How Irish schools breach the Constitutional rights of atheist and minority faith families
In Ireland, freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief means that if you belong to a religious or nonreligious minority, your rights are suspended in order to guarantee freedom of religion for the religious majority. This breaches the rights of parents and children under the Irish Constitution. This article examines ...
NCCA removes names of Religious Education Reference Group members from its website
The syllabus Religious Education Course was updated in 2019. The NCCA recently removed from its website the names of the Religious Education Reference Group members who shaped the course. In the interests of transparency, we have published their names below. This Religious Education Reference Group was heavily influenced by religious ...
Church and State still ignoring the 1998 Supreme Court judgment on religious ethos in schools
In the recent Burke case, the Court of Appeal stated that: “179. The decision of the Supreme Court in the Campaign to Separate Church and State v. Minister for Education is binding authority..” For years church and state have used the judgement in the Campaign case to force religion on ...
Write to your child’s school to object to the new Catholic sex education course
The Catholic Bishops have published a new sex education course called Flourish for primary schools. Flourish can be taught alongside curriculum Relationship and sexuality education in schools with a Catholic ethos. The vast majority of schools in Ireland are controlled by the Catholic Church. Your school may decide to ignore ...
Atheist Ireland asks Government to legislate for objective sex education
Atheist Ireland has written the following letter to all Government Ministers, TDs, and Senators. Please contact your own TD or Senator and ask them to support legislation for objective sex education. Dear Minister, TD, Senator, The Programme for Government commits to make legislative changes, if necessary, to ensure inclusive Relationship ...
Why does the state not understand the Constitutional right of parents to freedom of conscience?
The Constitutional right to not attend religious instruction in schools is a sub-section of the Constitutional right to Freedom of Conscience and the free profession and practice of religion. The courts have recognised that this is not confined to those that have a religious conscience. It applies to all. Article ...
Catholic Bishops circle the croziers with new Sex and Morality Education course
As the NCCA is updating the syllabus for Social, Personal, and Health Education (SPHE), the Catholic Bishops are circling the croziers by introducing a new course called ‘Flourish’ in publicly funded national schools. Flourish is officially Relationship and Sex Education, and in practice is Catholic Sex and Morality Education. It ...
Atheist Ireland, Evangelical Alliance, and Ahmadiyya Muslims ask UN to strengthen secularism in Ireland
Ireland will be questioned this year by the United Nations Human Rights Council under a process called the Universal Periodic Review. Atheist Ireland, the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland, have made this joint submission to UN on freedom of religion and belief in Ireland. ...
Draft letter for parents to send to TDs seeking Statutory Guidelines on religion in schools
Here is a draft letter to send to your TDs seeking Statutory Guidelines on religion in schools. You can copy and paste the text and add in any information that you want about your own circumstances. The letter explains why this is topical at the moment. If you get a ...
An unlawful, systematic and stark attack on the right to not attend religious instruction
In most schools in Ireland the State Religious Education course is taught through the lens of the Catholic Church. Students are told that the course is suitable for all religions and none. Many students are coerced and some are forced into taking the course. The arrangements for students who wish ...