Fall of the Catholic Church

I have few problems with christians (when they are not trying to convert me) but just like to point out that most of the atheists have a better understanding of the christian faiths origins than most christians. Thats not knocking anyone - thats stating a basic fact.

it is my firm belief that this lack of knowledge (despite the indoctrination in schools) will lead to a degree of apathy to the catholic faith comparable to how it has been in the UK for over a half century. It will wither on the vine for lack of love. Most will still call themselves christians (like in the UK) but they will do nothing to express that in their daily lives. I see the trend already, 10 years ago on ash Wednesday in the college where I was studying over 50% of the people wore the ash, nowdays in a similar environment of young educated adults I see not one. Thats a big change in a short time.

My neighbour only a few years ago went to church every Sunday and most of their four children went as well, now I cannot remember the last time they went to church on a Sunday.

Progress.

Who’s trying to argue that religion is a public service, besides yourself and a few other people who are opposed to the idea of public funding being provided for education?

Your bait and switch nonsense is so painfully obvious, that it doesn’t even warrant consideration, not least because of the fact that the Irish Courts have already determined that public funding being provided to denominational schools for the purposes of education, is not an endowment of religion -

After reviewing the historical background to Article 44.2.2º, and noting, in particular, that the Constitution was enacted at a time when the vast majority of secondary schools in the country were denominationally controlled, Barrington J (with whom Hamilton CJ, O’Flaherty and Denham JJ concurred) held, inter alia, that the payment of monies to a denominational school for educational purposes was not an endowment of religion within the meaning of Article 44.2.2º. The fact that State payment of the chaplains’ salaries indirectly benefited the churches in question (inasmuch as they did not have to spend their own monies on such purposes) was discounted by the judge who pointed out that the same argument could be made in relation to the State payment of teachers’ salaries at denominational schools and clearly the framers of the Constitution did not consider the latter payments to constitute an endowment of religion. 

 Barrington J went on to point out that Article 42 contemplated children receiving religious education in schools recognised or established by the State but in accordance with the wishes of the parents. As we have already noted, he took the view that religious education in this sense was not the same as the ‘religious instruction’ referred to in Article 44.2.4º, the former being a much wider concept than the latter, and inasmuch as Article 44.2.4º guaranteed the right of a child not to have to attend religious instruction at a publicly funded school, it did not protect him from being influenced by the religious ethos of that school. Parents had the right to have religious education provided in the schools which their children attend and were not obliged to settle merely for religious ‘instruction’. The role of the chaplain helped to provide this extra dimension to the religious education of children and therefore:

 ‘the present system whereby the salaries of chaplains in community schools are paid by the State is merely a manifestation, under modern conditions, of principles which are recognised and approved by Articles 44 and 42 of the Constitution.’ (Pp358, 101)

Barrington J concluded his judgment by adding two caveats to his decision. First, the system of salaried chaplains had to be available to all community schools of whatever denomination on an equal basis in accordance with their needs and, second, it was constitutionally impermissible for a chaplain to instruct a child in a religion other than its own without the knowledge and consent of its parents.

https://www.ihrec.ie/download/doc/gerry_whyte_paper_on_religion_and_education.doc

Or do you actually expect that the Irish Government is going to change our entire taxation and education system in accordance with your demands to mirror the German system of taxation and education, like it would make one iota of a difference? It wouldn’t. People who’s incomes aren’t above a minimum level still wouldn’t have to pay the Church tax, and those that would have to pay it, can claim it back in their tax returns. You’d only be introducing an extra level of administrative bureaucracy just for the hell of it -

https://germantaxes.de/tax-tips/church-tax/

Proper order from the Minister for Education 😁

The minister was addressing the Oireachtas Gender Equality Committee on Thursday morning in relation to recommendations of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality regarding Norms and Stereotypes and Education.

During the meeting, Ms Carroll MacNeill asked for clarity on an answer Ms Foley had given to People Before Profit’s Bríd Smith on whether ‘every child in Ireland will get the same technical sexual education as each other, with no opt-outs for parents or schools’.

‘What I have laid down in the curriculum will be followed,’ Ms Foley responded.

Ms Carroll MacNeill remarked that the same answer was being given again and she ‘asked a simple yes [or no] question’.

‘I would just say to you, Deputy, if the answer is correct the first time and if the information I give you is correct the first time, it will be correct the second and the third time when you ask it as well irrespective of how you frame it,’ Ms Foley responded.

Ms Carroll MacNeill responded by saying ‘Oh my goodness’.

Foley And Carroll MacNeill In Tetchy Exchange Over Sex Education (extra.ie)

Most of the Old Testament is plagiarized from much older Babylonian texts. Every single major story arc in the book of Genesis can be found in much older Babylonian texts. In fact the Tribe of Abraham were just a splinter sect of Babylon (no excile just diversion from the biggest civilzation of the age), similarly the Exodus out Egypt has no record in any Egyptian text and there is no record of a Jewish slave nation, they seem to have been a disgruntled bunch of Egyptian workers who decided to split off and go it alone. Egyptians recorded their history in fanatical detail so if the captive nation of Israel existed then it would be recorded in Egyptian texts. In fact its seems that Yehwah was a minor Egyptian weather/thunder/war God.

The Bible is very far from been the oldest book in the world and was only written down a few centuries before the events of the mythical Jesus.

Histories a bitch.

Faith is a gift. If you don't have it, don't decry those who have. Be happy for them in their happiness, just as I am that you are happy in your ignorance.

Faith is for the lazy. Rather then be gifted soemthing, I prefer to go out and earn it for myself by searching, learning, investigating and thinking for myself.

I wouldn't consider myself lazy, and yet the faith I have I know is a gift for me. Because of the faith I have, I did search, learn, thought for myself. And I grew deeper in my faith. Hows that?

Really - is that what you got from my previous response?

Might as well just wait then to see how it pans out.

Yes.

You got a gift and I didn't.

And now you have me worried now that my happiness is just a mask for my ignorance.

Delighted for you. But don't be so quick to dismiss my faith. It's a personal thing - but I have had many little miracles in my life, and many little blessings that have brought me back to a faith I had lost at one stage, and have also reaffirmed my beliefs in so many ways.

So many questions. Well loaded to drive a narrative you are coming from.

If I hadn't returned to the faith I lost for a while, I would agree with you wholeheartedly. But my return journey was not because someone told me to believe in something. It was a deeply fulfilling and enabling journey of return to the faith.

Well, no. Do you? Really?

I leaned on the good guidance of learned academics. Why reinvent the wheel?