Comments on: Irish could get to vote in a referendum on Ireland’s new blasphemy law http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/03/14/irish-could-get-to-vote-in-a-referendum-on-ireland%e2%80%99s-new-blasphemy-law/ The voice of atheism since 1881 Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:36:16 +0000 hourly 1 By: Irish sceptics use Good Friday to thumb their noses at new blasphemy law http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/03/14/irish-could-get-to-vote-in-a-referendum-on-ireland%e2%80%99s-new-blasphemy-law/comment-page-1/#comment-31725 Irish sceptics use Good Friday to thumb their noses at new blasphemy law Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:18:10 +0000 http://freethinker.co.uk/?p=12411#comment-31725 [...] Dermot Ahern, the Irish Justice Minister who proposed the blasphemy law, has said he will propose a referendum, later this year, to remove the reference to blasphemy from the Irish Constitution; a move that [...] [...] Dermot Ahern, the Irish Justice Minister who proposed the blasphemy law, has said he will propose a referendum, later this year, to remove the reference to blasphemy from the Irish Constitution; a move that [...]

]]> By: ‘Get rid of blasphemy law, and morality will collapse in Ireland’ warns barmy barrister http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/03/14/irish-could-get-to-vote-in-a-referendum-on-ireland%e2%80%99s-new-blasphemy-law/comment-page-1/#comment-30348 ‘Get rid of blasphemy law, and morality will collapse in Ireland’ warns barmy barrister Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:02:08 +0000 http://freethinker.co.uk/?p=12411#comment-30348 [...] Justice Minister Dermot Ahern recently announced his decision to put the law to the vote in a planned referendum later this year, Higgins’ pious panties are in [...] [...] Justice Minister Dermot Ahern recently announced his decision to put the law to the vote in a planned referendum later this year, Higgins’ pious panties are in [...]

]]> By: Ash Walsh http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/03/14/irish-could-get-to-vote-in-a-referendum-on-ireland%e2%80%99s-new-blasphemy-law/comment-page-1/#comment-30038 Ash Walsh Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:50:52 +0000 http://freethinker.co.uk/?p=12411#comment-30038 The Irish Government missed a trick when it didn't have a referendum when they had the Lisbon treaty. Instead of having a joint referendum on both the EC President and blasphemy, they gone right around the houses! The Irish Government missed a trick when it didn’t have a referendum when they had the Lisbon treaty. Instead of having a joint referendum on both the EC President and blasphemy, they gone right around the houses!

]]> By: David B http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/03/14/irish-could-get-to-vote-in-a-referendum-on-ireland%e2%80%99s-new-blasphemy-law/comment-page-1/#comment-30028 David B Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:48:49 +0000 http://freethinker.co.uk/?p=12411#comment-30028 Maybe a little off topic, though not much. I just want to bring to the attention of you guys a link I found posted on Sec Cafe, leading to Chris Hitchens' take on the abuse scandal and the Rat's role in it. As is so often the case, he gets right to the nub of it in the best chosen words. Please read, and if you feel moved to post the link on any blogs, message boards, or whatever that you use, then please go ahead. http://www.slate.com/id/2247861/ David B Maybe a little off topic, though not much.

I just want to bring to the attention of you guys a link I found posted on Sec Cafe, leading to Chris Hitchens’ take on the abuse scandal and the Rat’s role in it.

As is so often the case, he gets right to the nub of it in the best chosen words.

Please read, and if you feel moved to post the link on any blogs, message boards, or whatever that you use, then please go ahead.

http://www.slate.com/id/2247861/

David B

]]> By: ZombieHunter http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/03/14/irish-could-get-to-vote-in-a-referendum-on-ireland%e2%80%99s-new-blasphemy-law/comment-page-1/#comment-29996 ZombieHunter Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:12:20 +0000 http://freethinker.co.uk/?p=12411#comment-29996 Well they didn't need a blasphemy law when the catholic church pretty much called the shots there and sent innocent young girls off to magdelene laundries for no real reason (The magdelene sisters is on More4 this friday night for people in the UK) or when the christian brothers were knocking ten shades of shit out of kids in their care and much worse I'd always thought ireland was moving forward but this blasphemy law is a step back. Also whats the point in bringing in a law if you're going to make it impossible to get a prosecution out of it, what a waste of time and money, did Atheist ireland ever release that blasphemous statement they said they were going to bring out when this law was first introduced??. Well they didn’t need a blasphemy law when the catholic church pretty much called the shots there and sent innocent young girls off to magdelene laundries for no real reason (The magdelene sisters is on More4 this friday night for people in the UK) or when the christian brothers were knocking ten shades of shit out of kids in their care and much worse I’d always thought ireland was moving forward but this blasphemy law is a step back.

