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Editorial
Freedom From Religion Foundation TV Show
 Michael Nugent did a half-hour interview on Freethought Matters, the TV show of the Freedom From Religion Foundation in America. The show airs today on thirteen regional American TV channels, and you can watch it here on FFRF’s YouTube Channel.
The interview covers the growth of secularism in Ireland from the Papal visit in the 1979, the abortion referendum in 1983 and the subsequent X case, the divorce referendums, the European Court case win on homosexuality by David Norris, and the recent three successful referendums on marriage equality, abortion, and blasphemy.
Michael also discusses how he became an atheist in primary school, the founding and achievements so far of Atheist Ireland, the issues we are now campaigning on including secular education, and the religious and nonreligious demographics of Ireland today.
If you would like to help us to continue this work, please join Atheist Ireland as a member. We are a voluntary body with no paid staff, and we depend on our members to continue our work. You can join here.
– Secular Sunday Editorial Team
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Éire Aindiach
Éire Aindiach
Chun ár gcuid feachtais a leathnú agus a neartú, tá sé beartaithe ag Éire Aindiach níos mó úsáid a bhaint as an Ghaeilge.
Ba mhaith linn meitheal a eagrú, chun cuidiú le:
- Polasaithe agus feachtais Éire Aindiach a phlé ar an raidió nó ar an teilifís
- Cuidiú le doiciméid ghaeilge a scríobh
- Bualadh le polaiteoirí chun stocaireacht a dhéanamh
Táimid i mbun aistriúcháin a dhéanamh ar dhoiciméid polasaí faoi láthair, agus teastaíonn cabhair uainn le aistriúchán agus profáil. Más maith leat bheith páirteach san iarracht seo, cur ríomhphost chugainn ag gaeilge@atheist.ie.
English translation:
To broaden and strengthen our campaigns, Atheist Ireland have undertaken to make more use of the Irish language.
We are looking to assemble a group of volunteers, to help with:
- Discussing our policies and campaigns on radio or tv
- Helping to write documents in Irish
- Meeting with politicians to lobby them
We are in the process of translating policy documents at the moment, and we need some help with translating and proofreading. If you would like to assist with this effort, please email us at gaeilge@atheist.ie.
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Atheist Ireland News
*|YOUTUBE: [$vid=RrrXlE9K-Uk]|*
Know your Rights
 Catholic faith formation is integrated into syllabus religious education in Irish schools. Syllabus RE was designed to meet the faith formation goals of the Catholic Church. Students from minority backgrounds are just enrolled into syllabus RE and schools tell parents it is not religious instruction but religions education and suitable for all religions and none.
Teaching catholic faith formation during syllabus RE without offering an opt out is an attack on the constitutional rights of minorities.
Calling concerned teachers
If you are a teacher and concerned about unwanted religious influence contact Chris at teachers@atheist.ie
List of Atheist Ireland Submissions
Buy this book “Is My Family Odd About Gods?”
**Schools Special Offer**
Atheist Ireland are offering the book ‘Is my family odd about gods‘ free (excluding postage and packaging). This means that you can get this book for the total price of 10 euro. This offer is aimed at families with school going children, who would like to read this book. This offer is limited to one book per family unit and for postage within Ireland only. Read more…
Have you noticed that your school and your teachers may tell you one thing about religion, while some of your friends and family may have different ideas about god?
If you think that this is a little odd, then this book is for you. Buy this book here.
Lessons about Atheism
Atheist Ireland has published a set of free lesson plans about atheism for children aged 8 and up. We welcome feedback, which we will use to develop the lessons. You can download the lesson plans here
 Be Good without Gods
Atheist Ireland ‘Good Without Gods’ Kiva team members have made loans of $34,875 to 1210 entrepreneurs in the developing world. You can join the team here. Before you chose a loan, make sure you do not support religious groups. You can check the loan partner’s social and secular rating here.
Notme.ie
Atheist Ireland’s ‘notme.ie‘ is a place where people can publicly renounce the religion of their childhood. Currently there are 1887 symbolic defections. Many share their reasons for making a public symbolic defection which you can read here.
Petition on Schools Equality PACT
Atheist Ireland currently runs one petition – The Schools Equality PACT. This seeks to reform religious discrimination in state-funded schools. Currently this stands at 4,093 Help us reach it’s target of 5000. Please sign and share this petition if you haven’t already done so. Thank you.
Tell us what you think
Have you any feedback that you would like to give us on the Secular Sunday newsletter. What are we getting right? What could we improve on? Is there something you would like to see included? Drop us an email at secularsunday@atheist.ie.
Please consider joining or re-joining Atheist Ireland
Atheist Ireland is an entirely volunteer run organisation. We receive no grants or government funding to continue our campaign work. We rely entirely on membership fess and donations.
Annual membership is nominal; €25 waged, €10 unwaged/student and €40 for family membership. Please consider becoming a member. Membership means:
- You can help to build an ethical and secular Ireland.
- You have a say in determining policy and electing officers.
- You can attend members meetings and our AGM.
- You will have access to our members only Facebook group
- Your membership fee will go towards supporting our many campaigns.
You can join Atheist Ireland here.
Thank you for your continued support
Atheist Ireland Committee
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Opinion and Media
Material on atheism, secularism, human rights,politics,science etc. collected from media and the blogosphere from Ireland and beyond; used without permission, compensation, liability, guarantee or implied endorsement. We aim to include a variety of diverse opinions and viewpoints.
Blogs & Opinions
National
Junior infant teachers spending less time on religion
By Jess Casey
Junior infant teachers are spending less time teaching religion than recommended by the curriculum, a new report has found. The ‘Children’s School Lives’ study, a landmark project following 4,000 children through primary school to capture a glimpse inside modern classrooms, has found teachers least enjoy teaching religion, drama and PE. Read online…
The Irish Times view on future of the Catholic Church
By The Irish Times Editorial Staff
In his first pastoral letter for Advent as Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell does not hold back. “We are living through dark days. We confront immense challenges, not least that the dominant culture is hostile to faith, while there is much in our story that discourages and even repels many people,” he says. Read online…
Stolen from their mothers arms yet the State will pay them nothing
By Aoife Moore
How much should trauma cost? How much for an identity? A family? A sense of belonging? How much should the State pay for children who were stolen? The Government has decided, in some cases, nothing. Hundreds, if not thousands of people across Ireland wake up every day with no idea whose arms they were taken from in their first moments on earth, and the Government, keen to remind us they really don’t understand what these people have been through, has decided to pay them nothing. Read more…
International
Pakistani mob burns down police station over ‘blasphemy’. It just takes an allegation
By Tenzin Zompa
In yet another violent attack over rumors of blasphemy in Pakistan, a mob torched a police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district Sunday after police refused to hand over the man allegedly accused of desecrating the Quran. According to the Mandani circle DSP Ishaq, the accused is “mentally unstable and he cannot speak” and has been taken to an unknown location. Read more…
No prayers at board meetings, FFRF insists to S.D. schools
By Freedom From Religion Foundation
FFRF is insisting that a South Dakota school board cease its recent practice of injecting prayer into its meetings. A concerned local parent contacted FFRF to report that the Rapid City Area Schools Board started a new tradition in October by opening its meeting on the 5th of that month with prayer, including references to a “heavenly father.” This continued in November. Read more…
A moment that changed me: when my beloved teacher taught us about mortal sin
By Michelle Orange
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