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'Ireland is slowly discarding its age-old loyalty card attitude toward established religions'

Laws, government policies and the public funding of services should benefit all members of Irish society, writes Terry Flynn.

AS EASTER CELEBRATIONS continue, the surge in non-religious in last week’s census results, where “no religion” is now the second largest category behind Roman Catholics, marks a progressive evolution.

The government will need to accommodate it through constitutional, legislative and State practice change.

One in ten people now have “no religion”. For the non-religious and humanists, those with no religion almost doubled to 468,400. This is a massive 73.4% increase.

Why the figure could have been higher

Another interesting statistic is that 125,300 people declined to answer the religion question at all, so the increase of those with “no religion” may have been higher.

And we would suggest that the “no religion” figure could have been even higher still. Why? The census form designers historically assume that most Irish citizens have a religion by asking the rather loaded question: “What is your religion?”

One would have thought a more sensible way of framing the question might have been ask: “Do you have a religion?”

But this suggestion, made by the Humanist Association of Ireland following an invitation by the Central Statistics Office for suggestions regarding improvements to the census form, was rejected on the basis that it would make historical comparisons difficult.

Do Irish citizens identify as being Catholic even though they no longer practice?

Secondly, it seems odd that the number of Catholics has only declined by 3.4%. The evidence on the ground, that is, the meagre numbers entering the priesthood, and the steady decline in church attendance would suggest that, while many still identify as being Catholic, fewer actually practise the religion on any regular basis.

The figures would appear to overestimate the strength of established religions.

What the census figures do reveal is that existing barriers to non-religious in education, public office and practices in the provision of publicly funded services will now need to keep in step with this changing Ireland.

Religious oaths

For example, 45% of those who marked “no religion” are in the 20-39 age group.

Should this cohort ever aspire to high office like the presidency, or wish to become a judge, or be appointed to the Council of State, under current rules they can be excluded because of the need to take a religious oath.

Discriminatory Employment Law based on religious ethos

Antiquated laws like Section 37.1 of the Employment Equality Act, which allow workplaces to discriminate in terms of employment in order to maintain the religious ethos of the institution, should be assigned to the past and repealed completely.

Our hospitals and health service need to reflect the philosophical change as indicated in the census, and allow medical science and patient’s individual choice to thrive in the delivery of public services.

Furthermore the current baptism barrier where children of parents with no religion are discriminated against even though their parents pay the same taxes as a parent of religious affiliation should be scrapped immediately.

Government decisions should be based on empirical evidence rather than religious beliefs

The Humanist Association of Ireland believe that laws, government policies and the public funding of services should benefit all members of Irish society, not just those who adhere to a particular religious faith, even when that religion holds a majority position.

As such, all government decisions should be based on empirical evidence rather than religious beliefs.

What these latest census figures reveal is that Ireland is slowly discarding its age-old loyalty card attitude toward established religions.

The increased percentage of non-religious should now be reflected in an increased voice for the non-religious person in Irish society, particularly in equality, work and education.

Terry Flynn is a committed Humanist, member and volunteer of the Humanist Association of Ireland.

‘Do we invest money into private pockets, or into public housing, that we own?’>

Column: Debunking the most common ‘alternative facts’ about the Irish language>

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:52 PM

    Straight outta Carlow.

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    Mute G
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:04 PM

    Gwan the boyz yup yup

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:00 PM

    Embarrassing…

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    Mute Daragh Ó Murchú
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    Jun 9th 2019, 12:19 AM

    @TamuMassif2019: cad go díreach a bhfuil náireach fúthu ?

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 9th 2019, 12:57 PM

    @Daragh Ó Murchú: I never put much effort into Irish at school…

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 9th 2019, 1:00 PM

    @Daragh Ó Murchú: Them denying their own culture and trying to act if they belong to another culture and to another race, why making eejits of themselves.

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    Mute Mike Spillane
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    Jun 9th 2019, 2:49 PM

    @TamuMassif2019: you haven’t got a clue. I’d say Irish wasn’t the only part of your education you neglected.

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    Mute David Hickey
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    Jun 9th 2019, 5:12 PM

    @TamuMassif2019: Would you say the same of a rock band? Rock music is from the south of the US originally. Should we stop that, and only play trad so?

