Author Archives: Atheist Ireland

Repeal blasphemy laws: David Nash and Austin Dacey talk to Atheist Ireland

By Atheist Ireland | Published: February 3, 2012

This is the second in a series of occasional lectures hosted by Atheist Ireland and livestreamed on the Internet. Professor David Nash and Austin Dacey talk about blasphemy laws, at a discussion chaired by Michael Nugent.

Posted in Blasphemy, Politics, Secularism, Video | Leave a comment

Two Irish Senators support Alexander Aan in Indonesian blasphemy case

By Atheist Ireland | Published: February 3, 2012

Following a briefing of politicians by Atheist Ireland on Tuesday, two Irish Senators have asked the Irish Government to support Alexander Aan, the indonesian civil servant who is facing blasphemy charges for writing on Facebook that God does not exist.

Speaking in the Seanad this Thursday, Senators Jillian van Turnhout and Ivana Bacik both asked Eamon Gilmore, who is Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, to take a strong line in support of Alexander.

Atheist Ireland thanks both Senators for their quick response to this case. We also thank Senator Ivana Bacik for her request in the Seanad on Wednesday for a full debate on the Irish blasphemy law and its national and international impact.

Senator Jillian van Turnhout:

I welcome the Tánaiste’s commitment to Internet freedom through his work as chair of the OSCE. It is on this note that I draw his attention to the recent arrest of a 31 year old Indonesian civil servant, whose name I will supply to the Tánaiste separately, for having questioned the existence of God on his Facebook profile page. He has been charged under Indonesian law prohibiting blasphemy and faces five years imprisonment if found guilty.

The reason I raise this case with the Tánaiste is that Indonesia is one of a number of Islamic states that has cited Irish blasphemy legislation in support and defence of its own. Irish blasphemy law was cited as an authority in support of Indonesia’s constitutional court decision to uphold its law prohibiting blasphemy in 2010.

While I fully support the repeal of this law, I do not believe the intention of the blasphemy legislation introduced by Mr. Dermot Ahern in 2009 was to infringe upon the rights to freedom of expression, religion, belief and conscience in Ireland. Nor do I think it is a desirable consequence that our law is being used to support such infringements, including against Christian religions in Islamic countries anywhere else in the world.

I consider this as much a foreign affairs concern as a domestic concern. I welcome that this law is up for review in the programme for Government.

Senator Ivana Bacik:

I would like to echo Senator van Turnhout in urging the Tánaiste to take a strong line in support of the Indonesian civil servant she mentioned. We need to examine our blasphemy law because it is clearly having a repressive effect in Indonesia, Pakistan and other countries. I know the matter will be reviewed as part of the constitutional convention, but I believe the law should be repealed. Perhaps progress can be made more quickly in this regard.

Here is the Seanad transcript of the above contributions and here is Senator Bacik’s request the previous day for a full debate on the Irish blasphemy law. Atheist Ireland asks everybody who reads this to contact your local politicians, your local Indonesian embassy, and the Indonesian Government to call for the immediate release of Alexander Aan.

Posted in Blasphemy, Politics, Secularism | 4 Comments

Senator Ivana Bacik calls for debate on Irish blasphemy law

By Atheist Ireland | Published: February 2, 2012

Senator Ivana Bacik yesterday requested a Senate debate on the Irish blasphemy law and its international implications, following a briefing by Atheist Ireland of politicians in Leinster House the previous day. Senator Maurice Cummins responded that the Government can certainly look at this.

Here is Senator Bacik’s contribution on the Seanad Order of Business:

I call for a debate on blasphemy law. There was an excellent briefing yesterday from Professor David Nash of Oxford Brookes University, a leading expert on blasphemy, who spoke about the international impact of the passage of the 2009 Defamation Act in Ireland, particularly section 36, which created a new statutory offence of blasphemy. There was an excellent debate on it in this House, and many colleagues participated in it.

There is an issue as there was an adverse international impact, with certain countries adopting Irish arguments on blasphemy and using this to bolster prejudice against different religions, even Christian religions in Islamic countries. We have also seen that Ireland has gone against the EU norm in adopting a new statutory definition of blasphemy based on a definition of offence.

It is outdated and I am glad it is up for review in the programme for Government. We must move forward by having a debate in the House on how we can ensure incitement to religious hatred laws are strengthened in the Statute Book. We no longer need an offence of blasphemy.

