Baptising children

I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that human rights came about in ancient Greece. It's basically a modern concept, originating in the sixteenth century, and it owes rather more both to Christianity and to modern non-Christian thought than it does to the ancient Greeks.

Mmm. I think you're drawing a very long bow there. You can probably say that some of the elements of natural law theory are found in ancient Greek thought, but actually assembling those elements together to construct anything that looks like natural law theory as we know it happens much later, and certain the derivation from that of anything that looks like a theory of human rights is a distinctly modern development.

Interesting discussion on Pat Kenny show this morning about school ethos and divestment. A spokesperson from Iona Institute was pointing at an example of a school in Malahide where the parents voted not to divest (possibly in a keep the status quo scenario).

The other commentator who represented Education Equality was asking why religious studies cannot be done out of school hours, and reallocate that daily half hour to another subject, to which Iona guy had no response or logical answer.

The obvious answer is that baptisms, communion and confirmation ceremony numbers would drop like a rock in water if parents had to do the confirmunion prep work themselves.

The time of maximum religiosity was also the time of minimum human rights, burning heretics alive at the stake for example. It was only as the church's influence decreased that we have modern human rights.

One of the grossest materialistic events in a Catholic-educated child's life is the cash event that is First Communion.

And it is not in any doubt that the Catholic Church is one of the wealthiest institutions on earth.

I wonder if Catholic parents would be happy if say Islam was thought in schools as a counter to materialism rather than Catholicism? Would they be happy with the excuse that it is only a few prayers? I would be happy if there was an option in primary schools to have either religion or something else like science or philosophy, but that was rejected by the church. The state is footing the entire bill for salaries, pensions, most running costs (except voluntary contributions) and construction. In the past land was provided by the church. In most cases the value of the land would be less than the cost of employing a single teacher for their working life. So the church gets a very good deal here. If I understand from some other threads, you might be a religion teacher which might help explain your perspective.

Incorrect. Friends told us last week of their 6 year old son being taught about heaven and hell in school, and how sinners go to hell to burn for eternity. Now how is that possibly considered harmless?

I was baptised Catholic and had to go to mass until I was 17. I resented it - especially the shaking hands / sign of peace b*llshit which is probably the primary reason why attendances have fallen.

Once I left home for college, I stopped going and once I hit 18, my parents didn't make me go any more. Nowadays the only time I see the inside of a Catholic church is for a funeral or wedding. My children are baptised COI (my wife is COI). To keep my parents happy, I got the dispensation from the Catholic church to marry in a COI church. As part of that process, I had to make the promise to the priest to "do my utmost" to bring any children up as Catholic. I had no intention of doing so. To the OP, I would suggest making the compromise to get the children baptised.

I don't have faith but unlike some other atheists, I don't hate people who are religious. My parents and many elderly relatives & neighbours still go to mass - that doesn't cloud my perception of them - and I still think they're decent people.

You obviously don't understand the concept of sin. Sin is about damaged relationships. Causing harm to others. But sure all Muslims beat their Wives and are terrorists.

This sort of moronic interpretation of basic doctrine belongs in your local. Can you not go there... Now like?!

My 5 year old daughter came home from school one day and asked me if it was true what sister told her, that there are devils living under the ground.

Because healthy relationships rely on compromise. And that in most families what happens around this sort of issue is more heavily influenced by the mother. Are you married? Do you have children?

I am. I do. I didn't want to baptise our child. My wife would have gone ahead with a baptism, purely because her own mother is quite religious and to please her. We discussed it and agreed not to baptise as neither of us attend mass, practice religion or agree with the church's position that women and homosexuals should be discriminated against.

This is a thread on social media with anonymity. It's not a formal debate. Thus if one comes across moronic comments im not going to hold back.

Adults should at least know the basic facts of a religion before making ridiculous comments that belong in a local tavern.