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    Mute Disco Pants
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:12 PM

    Lowest common denominator trash for the most brainless in society.

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:18 PM

    @Disco Pants: ooooooh look at me I use big words to seem smarter than anyone else

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    Mute Patsy Mongan
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:18 PM

    @Disco Pants: moron

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:20 PM

    @Disco Pants: idiot

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:22 PM

    @Conor Daly: who bees you dog? Gnome sayin

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:22 PM

    @Disco Pants: i bet you would be great crack on a night out

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    Mute j4VEpUO8
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:25 PM

    @Disco Pants: put down what you don’t understand is smart thinking

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    Mute j4VEpUO8
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:26 PM

    @T Jay O’Mea: putting

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:40 PM

    @Disco Pants: bellend

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:03 PM

    @Disco Pants: Hey mate you havnt got a clue what’s up

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    Mute John Paul
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:07 PM

    @Disco Pants: brainless? Most of these lads are above average intelligence. They have to be to write songs and have the intelligence and confidence to come up with lyrics on the spot

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    Mute Barry Dempsey
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    Jun 9th 2019, 7:55 AM

    @Disco Pants: thanks for your insight. Lowest common denominator trolling

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    Mute Cheeky Bums
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:50 PM

    Anyone else remember Scary Éire?

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    Mute G
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:09 PM

    @Cheeky Bums: Yeah, last I heard he got whacked in Compton, drive by shooting. Rip Scary

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    Mute Linda Kirby
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:51 PM

    @Cheeky Bums: They played the sugar club on Paddy’s weekend, wasn’t there but it was a great gig so I’ve been told.

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    Jun 10th 2019, 10:35 AM

    @Cheeky Bums: Yeah, Saw them live back in the day.. great band.

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:21 PM

    Mago x mathman have some really good stuff that deserves more air play

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:40 PM

    Load of me b. O. X s

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:14 PM

    I said a hip hop …… stall it down the shop ….

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    Jun 9th 2019, 7:39 AM

    “entrenched racism”? How about a fact check on that claim.

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    Mute Linda Kirby
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:54 PM

    It’s quite astonishing that an article about Irish rap has no mention of Scary Eire

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    Mute TheFreeSpeechParty
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:46 PM

    Just need to avoid the trap that happens with any Dublin scene where a group of artists get good, then disappear up their own posteriors

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    Mute Iarla Ó
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:28 PM

    Kneecap’s album gets played a lot in our car. Check them out on YouTube/Spotify if you haven’t already.

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    Mute J
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:39 PM

    The comments here are hilarious

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    Mute thephantomshit
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:43 PM

    Is seems like most Irish hip hop that makes social media graduated out of gonzaga college

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:53 PM

    Straight outta Carlow

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:05 PM

    @Keith Dunne: or Straight outta Carlaa

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:22 PM

    I really don’t the Kneecap boys would call themselves northern Irish and what’s with the ‘his real name is an Irish name’ comment? What’s that supposed to mean? Belfast is cheap compared to Dublin but you would be hard pushed to get a room in a shared house for less than £250 a month. For a flat, you’ll be talking £500 a month unless it’s in the absolute worst areas

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    Jun 9th 2019, 4:30 AM

    @De20: We are taking Irish hip hop and somehow you manage to make it about property prices….shame on you.

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    Jun 9th 2019, 1:43 AM

    Fair play lads all the best no mention of Rob Kelly from Wexford who really blazed a trail for the hip hop community

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    Jun 9th 2019, 2:42 PM

    Rap/ hip hop just never sounds good done by Europeans it just comes across as lame and fake .

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    Jun 9th 2019, 8:27 PM

    diddi diddle dillidy dillidy dillidy dee

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:05 PM

    These boys are very talented not mainstream which is great….we are sick of PC bullshit we’re know
    what’s going down

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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:03 PM
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:32 PM

    5th element on youtube. Class lads!

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    Jun 9th 2019, 9:49 AM

    Calling all da scraggy b I tches from accross the land. Jump up on me 1997 Civic and we’ll show those nerds.

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