Author: Michael Nugent

Yesterday I reported on what I described as the rise in nonreligious marriages in Ireland since 2016. That is a fair description when you look at the percentages, as religious marriages have dropped from 67.4% to 56.7%, and nonreligious marriages have risen from 32.6% to 43.3%. However, when you look at the actual figures rather […]

In the five years since 2016, the percentage of religious marriages in Ireland has dropped from 67.4% to 56.7%, Roman Catholic marriages have dropped from 56.3% to 39%, and nonreligious marriages have risen from 32.6% to 43.3%. This shows the need for the State to remove the privilege it gives to the Catholic Church in […]

The fable of the blind men and the elephant is often used to show how humans cannot understand god. Here’s a version with a different ending. A wise man met six scholars who were having quite a fight deciphering an elephant without the gift of sight Each described what they had felt and claimed the beast […]

This Sunday, 3 April, you will fill in your census form for 2022. The results will be used in planning the allocation of public services and resources, including the Catholic Church controlling almost all of our State-funded primary schools. To keep the census figures accurate, please pay attention to the new religion question, which now […]

23 March is international Atheist Day. By coincidence, on this day ten years ago, Jane Donnelly and I were at a conference in Ireland at which two Catholic theologians said that atheists are not fully human. Prof Gavin D’Costa, a Catholic theologian from the University of Bristol, said religious revelation tells us what being fully […]

Marcelo Bielsa is more than a football manager. He is an inspirational and wise human being of humility, integrity, and obsessive determination. He transformed the culture of Leeds into a joyfully entertaining and successful football team that was part of the wider community and many other fans’ second team. He built that team by inspiring […]

‘Debutante’, a short Irish film about religious control and coming-of-age, has had a wonderful reaction since it was completed last year. It won Best Irish Fiction Short at the Kerry International Film Festival, and has three nominations for the Richard Harris International Film Festival. In ‘Debutante’, Meg’s simple life revolves around her duties as a Jehovah’s […]

The religious oaths in the Irish Constitution for President and members of the Council of State still contravene human rights law, and today’s ruling by the European Court of Human Rights has not found otherwise.

Eight years ago David Amess MP and I were on opposing sides at a debate in the Oxford Union. I argued that religion harms society, and David defended religion from his perspective as a Catholic. We disagreed fundamentally, but we did so peacefully and respectfully.

Over 200 secular activists and groups have called for today, Sunday 3 October, to be recognised as International #SoheilDay in solidarity with Soheil Arabi, an atheist political prisoner in Iran.