may have been very violent/ murderous)

Can anyone recommend what discreet language reply would be in keeping with the Catechism’s recommendations of with-holding the truth from those not worthy of the truth,?

Many Catholic Priests and Lay Catholics, went undercover to hide their identities during Nazi occupied countries during WW2, in order to live, avoid execution/ concentration camps, to continue the work of Christ in secret in Nazi countries, and to free as many jews/ christians/ catholics, to secret safe houses, and to safe countries,
 
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