Dail Passes Blasphemy Law

The blasphemy law has now been passed in the Dail, as part of Defamation Act, with no debate on the blasphemy amendments. The debate was restricted to an hour (for the full Defamation Bill). Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said that extending time for the blasphemy amendments would just be regurgitating what has been discussed ad nauseum. There was an average of six TDs in the Dail during debate.

The law now only has to pass through Seanad before being signed into law by President. It is scheduled for 10.30 am tomorrow morning in the Seanad. The Atheist Ireland AGM will plan a response to this blasphemy law, between 2-5pm this Saturday in Wynns Hotel Dublin. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Please attend, and also invite anyone you think might be interested in campaigning for an ethical and secular Ireland.

19 Comments

  1. Avatar
    Mujaahid July 14, 2009

    I’m sure you have a point in there somewhere Garland, it just gets lost among all the self-inflated hype.

    Reply
  2. Avatar
    Mujaahid July 14, 2009

    “Self interested standards are of no interest to anyone except those who assert them and the self interested individuals who try and conflate themselves with the opinions they hold and then claim these opinions should be given special treatment because adherents did this.” That’s Atheist Ireland’s hopes dashed then, eh?

    Reply
  3. Avatar
    an atheist July 14, 2009

    Comment by MPACIE — July 14, 2009 @ 12:57 am

    oh please do fuck off with your moon god puffed up self importance.

    you believe in crap. and i have the right to say that.

    if you dont like that, fuck off to Saudi Arabia and go live there.

    Reply
  4. Avatar
    Zeouterlimits July 14, 2009

    Country is being laughed at because of this on a popular american internet forum I’m on.
    I can’t believe this law exists…

    Reply
  5. Avatar
    Mujaahid July 14, 2009

    Zeou: I’d say the lions portion of any foreign ridicule is leveled at ridiculous sites like this that have supposedly mature individuals trying to outdo each other in crass stupidity. You are all quite frankly an embarrassment to Ireland, your infantile level of tantrum-like abuse simply reinforces the stereotype of the gombeen paddy. At least Nugent has an argument of sorts.

    Reply
  6. Avatar
    Garlandgreen July 14, 2009

    Not really Muj. Have you seen anyone here suggest that to insult atheism is to insult them or if they do feel insulted by anything you say about the idea should face the law?

    Reply
  7. Avatar
    Mujaahid July 14, 2009

    So what’s this campaign about then garland? You do come out with some silliness.

    Reply
  8. Avatar
    Garlandgreen July 15, 2009

    It’s about the blasphemy law. It’s mentioned on the top of the page. . And I’ve no concept as to what silliness might mean to someone who seriously believes the assertions of a seventh century peasant claiming that the omnipotent creator of the world spoke to him in a cave and subsequently elsewhere telling him to raid caravans marry a 6 year old, shag her when she’s 9, murder, pillage, raid caravans, have it off with his sons missus as well and then justify it by saying that the deity had ok’d that as well. It’s then be said he ended that wonderful life by making off to heaven on a flying horse no less. If I believed in omnipotent deities I never would have thought of these as the kind of people they hobnobbed with. Maybe this is blasphemy. But how would I know as I would have thought that any right minded person should feel insulted when accused of believing any of this. But people like you might think the opposite. But how are we to know unless we are supposed to know how the mind of someone who believes such stuff works or perhaps more to the point doesn’t

    A totalitarian law can be defined as one that never let’s it victims know when it is violating it. Testing it is important because it let’s people know where they stand and so know how to go about defeating it

    Reply
  9. Avatar
    Mujaahid July 16, 2009

    Now I know you believe your oversimplification and disingenuity sounds ‘smart’, but coming from someone who believes we’re all just a result of one huge coincidental mistake … it comes across as special pleading. Not your smartest post garland!

    Reply
  10. Avatar
    Dave S July 16, 2009

    You want to do something to protest against this stupid law? Put on a 2 day open air film festival showing nothing but sketches and monologues by Dave Allen. That’ll put your point across better than anything!

    Reply
  11. Avatar
    Garlandgreen July 16, 2009

    Would you care to show where I special plead? Is anyone here looking for a law to ban you saying what you like about Atheism or Atheists. I don’t need such a law. I’ll deal with you myself. And how could I think that we’re a mistake? Who’s mistake would we be? “Coincidence” suffers a from a similar fallacy. The fact that we exist is coincidental to what exactly? I concede that the last post might not be my smartest comment I’ve ever made but tha’s a rather high bar to be setting for it

    Reply
  12. Avatar
    Jack Butler July 17, 2009

    Just heard that the President, Mary McAleese has convened the council of state to discuss the bill. This is a constitutional requirement if she is to refer the bill to the supreme court for a decision on whether it is constitutional or not.
    This must indicate the “iffy” thiking behind the bill.
    However, I wonder if it is the best result for those of us opposed to it, as should the court find it permitted by the constitution, this fireproofs the bill against further constitutional challange.
    Perhaps now, we should initiate a campaign to have the opposition parties to promise an immediate reversal of the law should they come to power together with a restoration of the freedom of information act to it’s origional state?
    Also, could the fact that Mr. Ahern took an oath before God on appointment as minister, be challanged as blasphemous to those that deny the existance of a god, christian or otherwise?

    Reply
  13. Avatar
    Sharon July 23, 2009

    As an Irish woman who lives in London, I am embarrassed to know that yet again the Irish Catholic Church is still embedded in Irish Law, even when they have committed the crimes against children etc. Ireland continues to live in this immature mindset because they are so controlled by the religious freaks of our nation. How can we believe in authority who allow nonsense like this to become law. Have they got nothing else to do but to take up time which should be used to serve the poor & working classes of the country. I really thought there was a chance of Ireland maturing but again its backwards we go, I am tired of religious fairytales been peddled to a nation to bring people together in harmony but if you look closely enough underneath the veil of deceit you will find another slice of freedom missing. Big Brother is watching!!!!

    Reply
  14. Avatar
    GADEL March 25, 2011

    Interesting trend up there in Ireland.

    Reply

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