Quick Question

Cuddlytroll

I'm writing a letter to the Irish Times and I'd like to know where I can get details of the deal Woods made regarding compensation for victims of clerical sex abuse, and also a rough figure for numbers of atheists/secularists in Ireland. Can anyone help me out?

Dades

The only "official" stats on the amount of religious/non-religious in Ireland, come from the 2006 census. Results here.

These are quite flawed, having most every child in the country from zero to "still living with mammy" classified as "Catholic". Recent (independent) polls or a quick visit to the After Hours forum (or mass!) shows a very different demographic - especially amongst younger people.

These stats were also from before the catholic church's reputational meltdown.

Someone else can help you on the Woods' question.

Galvasean

Indeed Dades. According to the latest After Hours 'census' Catholics are very much the minority.

Cuddlytroll

Thanks for that (I'm not able to thank specific posts yet).

Zillah

Galvasean wrote: »

Indeed Dades. According to the latest After Hours 'census' Catholics are very much the minority.

Amongst Boards users, who, lets be honest, are hardly representative of the nation's average population.

Farmer1: Jaysus, that calf is looking mighty weak.
Farmer2: Sure, just ask on boards, see what the lads think.

Dades

Zillah wrote: »

Amongst Boards users, who, lets be honest, are hardly representative of the nation's average population.

But quite representative of the "as long as you're living under my roof" population.

And given that there are about 1m Irish people under 18, that's quite a chunk.

Rev Hellfire

Dades wrote: »

And given that there are about 1m Irish people under 18, that's quite a chunk.

Most of those once they leave home and have to deal with the paying bills and rent/mortgages stuff will most likely move into the "I've more important things to be worrying about" camp. Add a wee dose of child to the mix and you'll see that stance move more into the cultural catholic imho.

Priniciples are great when you've nothing to worry about

Dades

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

Most of those once they leave home and have to deal with the paying bills and rent/mortgages stuff will most likely move into the "I've more important things to be worrying about" camp. Add a wee dose of child to the mix and you'll see that stance move more into the cultural catholic imho.

Whether or not that is the case - and in my experience it it not typical - my original beef was with infants and children who are put down as catholics by their mammies, along with teens such as the Boards.ie demograph who are anything but.

Rev Hellfire

Dades wrote: »

my original beef was with infants and children who are put down as catholics by their mammies

There's merit perhaps in not including young children under religion or perhaps as unspecified. But I suspect all parents are guilty of really putting down their aspiration for their kids in the box. I mean how many atheist parents would put atheist down for their kids ? Its a reasonable response.

Dades wrote: »

along with teens such as the Boards.ie demograph who are anything but.

True but I'd say the majority are not atheist but agnostic

Dades

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

There's merit perhaps in not including young children under religion or perhaps as unspecified. But I suspect all parents are guilty of really putting down their aspiration for their kids in the box. I mean how many atheist parents would put atheist down for their kids ? Its a reasonable response.


True but I'd say the majority are not atheist but agnostic

The answer to both points is to put down "No Religion" !!

Sure, I guess catholic parents have well meaning aspirations. But they're breaking the law!

Rev Hellfire

Dades wrote: »

The answer to both points is to put down "No Religion" !!

But I'm not sure that's*entirely accurate either, thanks to our education system most children do have a rather vague belief in a god. So perhaps young children and livestock could be put down as 'no religion'

Dades

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

But I'm not sure that's*entirely accurate either, thanks to our education system most children do have a rather vague belief in a god.

Catch 22?

Once enough people tick the "No Religion" box we might have change in the patronage of schools - in the meantime any child educated in a RC school will be deemed to have a "vague belief in a God" and will be counted as "catholic"!

strobe

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

But I suspect all parents are guilty of really putting down their aspiration for their kids in the box. I mean how many atheist parents would put atheist down for their kids ? Its a reasonable response.

Dades wrote: »

The answer to both points is to put down "No Religion" !!

Rev Hellfire wrote: »

But I'm not sure that's*entirely accurate either, thanks to our education system most children do have a rather vague belief in a god. So perhaps young children and livestock could be put down as 'no religion'

Ehhhhh........Or you could just ask your kid what you should put down for them...? If you want to be really unconventional you could even let them tick a box themselves.

Rev Hellfire

strobe wrote: »

Ehhhhh........Or you could just ask your kid what you should put down for them...? If you want to be really unconventional you could even let them tick a box themselves.

What sort of parent are you ? Kids are long in bed by the time we get around to doing the census form.

Dades

strobe wrote: »

If you want to be really unconventional you could even let them tick a box themselves.

With their own crayons?

strobe

I think it specifies a black pen. So that would probably be best.