FREEDOM OF expression and of religion “should be limited only by the
need to respect the rights and freedoms of others”, according to the
Dublin Declaration on Secularism and the Place of Religion in Public
Life, adopted unanimously at the World Atheist Convention on Sunday.
The declaration also states that “the sovereignty of the State is derived from the people and not from any God or gods”.
Speaking to
The Irish Times, well-known atheist Prof Richard
Dawkins said the Irish Constitution should be reformed to “remove all
influence of the Roman Catholic Church and all other churches . . .
incorporating tolerance for all religions”.
Referring to the oath
that must be taken by Irish presidents and judges, he said they might as
well take an oath “to Zeus or Thor” as to God.
He “rejoiced” at
the growth of secularism in Ireland and when he read the papers “about
the pathetically diminished number of priests”.
He hoped the
churches would “wither away”, describing the Catholic Church as “an evil
institution . . . by far the worst where the churches are concerned”.
The
three-day convention also launched Atheists Alliance International, a
newly restructured umbrella group for atheists worldwide, whose first
chairwoman is Tanya Smith of the Atheist Foundation of Australia.
Keynote
speakers included Labour Senator Ivana Bacik, American science blogger
PZ Myers and Iranian activist Maryam Namazie, of the British Council of
Ex-Muslims.
Other speakers included Prof Dawkins, Danish neurobiologist Lone Frank and Indian author Aroup Chaterjee.
Organised
by Atheist Ireland, the convention was attended by 350 delegates, many
of them Irish, with a preponderance of young people in their 20s.
On
education, the Dublin declaration says State education should be
secular and “children should be taught about the diversity of religious
and no-religious beliefs in an objective manner, with no faith formation
in school hours”.
Children should also “be educated in critical
thinking and the distinction between faith and reason as a guide to
knowledge. Science should be taught free from religious interference.”
It
says “freedom of conscience, religion and belief are private and
unlimited” and that all blasphemy laws should be repealed.
“There should
be no right ‘not to be offended’ in law.”
Under the heading
“Secular Democracy” it says: “The only reference in the Constitution to
religion should be an affirmation that the State is secular.”
Public
policy “should be formed by applying reason, not religious faith, to
evidence” and “the State should be strictly neutral in matters of
religion, and its absence, favouring none and discriminating against
none”.
Religions, it says “should have no special financial
consideration in public life, such as tax-free status for religious
activities, or grants to promote religion or run faith schools” and that
“membership of a religion should not be a basis for appointing a person
to any State position”.
Where law is concerned it says “there
should be one secular law for all, democratically decided and evenly
enforced, with no jurisdiction for religious courts to settle civil
matters or family disputes”.