Our new submission to the NCCA on Religious Education – please make your own submission tomorrow
September 27, 2018 No Comments

Our new submission to the NCCA on Religious Education – please make your own submission tomorrow

The NCCA is accepting submissions on a new specification for second level Religious Education. You can read below a joint submission made by Michael Nugent and Jane Donnelly of Atheist Ireland, Imam Ibrahim Noonan of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland, and Pastor Nick Park of the Evangelical Alliance of ...

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The Education Act does not oblige schools to promote moral and spiritual education through religion
September 13, 2018 No Comments

The Education Act does not oblige schools to promote moral and spiritual education through religion

For some reason, some ETBs and the Catholic Church believe that the Section 9 of the Education Act obliges them to promote the moral and spiritual of all children through religion. They equate the word ‘spiritual’ in Section 9 with religion, and have simply jumped to conclusions from that. This ...

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ETB schools must respect human rights and stop indoctrinating students into religion
September 13, 2018 No Comments

ETB schools must respect human rights and stop indoctrinating students into religion

The European Court has said that not respecting parents convictions in the education system is pursuing an aim of indoctrination. One of the main aims of the State Religious Education course is to contribute to the moral and spiritual of all students through religion. Contributing to the moral and spiritual ...

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Is your local ETB school offering an alternative subject to religion? Contact Atheist Ireland and let us know
August 29, 2018 No Comments

Is your local ETB school offering an alternative subject to religion? Contact Atheist Ireland and let us know

Atheist Ireland, the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland, will be meeting the Department of Education again in September, to discuss the recent directive regarding religion in ETB schools. We would like to be able to bring as much information to that meeting as possible, about what ...

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Catholic Bishops have veto in rigged divestment process for schools
August 19, 2018 No Comments

Catholic Bishops have veto in rigged divestment process for schools

Atheist Ireland has obtained, under the Freedom of Information Act, a letter that the Catholic Bishops sent to Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), regarding religion in Community National Schools. The letter is dated 15th February 2017. We have published it below. We have previously written about the conflict of ...

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If religion should not determine health and social policy, it should not determine education policy either
August 6, 2018 No Comments

If religion should not determine health and social policy, it should not determine education policy either

In a recent tweet the Minister for Health, Simon Harris has said that “Religion plays an important role for many on an individual basis - but it will not determine health and social policy in our country any more. Please get that.” Please just make it stop! Increasing access to ...

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The three types of religious education in Irish schools
July 19, 2018 No Comments

The three types of religious education in Irish schools

There is a lot of confusion among parents and students in relation to the different types of religious education and religious instruction classes in Irish school at primary and second level. Here is a quick guide which we hope will give a better understanding of the basic principles in relation ...

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How the State Religious Education Course breaches Human and Constitutional Rights
February 23, 2018 No Comments

How the State Religious Education Course breaches Human and Constitutional Rights

This week the Minister for Education, Richard Bruton issued a new Directive to ETB schools and colleges on religion. This new Directive has been a long time coming. Atheist Ireland has been working on this for years as the majority of the complaints we get are from parents and students about ...

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Atheist Ireland, Evangelical Alliance, Ahmadi Muslims welcome opt-out from religion in ETB schools
February 14, 2018 No Comments

Atheist Ireland, Evangelical Alliance, Ahmadi Muslims welcome opt-out from religion in ETB schools

Atheist Ireland, the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland, welcome the report of a proper opt-out from religious instruction in State-run ETB schools, with alternative subjects being offered at the start of the year instead of students being forced to sit at the back of ...

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New case shows that the Irish State directly imposes a Catholic ethos in ETB Schools
August 25, 2017 No Comments

New case shows that the Irish State directly imposes a Catholic ethos in ETB Schools

A recent case at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) vindicates the position of Atheist Ireland in relation to religion in the Education & Training Board (ETB) schools and colleges. We have consistently argued that ETB schools are run as religious schools, and that most of them have a Catholic or ...

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