Separate Church and State Now - Four Irish public meetings with Sanal Edamaruku

Michael Nugent

Why should a respected Indian author be facing jail for exposing a crying Catholic statue as being caused by faulty plumbing? This week you can hear from the victim of this unjust law, as Sanal Edamaruku visits Ireland for a speaking tour.

Atheist Ireland is hosting four public meetings, in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast, to promote separation of church and state in Ireland and internationally.

• 3.30 Saturday 24 November, Wynns Hotel Dublin
• 3 pm Sunday 25 November, Metropole Hotel Cork
• 7 pm Monday 26 November, Cairnes Theatre NUI Galway
• 7 pm Tuesday 27 November, Malone Lodge Hotel Belfast

We will also be holding a briefing session for TDs and Senators in Leinster House.

Indian author Sanal Edamaruku is facing blasphemy charges in India, instigated by the Catholic Church, for exposing a crying Catholic statue as being caused by faulty plumbing and capillary action.

Sanal is President of the Indian Rationalist Association and Rationalist International, and he has written 25 books. A tantrik guru once tried and failed to kill Sanal, using only magic, on a live television show, after Sanal challenged his supposed powers.

Michael Nugent and Jane Donnelly of Atheist Ireland will speak on the need for a secular constitution, laws, government, courts, education system and healthcare system, both in Ireland and internationally.

In Ireland an atheist cannot be President or a judge, the Catholic church runs 90% of our primary schools, hospitals make life and death healthcare decisions based on religious ethics, churches are formally exempted from complying with tax and equality laws, and we have recently passed an internationally controversial blasphemy law.

At the United Nations, Islamic states have cited Ireland’s blasphemy law to support their own blasphemy laws. Victims include Christians like Asia Bibi in Pakistan, Muslims like Hamza Kashgari in Saudi Arabia, and atheists like Alexander Aan in Indonesia. Victims have been attacked, jailed and sentenced to execution.

Ireland must act now to separate church and state. At home, we must provide an ethical, secular country based on democracy, human rights, freedom of belief and conscience, and civil liberty. And internationally, we must promote the same values, backed up by acting consistently in our own country.

Please attend these meetings, and let your voice be heard. Please also publicize the meetings as widely as you can.

Zillah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpwCuv_izn4



EDIT: Also, are you recording this?

Zombrex

Zillah wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpwCuv_izn4



EDIT: Also, are you recording this?

Youtube wrote:

Maybe he planned to bore him to death

I love that comment on that video :P:P

Zillah

I've noticed that Michael tends to do drive-by announcements.

Tim Robbins

Great stuff Michael.

Zombrex

Zillah wrote: »

I've noticed that Michael tends to do drive-by announcements.

Yeah, they aren't really discussion threads.

I appreciate that he puts notices here, but perhaps an Atheism Ireland Announcements sticky or something would be more appropriate than a new thread for each thing.

Michael and/or mods, any objection to that?

Galvasean

I dunno. The debate tends to kick off after the event.

Zamboni

Zombrex wrote: »

Yeah, they aren't really discussion threads.

I appreciate that he puts notices here, but perhaps an Atheism Ireland Announcements sticky or something would be more appropriate than a new thread for each thing.

Michael and/or mods, any objection to that?

Ah sure why not scrap A&A altogether and just have a URL re-direct to AI.
They speak for all of us anyway on all issues.

Dades

Zombrex wrote: »

I appreciate that he puts notices here, but perhaps an Atheism Ireland Announcements sticky or something would be more appropriate than a new thread for each thing.

Michael and/or mods, any objection to that?

That's something that has been discussed and *may* be implemented at some point. Not a sticky, but a dedicated thread that can be re-used.

Zombrex

Dades wrote: »

That's something that has been discussed and *may* be implemented at some point. Not a sticky, but a dedicated thread that can be re-used.

Well if/when it is implemented I'm taking credit for it ... all hail the benevolent Zombrex.

Zombrex

Zamboni wrote: »

Ah sure why not scrap A&A altogether and just have a URL re-direct to AI.
They speak for all of us anyway on all issues.

I'm more of an Association of Irish Atheists man myself ... splitters!

recedite

Michael Nugent wrote: »

.............. hospitals make life and death healthcare decisions based on religious ethics........

Ironic this guy coming over from India at this time. Perhaps there will be a few extra people attending, who normally wouldn't have bothered.

wp_rathead

arse biscuits- I'm working until 8pm on Monday
will it go on longer than an hour, as in is there any point me attending after 8? I'm assuming these things never really start on time anyway?

Obliq

Dades wrote: »

That's something that has been discussed and *may* be implemented at some point. Not a sticky, but a dedicated thread that can be re-used.

I like that idea. Michael Nugent and others from AI appear on many different forums with many relevant topics to A&A. He may do the "drive by announcing" thing, but blowing his own trumpet he does not do. For example, he hasn't added this to the abortion threads up here - I just found it, and have done so.

At this point, whether AI speaks for all of us or not, I am delighted (and feel supported) that AI pushes for secularism in areas where rampant religiosity is affecting all our lives. I'd like a dedicated thread where newsworthy pronouncements (not from on high exactly, more from people whose mission it is to bring fairness and equality for all religious beliefs, or none, to our country) can be placed.

Obliq

Zamboni wrote: »

Ah sure why not scrap A&A altogether and just have a URL re-direct to AI.
They speak for all of us anyway on all issues.

No thanks! AI website layout and interaction is really sh*t IMO. We're atheists and agnostics - why can't it happen here?

Banbh

In any case, the AI forum has ground to a halt.

Michael Nugent

Zillah wrote: »

Also, are you recording this?

Yes, but it’s better live

Zillah wrote: »

I've noticed that Michael tends to do drive-by announcements.

Well, I might take a while to get back to a thread, but I always try to do so once I have time to.

Zombrex wrote: »

perhaps an Atheist Ireland Announcements sticky or something would be more appropriate than a new thread for each thing.

Michael and/or mods, any objection to that?

I’m happy to go along with whatever the mods decide, though I do think that significant announcements like a four city public meeting tour with an international speaker are worthy of their own threads.

Galvasean wrote: »

I dunno. The debate tends to kick off after the event.

I think this is probably true. If the debate does kick off, there is a space for it. If not, then the thread just vanishes down the board and out of sight.

Banbh wrote: »

In any case, the AI forum has ground to a halt.

Yes, most of our discussions have migrated to our Facebook group page, which is always much more busy than our forum now. We’re deciding how to respond to that development, as we still have a minority of members who are not on Facebook.

Michael Nugent

And, back on topic....

Senator Ivana Bacik greets Sanal Edamaruku today at Atheist Ireland's briefing for politicians at Leinster House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJbYzvv5nXw

FouxDaFaFa

I think I'll head along to the Galway one.

Obliq

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

I think I'll head along to the Galway one.

Hmm, I will as well if I can face the 1 1/2hr drive on a Monday night. We'll see.

Stereomaniac

Sadly I won't be able to make it to any of them. Good to see things like this taking place though.

Michael Nugent

Sanal Edamaruku invites you to hear him speak in Ireland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leag6M65_6g

Michael Nugent

Report on Sanal's visit to Ireland by Henry McDonald in the Guardian

Jesus tears 'blasphemer' brings his fight from India to Ireland

Michael Nugent

Extract from Sanal Edamaruku's talk yesterday in Dublin. Next public meeting is 3 pm today, Sunday, in Metropole Hotel in Cork. All welcome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu4MZlnNCa8