Atheist Ireland | Secularism Archives

15/01/2019 No Comments Atheist Ireland

We should challenge, not respect, Ethiopian religious customs that are unjust to women and LGBT people

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar defended his visit to a male-only Ethiopian Orthodox monastery, while leaving the women members of the Irish delegation outside, by saying it was appropriate to respect the rules and customs of different cultures and religions in their country. The Irish delegation included Irish ambassador to Ethiopia, Sonja ...

19/12/2018 No Comments Atheist Ireland

Children must respect the codes of conduct of Scientology in Irish Community National Schools

Last night RTE's Prime Time reported on Scientology in Ireland. Scientology has set up its European hub in Firhouse in Dublin. Scientology says it is a modern religion, which addresses spirituality in a practical way. It says that it brings new solutions which do not involve drugs, conflict or violence, but include ...

26/11/2018 No Comments John Hamill

The Irish Defence Forces Evangelise Military Personnel

The Irish Defence Forces operate a website for the Military Chaplaincy, which provides a service that is legally and constitutionally obliged to address those of all faiths and none with full equality. Unfortunately, it does not. Instead, this website provides for State-funded evangelisation of Catholicism towards military personnel and their ...

19/11/2018 No Comments John Hamill

Chaplains in the Irish Defence Forces

Atheist Ireland has written the letter below to Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Paul Kehoe TD. Dear Minister Kehoe, Following some complaints that we have received from current and former members of the Irish Defence Forces, Atheist Ireland has recently completed processing a Freedom of Information request about ...

11/11/2018 Atheist Ireland

Atheist Ireland launches ‘One Oath For All’ campaign

Atheist Ireland is today launching a ‘One Oath For All’ campaign, to enable conscientious atheists to hold the office of President, Judge, Taoiseach, or other members of the Council of State. Today Michael D Higgins will begin his second term as President, after fourteen elections or uncontested nominations since 1938, ...

03/11/2018 Atheist Ireland

The Austrian Muhammad paedophile case judgment is both dangerous and widely misunderstood

The case in which a woman was convicted in Austria for describing Muhammad as a paedophile, and in which the European Court of Human Rights did not overrule the judgment of the Austrian Courts, is both dangerous for human rights and widely misunderstood by many critics. It is ironic that ...

29/10/2018 Atheist Ireland

From Belgium to Saudi Arabia, IHEU ranks the best and worst countries in which to be an atheist

The IHEU Freedom of Thought Report 2018 ranks the best and worst countries in the world to be an atheist, based on restrictions or discrimination in four areas: constitution and government; education and children’s rights; family, community and society; and freedom of expression. The IHEU is the International Humanist and ...

28/10/2018 Atheist Ireland

Atheist Ireland welcomes removal of medieval crime of blasphemy

The people of Ireland have finally removed the medieval crime of blasphemy from our constitution, after a decade of campaigning by Atheist Ireland to have this referendum held. We will now continue to lobby for other secular changes, including ending the religious oath for President and the control that the ...

26/10/2018 Atheist Ireland

Atheist Ireland welcomes positive exit poll figures on blasphemy referendum

Exit polls suggest that today’s Yes vote might be between 69% (Irish Times exit poll) and 71% (RTE exit poll). We must remember that these are only exit polls, and not the official result of the vote, which we will not know until tomorrow or Sunday. Whatever the actual result, ...

19/10/2018 Atheist Ireland

Ronan Mullen voted against the blasphemy law in 2009, despite now denying that he did so

Senator Ronan Mullen voted against the Irish blasphemy law in 2009, despite denying that he did so on Prime Time yesterday. He opposed the blasphemy law because it did not explicitly allow religious people to blaspheme against matters held sacred by other religions. He added: ‘I say this as someone ...