Secular Sunday #85 – Some Ungodly Hour

Author Secular Sunday Published 11/08/2013

As today is the second Sunday of the month, I spent much of the afternoon at one of Atheist Ireland’s monthly brunches (although brunch might be the wrong term for something that goes on until 5:00 in the afternoon). It’s a regular event and I told you about it in the last two issues of this newsletter so if you missed it, you only have yourself to blame. Check out the calendar section below to make sure you don’t miss any other important events.
– Derek Walsh, Editor

News

The United Nations Human Rights Committee is preparing to adopt a list of issues about Ireland at its session from 14 October to 1 November. Last Friday was the closing date for emailing submissions to the UN Human Rights Committee asking them to raise issues with Ireland. Atheist Ireland has sent a submissionon secular issues. Read it here.
As announced last week, Atheist Ireland’s fifth Annual General Meeting will take place on Saturday 21 September in Galway. The Harbour Hotel has been chosen as the venue. We’ll have more details shortly.
Michael Nugent‘s appearance on last week’s Challenging God, is availiable to watch online here. The series continuse on TV3 at 11:15 pm tonight Sunday 11 August. Tonight’s episode considers how responsible and moral adults can be part of a church that is itself so morally tainted.

Calendar

All events are free and open to everyone unless otherwise stated.

Monday 12 August, 8:30 pm, McSwiggans Bar and Restaurant, Woodquay, Galway (map)
Galway Skeptics in the Pub #62 – Rise of the Ancient Naysayer.Facebook event page
Wednesday 21 August, 8:00 pm, Absolute Hotel, Sir Harry’s Mall, Limerick (map)
The Mid West Humanists are meeting. They’ll be talking about life as an atheist or humanist in a religious world, as well as their plans to meet with local TDs concerning the Constitutional Convention.
Sunday 25 August, 12:00 noon, Galway Lawn Tennis Club, Galway (map)
Humanists West, Galway are having their monthly meeting.Facebook event page
Friday 30 August – Sunday 1 September, Carlingford Heritage Centre, Carlingford, Co Louth (map)
All-Ireland Humanist Summer School. Organised jointly by theHumanist Association of Irelandand the Humanist Association of Northern Ireland. Prices vary.
Saturday 7 September , 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm, GPO, O’Connell St., Dublin 1 (map)
Brendan Maher and friends will be outside the GPO with a stall promoting atheism, secularism and humanism. Email Brendan if you want to help or for further information.
Saturday 21 September, Harbour Hotel, Galway (map)
Atheist Ireland AGM. Further details to be announced.

Media Watch

Thanks to Barbara Monea (pictured) for spotting and collecting the above news items and more which can be found ather blog, updated frequently.

If you spot anything in the media that you think may be of interest to our readers, send us an e-mail about it.

Blogginess

Gilmore, as Tánaiste, sits on the Council of State and our Constitution, Article 31.4, demands members of the Council take an oath made “In the presence of All Mighty God.” Gilmore is an agnostic and so isn’t convinced there’s a god, be it the god of the Christians or some other extraordinary being. But he took the oath anyway and now we can continue to pretend that the Constitution is ‘our’ Constitution. – datbeardyman asks whether the Irish Constitution needs to be changed

To my way of thinking, it means we all have this darkness in us, to one degree or another. It means that condemnation isn’t enough because, even though retribution might satisfy some primitive atavistic urge deep inside the amygdala fish-brain that twitches at the core of our central nervous system demanding revenge, that’s all it achieves. It scratches an itch inherited from some primitive slime-dwelling creature before it evolved a thinking brain. – Bock the Robber reflects on a visit to Auschwitz