Half a million Pagans in the Country.

Ulysses Gaze

George Carlin had it right. Worship the Sun. That has been around a hell of lot longer than we have and certainly around a hell of a lot longer than any made-up-religion (i.e. all).

But forget praying to the sun. There is only one deity you should pray to.

Pugzilla

Not all of us have imaginary friends....

beerpong

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Why do non Pagans and non Christians celebrate Christmas?

Celebrations on December 25th predate Christians by 2000 years or so

shaunr68

Oh PAGANS! I read it as Penguins.

Tom Mann Centuria

People
Against
Goodness
And
Normalcy.

Now, where's everyone's goat leggings?

lazybones32

TresGats wrote: »

Hatchings, matchings and dispatchings are the only reason the vast majority of the population attend mass at all.

The big three!

An american online 'friend' used describe herself as a Catholic CEO (christmas + easter only).

lazybones32

shaunr68 wrote: »

Oh PAGANS! I read it as Penguins.

P-p-p pick up your coat and get out.

Donal55

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

People
Against
Goodness
And
Normalcy.

Now, where's everyone's goat leggings?

The Wicker Man treatment for you.

posturingpat

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Why do non Pagans and non Christians celebrate Christmas?

Presents and a nice dinner.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

shaunr68 wrote: »

Oh PAGANS! I read it as Penguins.

Kowalski? Give me options!

Pero_Bueno

mini_Sapphire wrote: »

Hopefully the Muslim rise evens out. We have had enough trouble in this country with the Catholic Church for it to be replaced by other headbangers

Nope unfortunately it will get worse and worse, and all the lefty lunatics will welcome it.

Yet they are delighted about the fall of Catholicism :rolleyes:

Zebra3

Pero_Bueno wrote: »

Nope unfortunately it will get worse and worse, and all the lefty lunatics will welcome it.

Yet they are delighted about the fall of Catholicism :rolleyes:

Imagine that. Delighted that the RC Church which abducted vulnerable young women and put them in gulags along with the endless covering up of child rape and usurping democracy.

Imagine decent people being delighted that this pillar of right-wing criminality is dying out.

skylight1987

Donal55 wrote: »

Well, the figures are out. Not since before St.Patrick has there been as many non believers in this Fair Isle.

The number of Catholics have fallen to almost 78% of the population and the second largest group are the Pagans.

Muslims on the rise and Prods on the wane.
Changing times according to the latest Census Figures.

May God bless them all

Pherekydes

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Why do non Pagans and non Christians celebrate Christmas?

We've been celebrating the winter solstice in this country for about 5 thousand years, 3 thousand years before the common era (BCE).

Why do Christians use the Pagan-named days of the week?

Creative83

Zebra3 wrote: »

Imagine that. Delighted that the RC Church which abducted vulnerable young women and put them in gulags along with the endless covering up of child rape and usurping democracy.

Imagine decent people being delighted that this pillar of right-wing criminality is dying out.

I think you completely missed the point of his post.

ezra_pound

marcbrophy wrote: »

Paganism =/= Atheism

I worship nathin!

Actually paganism means worshipping a lot of Gods.

Widdershins

Anesthetize wrote: »

Been to any pagan weddings performed by a druid where they jump over a broomstick?

A handfasting. Yes.

Anesthetize

The Egyptian god Horus:

Was born on December 25th
Was born to a virgin
Walked on water
Was crucified and then resurrected
Performed miracles

Does this seem familiar?

posturingpat

Anesthetize wrote: »

The Egyptian god Horus:

Was born on December 25th
Was born to a virgin
Walked on water
Was crucified and then resurrected
Performed miracles

Does this seem familiar?

It's like your man in that film directed by Mel Gibson.

Ulysses Gaze

posturingpat wrote: »

It's like your man in that film directed by Mel Gibson.

The Man Without a Face?

Royal Legend

wakka12 wrote: »

Pagan means religious you know? I think youre confusing it with non religious.

Anyone who is not a catholic is a pagan.

Anesthetize

posturingpat wrote: »

It's like your man in that film directed by Mel Gibson.

Braveheart?

nice_guy80

posturingpat wrote: »

It's like your man in that film directed by Mel Gibson.

Apocalypto?

Ipso

Anesthetize wrote: »

The Egyptian god Horus:

Was born on December 25th
Was born to a virgin
Walked on water
Was crucified and then resurrected
Performed miracles

Does this seem familiar?

Is that really Horus or facebook meme Horus?

pitifulgod

Pero_Bueno wrote: »

Nope unfortunately it will get worse and worse, and all the lefty lunatics will welcome it.

Yet they are delighted about the fall of Catholicism :rolleyes:

mini_Sapphire wrote: »

I think you completely missed the point of his post.

He didn't miss miss the point, he just spotted that a certain lot always seem to draw every single topic back to 'invading Muslim' nonsense.... While ignoring our problems are historically closer to home.

Ulysses Gaze

pitifulgod wrote: »

He didn't miss miss the point, he just spotted that a certain lot always seem to draw every single topic back to 'invading Muslim' nonsense.... While ignoring our problems are historically closer to home.

