Is there anyway out ?

Hotblack Desiato

There is nothing "peculiar" in any sense of that word about parents expecting a school to cover the academic curriculum properly. If that means giving sixth years an opt-out of religion class so they can study other subjects (and, let's face it, every school principal knows it when they have a weak subject teacher) then that is the logical thing to do in the interests of the pupils.

Nobody is "getting their knickers in a twist" except, possibly, yourself.

looksee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118184971#Comment_118184971

Why the assumption that atheists around here are young? I'd guess that the total ages of the atheists contributing here would add up to several centuries. I give them a good start just by myself.

smacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118187282#Comment_118187282

Same, been a few decades since I could reasonably call myself a 'young atheist'.

Yester

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118187282#Comment_118187282

I wasn't assuming that at all but it would have to be a young person to start from scratch and work their way up the hierarchy of the church. It's too late for me anyway. Infiltration is a young mans game.

looksee

Ah ok, I see what you are saying.

smacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118187465#Comment_118187465

Never too late. To quote David Mamet "Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance". A sentiment not lost on the Catholic hierarchy I'd imagine, least of all those vying to be the next pope :)

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118184909#Comment_118184909

I wouldn't really think of it as "amending" the record - more updating. They already update your baptismal record when you marry (if you marry in the Catholic church, obviously) so there's no fundamental objection to updating to show later events.

You're right about the interest in questions such as whether there is an uptick in defections after a scandal, age of defectors, etc. When I looked at this a few years back, though, it seems as if registered defections were so few that there might be limited statistical significance in any analysis that you could make of them, and I doubt that you could reliably project the conclusions of such an analysis onto defectors as a whole. But of course even that is a datum we might find interesting - why, when we have other evidence to suggest that people were separating themselves from the church in large numbers, did so few take the trouble to register the fact? This might suggest, for instance, that the bulk of defections occur more because people lose interest in the church or find it irrelevant to them than because they are embarrassed or ashamed or angry to be associated with it.

Hotblack Desiato

This might suggest, for instance, that the bulk of defections occur more because people lose interest in the church or find it irrelevant to them than because they are embarrassed or ashamed or angry to be associated with it.

That's one heck of a leap you're making there. If I had a euro for every time I've heard or read "I wish I'd known about CountMeOut when it was still a thing" I'd be a very happy man.

smacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118192359#Comment_118192359

Very difficult to know what the percentages are on that one, so speculation either way. My suspicion is that most had no interest in going to church but did so historically out of perceived social obligation, i.e. it was unavoidable. As soon as it became in any way reasonable not to bother, people jumped at the opportunity for the Sunday lie in. The many scandals basically provided an improved excuse for people to avoid doing something they never really wanted to do in the first place. Put another way, what percentage of the population do you reckon ever actually looked forward to going to church?

Cabaal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118184971#Comment_118184971

Young?

I don't feel old, but the candles on my last birthday cake say otherwise!

Your suggestion is downright silly, everyone knows the church moves at glacial pace, it could take 100 years or more for them to change anything. Look how long its taken them to think gay people aren't sinful.....no, wait. that hasn't changed