An Appetite for Wonder by Richard Dawkins is a generous, nuanced and ethical memoir, and the recent personal smears against Richard by some atheists are unjust, hurtful and irresponsible. Some other atheists have disagreed with Richard in more considered terms, as should be expected and encouraged in any freethinking community. Some critics may dislike his […]
Atheist Ireland will be holding a raffle at our Christmas party on Friday 6th December in the Trinity Capital Hotel in Dublin to raise funds for developing our new primary school course about atheism for Educate Together schools. Here are details of the Christmas Party on Friday 6th Here are details of the Course about […]
This is video and script of my speech at the Oxford Union debate on 7 November, where I proposed the motion That Religion Harms Society. Also proposing the motion were David Silverman, Peter Atkins, Nonie Darwish and Peter Millican. Opposing the motion were Mehrunissa Sajjad, Julian Brazier MP, David Amess MP, Tariq Ramadan and Richard […]
Atheist Ireland has already made the following submission to the Constitutional Convention: A Secular Constitution for a Pluralist People Today we have sent this supplementary submission: We have already made a submission to you on the need for a Secular Constitution with Separation of Church and State, including specific changes needed to make this happen. In […]
The United Nations Human Rights Committee has said today that it is to raise several secular issues with Ireland, which Atheist Ireland recommended in a submission to the United Nations in August. The UN has today published the list of issues that it will ask Ireland about, under the fourth periodic review of Ireland’s obligations […]
Update: Video of this speech is now online here. Jane Donnelly and I had a very enjoyable time in Oxford yesterday, where I spoke at The Oxford Union debating the motion That Religion Harms Society. Thanks to Parit Wacharasindhu and his team for the excellent organisation. Also proposing the motion were David Silverman, Peter Atkins, […]
Please continue to make submissions about Secularism / Separation of Church and State to the Constitutional Convention. There has been a huge surge in Church and State submissions in recent weeks. However, the Convention members seemed to show little interest in adding it to the final item on their agenda when they met last weekend. […]
We are pleased that 61% of the Constitutional Convention members have rejected the reference to blasphemy in the Constitution. But we are shocked and concerned by some aspects of the outcome. We are shocked that 38% of the members voted to keep this anachronistic reminder of the Ireland of Eamon de Valera. We are also […]
I and Prof David Nash and Jane Donnelly, on behalf of Atheist Ireland, made the following three speeches today at the Constitutional Convention meeting about blasphemy law. They run from 2:42 – 11:44 on the video. Speech by Michael Nugent, Chairperson Atheist Ireland(2:42 – 6:36 on video) You have rights, your beliefs do not. That […]
Today you a have a unique opportunity to help reverse the historic influence of the Catholic Church on the Irish Constitution – a document that begins with the embarrassing anachronism of: “In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, from Whom is all authority,” and then refers to “our obligations to our divine Lord Jesus […]