SENSITIZE ©

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opi ... 87007.html

Concerning: The Updated Blasphemy Laws In Eire, 2009.
By Louis P. Burns aka Lugh © 2009. All rights reserved.

So, this takes place today in Ireland:

http://blog.atheist.ie/?p=83

I am an atheist living in Ireland (North, so by default UK) and have been opposed to religious indoctrination from my earliest days. I understand that what Michael Nugent and the rest of Atheist Ireland are doing is important but I utterly disagree with the last paragraph on the link above.

Michael Nugent wrote:We are also launching a campaign encouraging people to read the Bible and other sacred books. Objectively reading the Bible is one of the strongest arguments for rejecting the idea of gods as intervening creators or moral guides."

If two atheists in Ireland were publicly discussing or debating a particular part of the text of the bible, with an aim to overthrowing it as medieval nonsense eventually. As a few extremist believers passed by and overheard them who were inspired to take the non-believers to task, perhaps violently. Wouldn't that make the atheists guilty of inciting religious hate crimes under current Irish law? Before people say I'm over-thinking this. Consider the religious hate crimes often leading to murders here in the recent sad history of Northern Ireland. There are people out there, willing to do harm based upon religion.

I've worked as a writer most of my life. I've dabbled in campaign as well as comedy, poetry, script, song and story writing. Were I living in the Irish Republic now, I could in theory be questioned by the authorities if it were claimed by a religious person or group that I enraged them prior to whatever crimes they then committed. Artistic merit would of course be used by a solicitor representing me but, what if a few fans of my work - unconnected to the arts were discussing my material publicly, and those same religious extremists passed by?

Engaging with and reading books like the Bible or the Quran. even by broadminded and progressive atheists, carries too heavy a penalty ethically and now legally...

(This post originally made to the Debate & Discussion section of Sensitize ©)

Father Ted creators back challenge to the blasphemy bill -
Law is a return to the Middle Ages, say comedy team, as secularists plan an 'insult' to all religions. Read this article in The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/ju ... phemy-laws

(This post originally made to the Debate & Discussion section of Sensitize ©)

DUBLIN CENTRAL COURTS This Morning

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ire ... 43694.html

Good Old Richard Dawkins

Blasphemy Laws In Eire as of 1st January, 2010:

Athiest Ireland wrote:"From today, 1 January 2010, the new Irish blasphemy law becomes operational, and we begin our campaign to have it repealed. Blasphemy is now a crime punishable by a €25,000 fine. The new law defines blasphemy as publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, with some defences permitted.

This new law is both silly and dangerous. It is silly because medieval religious laws have no place in a modern secular republic, where the criminal law should protect people and not ideas. And it is dangerous because it incentives religious outrage, and because Islamic States led by Pakistan are already using the wording of this Irish law to promote new blasphemy laws at UN level.

We believe in the golden rule: that we have a right to be treated justly, and that we have a responsibility to treat other people justly. Blasphemy laws are unjust: they silence people in order to protect ideas. In a civilised society, people have a right to to express and to hear ideas about religion even if other people find those ideas to be outrageous."

Read the full article here: http://blasphemy.ie/2010/01/01/atheist- ... us-quotes/

This should annoy and upset a few religious zealots and loonbeams in the Irish Republic. I wonder if the courts take Sterling currency ..?

The Tiger Lillies - I Pissed Upon His Grave:



I got this courtesy of Dez Monday over on Facebook ...