Posted in Blasphemy, Politics, Secularism | 1 Comment

Interview about Atheist Ireland for skyzthelimi7 and Atheism TV

By Atheist Ireland | Published: December 21, 2011

Last week Randall Calvin interviewed Atheist Ireland chairperson Michael Nugent for skyzthelimi7 and Atheism TV.

Posted in Atheism, Blasphemy, Secularism | Leave a comment

We must respect human rights of parents who want secular schools

By Atheist Ireland | Published: December 15, 2011

The Irish Independent today published this article by Michael Nugent about the human right to a secular education. It includes the key points that Atheist Ireland made in our response to the interim report of the Forum for Patronage and Pluralism in Irish Education.

The final report will be given to the Minister for Education later this month. If you live in Ireland, please contact the Minister and your local TDs, and say that you want the Minister to respect the rights of secular parents when he responds to the final report.

We must respect human rights of parents who want secular schools

Most of the 3,300 primary schools in the Republic of Ireland are run by church patrons, about 97% by the Catholic church. These schools use an integrated curriculum, in which Catholic teaching permeates every subject. They are legally allowed to discriminate on religious grounds, and it is often impossible for parents to opt their children out of religious
instruction.
Read More »

Posted in Education, Secularism | 3 Comments

Is ordaining a woman worse than child sex abuse?

By Atheist Ireland | Published: July 22, 2010

Apologists for the Catholic Church are correct that the Vatican is not equating women’s ordination with clerical paedophilia by referring to them in the same document, Normae de Gravioribus Delictis.

In fact, the penalties in the document suggest that the Vatican actually considers attempting to ordain a woman to be a more grave offence than sexually abusing a child.

A cleric who attempts either offence may be punished by dismissal or deposition, but a person who attempts to ordain a woman is also automatically excommunicated, as is the woman who attempts to be ordained.

These are the moral priorities that one might expect from a church that last year excommunicated a Brazilian mother for helping her raped nine-year-old daughter to have an abortion, without seeking to impose any penalties on the man who raped the child.

Ethical issues should be evaluated on the basis of human rights, compassion, well-being and suffering, not on the basis of theological dictates from people who believe they are getting messages from the creator of the universe.

Posted in Catholicism | 7 Comments

New VEC primary schools should not teach faith formation

By Atheist Ireland | Published: July 20, 2010

Atheist Ireland agrees with Educate Together and with the Humanist Association of Ireland that children should not be separated according to their religion in the new pilot VEC primary schools, and that there should not be faith formation within school hours.

Atheist Ireland believes that State education should be secular. Children should be taught about the diversity of religious beliefs in an objective manner. Children should be educated in critical thinking and the distinction between faith and reason as a guide to knowledge. Faith formation should be a matter for parents and religions.

We believe this not merely because it is good for society, but also because Ireland today is violating international human rights law by denying secular education to the children of parents who want it.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has already told Ireland to increase its efforts to ensure that nondenominational primary education is widely available in all parts of the State. And the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that children should be taught about religious culture and ethics in an objective, critical and pluralist manner. It has also ruled that primary schools should not display religious symbols on school walls. Italy is appealing this latter decision.

Atheist Ireland wants a secular state for a pluralist people. This nuance is important: a pluralist society, with freedom of conscience, religion and belief, is best protected by a secular government, with public policy formed by applying reason to evidence.

Posted in Education | 12 Comments

Bishop promotes collective guilt for clerical sex abuse

By Atheist Ireland | Published: July 19, 2010

Roman Catholic Bishop Donal McKeown yesterday (Sun 18 July) told members of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association that they should “Continue to do penance for the sins of those Church personnel who abused children,” because “We have all been diminished and humiliated by what they did.”

This is an attempt to make innocent people feel guilty for serious crimes committed by members of the Roman Catholic clergy, and for the cover-up of those crimes by the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Indeed, there may well have been some victims of these crimes in the very audience whom he was asking to do penance.

Bishop McKeown also said that “Our secular society – that so often likes to locate sin and repentance only in individuals rather than accepting the possibility of corporate responsibility – cannot easily comprehend the idea of doing penance and making reparation for others. But Pioneers and all Christians can.”

Secular society does not locate “sin” anywhere. Sin is a theological notion. Secular society involves people agreeing together how best to live together, based on our experience of reality. Democratic secular society is typically based on protecting human rights by the rule of law, not on blaming innocent people for the crimes of guilty people.

