Atheist Ireland | Religion Archives

06/08/2018 Atheist Ireland

Don’t tell him, Pike! Bishop Doran reveals intention to further evangelise during sex education

In the sitcom Dad’s Army, Private Pike is famous for blurting out the truth at inconvenient times, to the annoyance of Captain Mainwaring. In one scene, a German U-Boat Captain asks Pike what his name is. Mainwaring interjects by barking: ‘Don’t tell him, Pike!’ Bishop Kevin Doran has created the ...

08/07/2017 Atheist Ireland

Atheist Ireland and parents are challenging discriminatory Second Level School Transport Scheme

Atheist Ireland and many parents are challenging the second level school transport scheme, which is unjust and discriminatory. And Ruth Coppinger TD has asked the Minister for Education the latest in a series of Dail questions, which you can read below, in relation to the scheme. The scheme gives privilege ...

14/05/2017 Atheist Ireland

Support the Equal Participation in Schools Bill 2016

The Equal Participation in Schools Bill 2016 will be debated in the Dail next Tuesday night between 8pm and 10pm. If passed this Bill would ensure that all children and their parents have access to an education system with equal respect and dignity and where their human rights are guaranteed. ...

03/04/2017 Atheist Ireland

Catholic Church has privileged position on political funding with SIPO

The Irish State has put in place laws that enable religious organisations (mainly the Catholic Church) to campaign on political issues such as the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution and religious control of schools. But ethical secular organisations, including Atheist Ireland, get no such benefit because we treat the law ...

20/12/2016 Atheist Ireland

Bishop’s statement confirms that religious opt-out system does not work in practice

Catholic Bishop Denis Nulty has said that only 1% of students opt out of religion in Irish primary schools. We don’t know the reliability of the survey he is basing this figure on. But, if it is accurate, it simply proves that the opt out system does not work in practice. Indeed, ...

08/10/2016 Atheist Ireland

Polish government backs down from restricting abortion rights

The Polish government this week backed down from a controversial Bill to make abortion more restrictive, because of a wave of protests in Poland and internationally. In September, Atheist Ireland spoke against this Bill at a rally in Warsaw, when we were in Poland for the annual OSCE human rights ...

30/09/2016 Atheist Ireland

Atheist Ireland rejects Holy See claims about Irish schools at OSCE

The Irish State has ceded control of most of our publicly funded schools to a Church that swaps at will between being a religion and being a foreign state. This foreign State claims internationally they are not responsible for the running of Catholic schools in Ireland, while at the same time ...

15/04/2016 Atheist Ireland

The tangled web of financial rules for political campaign groups

Atheist Ireland complies with the various pieces of legislation that regulate the funding and payment for political campaigning in Ireland. Unlike some other groups with secular or religious political aims, we are all volunteers, but we have managed to ensure that our funding and donations are accountable. Unfortunately, we are ...

02/03/2016 Atheist Ireland

Atheist Alliance International publishes Gender Balance Report

In a project instigated by Atheist Ireland, Atheist Alliance International has published a Gender Balance Report. It was coordinated by John Hamill, Atheist Ireland’s representative on the AAI Board, with input from Ashling O’Brien, Atheist Ireland’s Regional Officer, and Professor Sabina Brennan of the School of Psychology and Institute of ...

30/09/2015 Michael Nugent

Atheist Ireland tells OSCE meeting in Warsaw of religious discrimination against atheists and minority faiths

Atheist Ireland made two formal contributions to today's OSCE human rights conference in Warsaw, highlighting religious discrimination against atheists and members of minority faiths in Ireland and throughout the OSCE. Jane Donnelly spoke on discrimination in the Irish education system, and Michael Nugent spoke on other forms of discrimination. We ...