Ah..have you not heard that the Levant has emptied and the dusky hordes are battering down the Gates of Vienna as I write this?

For shame.....

posturingpat

Anesthetize wrote: »

Braveheart?

The Passion of St Tibulus i think it was called.

Anesthetize

posturingpat wrote: »

The Passion of St Tibulus i think it was called.

Down with this sort of thing.

lazybones32

Pherekydes wrote: »

We've been celebrating the winter solstice in this country for about 5 thousand years, 3 thousand years before the common era (BCE).

Why do Christians use the Pagan-named days of the week?

Do you know what wednesday and friday mean in irish?

bodice ripper

Anesthetize wrote:

I too celebrate Yule every year.

Saturnalia is where it's at.

gw80

lazybones32 wrote: »

Do you know what wednesday and friday mean in irish?

Oden, woden,=Wednesday
Freya= friday
Thor= Thursday

Ulysses Gaze

You can't go wrong with worshipping Crom. In fact, you don't even need to pray to him.

He dwells on a great mountain. What use to call on him? Little he cares if men live or die. Better to be silent than to call his attention to you; he will send you dooms, not fortune! He is grim and loveless, but at birth he breathes power to strive and slay into a man's soul. What else shall men ask of the gods?

lazybones32

gw80 wrote: »

Oden, woden,=Wednesday
Freya= friday
Thor= Thursday

Had to thank this post and reply to it before you spot your error.

lazybones32

pitifulgod wrote: »

He didn't miss miss the point, he just spotted that a certain lot always seem to draw every single topic back to 'invading Muslim' nonsense.... While ignoring our problems are historically closer to home.

By a mile he missed the point being made...he saw RC and went of on his usual spiel.

The posters were saying along the lines that they were glad of being finished with religious dominated society but by allowing more and more muslims in, we are in danger of replacing one religion with another.

My god is incessant consumerism. The one true faith. Alleluia.

Yours etc,

Modern Ireland

gw80

lazybones32 wrote: »

Had to thank this post and reply to it before you spot your error.

I know its not the irish reference but do educate me:)

JupiterKid

The OP has little to no understanding of the meaning of the term Pagan.

Not surprised those declaring "no religion" is up again in the census. The only surprising thing is that it isn't even higher. 78% identifying as Catholic is still very high by European standards.

SEPT 23 1989

[Deleted User] wrote: »

My god is incessant consumerism. The one true faith. Alleluia.

Yours etc,

Modern Ireland

Liffey Valley and Dundrum are our temples

lazybones32

gw80 wrote: »

I know its not the irish reference but do educate me:)

If you want me to be your teacher, you will raise your hand (virtually) and address me as "Sir".
It's related to the Christian practice of fasting.

JupiterKid

I'm an admin on Ireland's largest LGBT message boards and the amount of gay men over the age of 45 who identify as Catholic on their profiles is very high. Given the way the Church has treated LGBT people, you would think this quite baffling but indoctrination from early childhood and subsequent social conditioning is a very powerful thing.

Ergo why most people want church weddings, their children baptised, religious funerals etc. indoctrination is a very powerful force.

And this is why the Church should be forcibly removed from influence on State schools. They can run their own religious schools if they so wish.

JupiterKid

JupiterKid wrote: »

And this is why the Church should be forcibly removed from influence on State schools. They can run their own religious schools if they so wish.

But that's exactly what they're already doing.

They've built schools on their own land, just like the other churches, at a time when nobody else would ... Any group is free to do the same.

Cabaal

VinLieger wrote: »

Pity the figures dont reveal the cultural catholics or the ones who ticked catholic to keep mammy happy

Ah yes, the bouncy castle Catholics,
those that want little jimmy or Mary to have a day out at the communion but the hate going to mass in the months and weeks before hand, The least 10% of which don't actually believe in a God. (number from Catholic bishops survey)

But sure it'll be lovely, they'll get a day out, money and they play dress up.

If you put your kid through communion or confirmation for anything other then your religious beliefs then you're an idiot

JupiterKid

JupiterKid wrote: »

I'm an admin on Ireland's largest LGBT message boards and the amount of gay men over the age of 45 who identify as Catholic on their profiles is very high. Given the way the Church has treated LGBT people, you would think this quite baffling but indoctrination from early childhood and subsequent social conditioning is a very powerful thing.

Ergo why most people want church weddings, their children baptised, religious funerals etc. indoctrination is a very powerful force.

And this is why the Church should be forcibly removed from influence on State schools. They can run their own religious schools if they so wish.

I'm not sure if it's indoctrination at all; actually I find writing it off as such to be a self-satisfying cop out from developing a serious analysis. And, to be frank, not a little patronising.

People need belief in something. Even atheists need it. It's a bit hard to endure the toil and Sisyphean struggle of a life that ultimately ends in pain for each of us and our loved ones (no exceptions!) without attaching some form of meaning, of belief, to our individual existence. It's when the belief in the purposefulness of life goes that the idea of suicide enters.