Also whats the point in bringing in a law if you’re going to make it impossible to get a prosecution out of it, what a waste of time and money, did Atheist ireland ever release that blasphemous statement they said they were going to bring out when this law was first introduced??.

]]> By: godlesssodamite http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/03/14/irish-could-get-to-vote-in-a-referendum-on-ireland%e2%80%99s-new-blasphemy-law/comment-page-1/#comment-29992 godlesssodamite Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:47:01 +0000 http://freethinker.co.uk/?p=12411#comment-29992 sure, they'll get a referendum, but if they vote against the law, the government will simply roll out more and more referendums on it until they vote the way they want them to. just like they did with the eu constitution. sure, they’ll get a referendum, but if they vote against the law, the government will simply roll out more and more referendums on it until they vote the way they want them to. just like they did with the eu constitution.

]]> By: NeoWolfe http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/03/14/irish-could-get-to-vote-in-a-referendum-on-ireland%e2%80%99s-new-blasphemy-law/comment-page-1/#comment-29951 NeoWolfe Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:50:00 +0000 http://freethinker.co.uk/?p=12411#comment-29951 Be careful what you wish for. It's a sword with two edges. While it is truely sweet to legally stand in the street with a sign that says, "Fuck Jehovah", or "Muhammed was a rapist", you open the door for people like Fred Phelps or groups like the Ku Klux Klan to say what they want, and what they do is spew hatred and violence. A freethinker, while supporting free speech, must know that what these dizzy politicians are thinking is that if they can tone down the rhetoric, they can tone down the potential for violence. Pass a law to stop talking shit to each other. But, instead of using a term like "hate propaganda", they use "blasphemy", a term that denotes a crime against god or some church. The essential difference is that I can hate religion, but not hate it's members. Enough said. NeoWolfe Be careful what you wish for. It’s a sword with two edges.

While it is truely sweet to legally stand in the street with a sign that says, “Fuck Jehovah”, or “Muhammed was a rapist”, you open the door for people like Fred Phelps or groups like the Ku Klux Klan to say what they want, and what they do is spew hatred and violence.

A freethinker, while supporting free speech, must know that what these dizzy politicians are thinking is that if they can tone down the rhetoric, they can tone down the potential for violence. Pass a law to stop talking shit to each other. But, instead of using a term like “hate propaganda”, they use “blasphemy”, a term that denotes a crime against god or some church.

The essential difference is that I can hate religion, but not hate it’s members. Enough said.

NeoWolfe

]]> By: William Harwood http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/03/14/irish-could-get-to-vote-in-a-referendum-on-ireland%e2%80%99s-new-blasphemy-law/comment-page-1/#comment-29949 William Harwood Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:55:55 +0000 http://freethinker.co.uk/?p=12411#comment-29949 Since Ireland has a law making it a criminal offence to speculate that a dead hunchbacked dwarf psychopath was a cocksucker, why is there no law declaring it a crime to speculate that the Flying Spaghetti Monster wears a parachute? that Mother Goose had an abortion after being knocked up by Donald Duck? that when a unicorn inserts its horn between a virgin's legs she ceases to be a virgin? Could it be that only the dead hunchback is the figurehead of a gaggle of parasites whose bread and butter would be threatened if the masses were allowed NOT to kiss their rear ends? Since Ireland has a law making it a criminal offence to speculate that a dead hunchbacked dwarf psychopath was a cocksucker, why is there no law declaring it a crime to speculate that the Flying Spaghetti Monster wears a parachute? that Mother Goose had an abortion after being knocked up by Donald Duck? that when a unicorn inserts its horn between a virgin’s legs she ceases to be a virgin? Could it be that only the dead hunchback is the figurehead of a gaggle of parasites whose bread and butter would be threatened if the masses were allowed NOT to kiss their rear ends?

]]> By: Broadsword Calling Danny Boy http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/03/14/irish-could-get-to-vote-in-a-referendum-on-ireland%e2%80%99s-new-blasphemy-law/comment-page-1/#comment-29943 Broadsword Calling Danny Boy Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:16:49 +0000 http://freethinker.co.uk/?p=12411#comment-29943 Brilliant Coming so soon after the recent church sex scandals, I'd say the blasphemy law may very well be repealed. This could allow satirists, comedians etc. to really stick the boot into the pederasts without fear of prosecution. Brilliant

Coming so soon after the recent church sex scandals, I’d say the blasphemy law may very well be repealed.

This could allow satirists, comedians etc. to really stick the boot into the pederasts without fear of prosecution.

]]>