Atheist Ireland is campaigning for a secular state for a pluralist people, with freedom of belief for everybody protected by a government that is neutral on religion.

Posted in Catholicism | 3 Comments

Atheist Ireland Declaration on Religion in Public Life

By Atheist Ireland | Published: July 18, 2010

At our AGM last Saturday, Atheist Ireland adopted the following amended version of the Copenhagen Declaration on Religion in Public Life. The original version was written and adopted by delegates at the world atheist conference “Gods and Politics” held in Copenhagen from 18-20 June 2010.

This version is based on feedback on the original from various sources. It is written more concisely, clarifies some ambiguous phrases, and categorises the points into groups. Like the original, it is a starting point for discussion and not an unalterable set of principles.

Declaration on Religion in Public Life

We support this amended version of the Copenhagen Declaration on Religion in Public Life. We invite other people and groups to also support it.

Personal Freedoms

  • Freedom of conscience, religion and belief are unlimited. Freedom to practice religion should be limited only by the need to respect the rights of others.
  • All people should be free to participate equally in public life, and should be treated equally before the law and in the democratic process.
  • Freedom of expression should be limited only as prescribed in international law. All blasphemy laws should be repealed.

Secular Democracy

  • Society should be based on democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Public policy should be formed by applying reason to evidence.
  • Government should be secular. The state should be strictly neutral in matters of religion, favoring none and discriminating against none.
  • Religions should have no special financial consideration in public life, such as tax-free status for religious activities, or grants to promote religion or run faith schools.

Secular Education

  • State education should be secular. Children should be taught about the diversity of religious beliefs in an objective manner, with no faith formation in school hours.
  • Children should be educated in critical thinking and the distinction between faith and reason as a guide to knowledge. Science should be taught free from religious interference.

One Law For All

  • There should be one law for all, democratically decided and evenly enforced, with no jurisdiction for religious courts to settle civil matters or family disputes.
  • The law should not criminalize private conduct that respects the rights of others because the doctrine of any religion deems such conduct to be immoral.
  • Employers or social service providers with religious beliefs should not be allowed to discriminate on any grounds not essential to the job in question.
Posted in Politics, Religion, Secularism | 3 Comments

Atheist Ireland AGM launches new campaign for a secular state

By Atheist Ireland | Published: July 18, 2010

Atheist Ireland launched a new campaign for a secular state on Saturday, July 17th, at our second AGM, held in the Davenport Hotel in Dublin. The meeting also announced a major international atheist conference to be held in Dublin next year, co-hosted by Atheist Ireland and Atheist Alliance International.

The aim of the new campaign is a Secular State for a Pluralist People.
The priorities of the new campaign are:

A secular Irish Constitution based on the Ireland of today not 1937
Repeal the Irish blasphemy law that Islamic states are using at the UN
A secular education system based on international human rights law
A secular health system where religions do not decide the ethos of hospitals
Encourage nonreligious people to state their lack of religion in the census
Replace religious oaths in courts with neutral ones that do not prejudice juries
Remove religious symbols from schools, hospitals and public buildings
Stop daily prayers in the Oireachtas and remove the Angelus from RTE

The AGM also adopted a Declaration on Religion in Public Life promoting personal freedoms, secular democracy, secular education and one law for all. This is based on a declaration passed in Copenhagen at last month’s European conference of Atheist Alliance International. Next year’s conference will be held in Dublin.

The AGM voted that, as well as promoting our aims in a positive way, Atheist Ireland should also highlight incidents where we believe religions or religious representatives are behaving unethically. On complex ethical issues such as euthenasia and abortion, our position is that society should address these issues based on human rights and compassion, and applying reason to empirical evidence, and not on religious doctrines.

Speakers at the AGM included Atheist Ireland chairperson Michael Nugent, Senator Ivana Bacik who is a member of Atheist Ireland, American psychologist Dr. Darrel Ray who wrote the bestselling book The God Virus, Maureen Meleady on secular education, Paul Gill on the Blasphemy walk, and Richard Green of the UK Atheism group.

The AGM also voted to set up local Atheist Ireland groups around the country, and elected Michael Nugent as chairperson, Grania Spingies as Secretary, Ciaran Mac Aoidh as Regional Officer and Steven Duggan as Finance Officer.

Posted in Meetings, Politics, Secularism | 1 Comment