Atheist Ireland | Secularism Archives

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 1 Comment 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 1 Comment 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 No Comments 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 1 Comment 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 1 Comment 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 No Comments 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 ...

22/09/2018 No Comments Atheist Ireland

What we must do to separate church and state – speech by Jane Donnelly in Waterford

Jane Donnelly, Human Rights Officer of Atheist Ireland, made the following speech today at the Be The Change conference in Waterford, organised by Waterford People Before Profit, on Saturday 22 September 2018. Ireland is becoming more secular, because the developed world is becoming more secular. Around the world, as people ...

26/08/2018 Atheist Ireland

As Pope Francis visits Dublin, Jane Donnelly calls for secular schools at People Before Profit public meeting

While Pope Francis was speaking in Croke Park in Dublin, Jane Donnelly of Atheist Ireland was making the case for a secular education system free from Catholic Church influence. Jane was speaking at a public meeting convened by People Before Profit, about Separation of Church and State. Here is the ...