The Irish Government’s new proposed blasphemy crime combines the oppressive religious thinking of 1950s Catholic Ireland and modern Islamic fundamentalism. This proposal should be opposed for three reasons: One, it does not protect religious belief. Instead, it encourages outrage and it criminalises free speech. Two,...
The term agnosticism owes its origins to the great twentieth century biologist T.H. Huxley, personal friend of Charles Darwin and champion of Natural Selection. Few nowadays understand that it is in fact an antonym of the word “Gnosticism”; referring to a diverse array of early...
The Limits of Free-Speech: “Both these individuals have engaged in unacceptable behaviour by inciting hatred against a number of communities,” The above was the justification given by a UK Border Agency spokesman following the recent decision by the British government to prohibit Fred Phelps and...
The following is the contribution by Michael Nugent to a debate at the Philosophical Society of University College Cork, on Monday 23rd of February, in support of the motion that ‘God is Fraud.’ Thank you for inviting me, and it is a pleasure to be...
An abhorrent tactic amongst religious apologists keep coming to my attention of late. Coming under many names, including “God of the gaps” this tactic is to attempt to find an area of discourse upon which you, the mark, have little knowledge, opinion or conclusion. From...
How did the recent Pew Landscape Survey find that one in every five American atheists believes in God? Are these people stupid atheists, or stupid theists? I believe there is a more rational explanation. Firstly, the survey question was more nuanced. It was: “do you...
The Pew Report on Religious Affiliation. Last Sunday, naturally enough, the subject of atheism and disbelief came up in conversation during a late afternoon sandwiches and soup session; as did the curious finding of the Pew Report on Religious Affiliation based on surveys conducted in...
So not only is our earth not the centre of the universe, but now there might also be life on Mars. This particular field of enquiry started nearly four thousand years ago, when a long-forgotten man gazed inquisitively at the night sky over what is...
The discovery of life forms, of any kind, would provide a real problem for the religious. It would strongly suggest that life can originate and/or be imported to or from other planetary systems, and that would require an explanation not covered in the Bible, the...
Hello one and all and welcome to the Atheist Ireland group Blog!! Here you will find writings from members of Atheist Ireland alongside occasional submissions from well known writers from home and abroad. To open we have been graced with an entry from Irish Writer,...