The ‘non-religious’ are the largest group in the Republic
after Roman Catholics, according to the last census, and there is
further fall out as atheists hold their World Wide Convention in the
state for the first time.
They range from active atheists lobbying for a secular Ireland to guilty non-believers who still observe religious rituals.
A few weeks ago Brian Whiteside of the Humanist Association of Ireland
addressed a gathering that included Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Minister for
Justice Alan Shatter as well as various religious leaders.
He used the opportunity to raise the issue of our religious presidential oath, which he says is just one example of State discrimination against the growing godless community.
He used the opportunity to raise the issue of our religious presidential oath, which he says is just one example of State discrimination against the growing godless community.
The oath, the wording of which is enshrined in the Constitution, is taken in “the presence of Almighty God” and is a non-negotiable promise that must be given by whoever is elected president. It concludes, “May God direct and sustain me.”
“I talked about how embarrassing it would be for this country if a
successful candidate decided that in all conscience they couldn’t give
that oath because they didn’t believe in God,” says Whiteside.
He was gratified to observe Kenny requesting that Shatter make a note of this potentially awkward eventuality.
He was gratified to observe Kenny requesting that Shatter make a note of this potentially awkward eventuality.
It’s a possibility worth reflecting on, given that there is more chance of a non-believer being elected president now than any other time in the history of the State.
In the 2006 census, more than 186,000 people ticked the No Religion box, an increase of 34.6 per cent on 2002. That makes it is the second-largest census grouping after Roman Catholic.
There are more agnostics, humanists, atheists and non-religious in Ireland than there are Church of Ireland members, Presbyterians, Orthodox Christians and Methodists combined.
A further 70,000 opted not to answer the religion question.
Coming in the wake of the Murphy and Ryan reports, the 2011 census results are expected to record a further increase in this disparate but essentially non-religious group.
Last weekend in Dublin about 350 atheists gathered for the first World Atheist Convention to be held in this country.
Speakers included the prolific British professor Richard Dawkins and the chairman of Atheist Ireland, Michael Nugent.
“Twenty years ago the atheist campaign would have been around trying to change public opinion, and now it is much more about getting politicians and institutions of the State to recognise that public opinion has changed,” says Nugent.