People compartmentalise and excuse things precisely because they need belief. That belief may be in a god (and actions by its supposed church can be ignored), or it may be an attachment to the continuation of a way of life, of a civilisation (and actions by its soldiers, child-exploiting clothing corporations, etc can be ignored). That is part of the reason why heroes, religious or secular, are so staunchly defended by believers.

Ernest Becker's Pulitzer Prize-winning Denial of Death has a fantastic study of the very rational roles played by belief, immortality, heroism and denial in human nature. It should be compulsory reading.

Cabaal

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

But that's exactly what they're already doing.

They've built schools on their own land, just like the other churches, at a time when nobody else would ... Any group is free to do the same.

Nonsense, the early Irish government basically outsourced our education and health to the catholic church because that's what the church wanted. (get those kids early and you'll own them for life).

This country was well capable of doing education and health without the catholic church.

Of course if the catholic church wants to have its own schools, that's fine by me. But the Irish tax payer shouldn't be paying for the building or staffing costs.

If the Irish tax payer pays for the teachers then it should be calling the shots.

It's actually shockingly sad,
we have people outraged about the idea of outsourcing our water management to a private company. But some idiots have no issue with our education system being run by an organisation that is run by another country (Vatican), at the end of the day the Irish government has confirmed this is exactly what it did.

Harry Palmr

Cabaal wrote: »

Ah yes, the bouncy castle Catholics,
those that want little jimmy or Mary to have a day out at the communion but the hate going to mass in the months and weeks before hand, The least 10% of which don't actually believe in a God. (number from Catholic bishops survey)

But sure it'll be lovely, they'll get a day out, money and they play dress up.

If you put your kid through communion or confirmation for anything other then your religious beliefs then you're an idiot

Don't forget to baptise your childs education prospects everyone, esp you rural types.

Donal55

Cabaal wrote: »

Nonsense, the early Irish government basically outsourced our education and health to the catholic church because that's what the church wanted. (get those kids early and you'll own them for life).

This country was well capable of doing education and health without the catholic church.

Of course if the catholic church wants to have its own schools, that's fine by me. But the Irish tax payer shouldn't be paying for the building or staffing costs.

If the Irish tax payer pays for the teachers then it should be calling the shots.

It's actually shockingly sad,
we have people outraged about the idea of outsourcing our water management to a private company. But some idiots have no issue with our education system being run by an organisation that is run by another country (Vatican), at the end of the day the Irish government has confirmed this is exactly what it did.

And the above argument is the very reason why parents who have no relationship with religion get their kids baptised, communion and confirmed.
Kids have to go to school, but on conditions.

Cabaal

[Deleted User] wrote: »

People need belief in something. Even atheists need it. It's a bit hard to endure the toil and Sisyphean struggle of a life that ultimately ends in pain for each of us and our loved ones (no exceptions!) without attaching some form of meaning, of belief, .

Wow,
atheism means a lack of belief for starters so you appear to be slighly clueless about the use of the word.

Some people find life hard, they use belief in a "supreme force" as a cop out from facing reality. It's basically a crutch for them to get through life.

Life isn't a struggle, it's what it is. We live, we die, we don't live forever. These are simple facts.

Of course if you need to believe in a religion to get through life that's fine. But don't push it on others and don't be so foolish as to think everyone else needs the crutch that you need to get through life.

Religions like the catholic religion don't celebrate life. They morn it and hope for something better (being with God etc) after death. That's an awful way to look at your life.

Cabaal

Donal55 wrote: »

And the above argument is the very reason why parents who have no relationship with religion get their kids baptised, communion and confirmed.
Kids have to go to school, but on conditions.

So many times I've spoken to parents about this and they'll say they don't believe in any of it. But they don't want their kid "left out" by not doing communion etc.

Of course in "communion year" in primary level Catholic religion and communion prep can take up 20% of school time, this is frankly insane and a waste of tax payers money.

The simple solution is take communion prep entirely out of schools and do it on Sundays or after school, this will ensure the very underused church's are used more and parents are far more involved. Religion is very much a personal thing and it shouldn't be the tax payers job to fit the bill for any religious events of any faith, by it catholic, Jewish etc

Of course the Catholic church would fight such a change tooth and nail. Why?

Cause they know people wouldn't bother with it, funny that....

Donal55

Cabaal wrote: »

So many times I've talk to parents about this and they'll say they don't believe in any of it. But they don't want their kid "left out" by not doing communion etc.

Of course in "communion year" in primary level Catholic religion and communion prep can take up 20% of school time, this is frankly insane and a waste of tax payers money.

The simple solution is take communion prep entirely out of schools and do it on Sundays, this will ensure the very underused church's are used more and parents are far more involved. Religion is very much a personal thing and it shouldn't be the tax payers job to fit the bill for any religious events of any faith, by it catholic, Jewish etc

Of course the Catholic church would fight such a change tooth and nail. Why?

Cause they know people wouldn't bother with it, funny that....

The only thing I think I can thank the Labour Party for in trying to break the link.

You can still evidence of pagan activity around, if you’ve ever come across one of these in a field you can be sure pagans were there recently