Mike Garde, Theologian and Director of Dialogue Ireland Trust is joined by another Dialogue Ireland Executive Committee member, Denis Robinson to contribute to this forum.
On the 19th/20th of February:
An Interfaith Forum hosted by Trinity’s Theological Society and the TCD Equality Fund will be hosting a forum entitled
“All Faiths and None”, where we hope to address the growing diversity of religions in Ireland and focus on ways to dialogue.
http://www.facebook.com/events/523681154338204/
Below are the particular details:
Tuesday (19th February): Prof. Hans Kochler (Prof. of Philosophy at the Uni. of Innsbruck) on Interfaith Dialogue, 7pm in Emmet Burke Theatre, Arts Block, Trinity College
Wednesday (20th February):
10am – Opening Remarks and statistician Cormac Halpin (Census Division of the CSO) looking at the change in religion in the census over the last 20 years
11am – Paper Readings in the GMB, off Front Square, Trinity College
| Debating Chamber | Upstairs Conversation Room | Downstairs Conversation Room | |
| 11.00 | Vlado Kmec – Relation between migration and migrants’ religious identity | Hilary Abrahamson – the Jewish community in Ireland | Dr Hemant Kumar – Hinduism |
| 11.40 | Dr Kevin Williams- secularism and citizenship | John Suttle – Irish State introduces religious apartheid into schools | Samim Loftus – Bahá’í faith |
| 12.20 | Sh. Umar al Quadri- Muslim Integration in Ireland | Aksobhin Tracy – Buddhism | Fr Godfrey O’Donnell and Adrian Cristea- Orthodox Christianity |
****************
2pm – Panel Debate on “Religion and Education”
Chaired by Aodhán Ó Ríordáin Labour TD
Speakers: Heino Schonfeld, Chairperson of CECDE (Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education)
Gerry Foley, Headmaster of Belvedere Jesuit’s Boys school
Paul Rowe, CEO of Educate Together
Ali Selim, Senior Staff Member at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland, Clonskeagh, in charge of Adult Education
Ken Fennelly, Church of Ireland Board of Education and Education Officer
Mike Garde, Theologian and Director of Dialogue Ireland Trust
3.30pm – Panel Debate on “Religion and State”
Chaired by Dr Jude Lal Fernando, Irish School of Ecumenics
Speaker: Michael Nugent, Chairperson of Atheist Ireland
Dr Kevin Williams, Scholar of Secularism
Ivana Bacik, Senator
John Waters, Irish Times Columnist
Mufassil Islam, PhD candidate
Julian Hamilton, Trinity’s Methodist Chaplain
Denis Robinson, Dialogue Ireland exec member speaking from the perspective of a family affected by cultism.
http://www.dialogueireland.org/dicontent/resources/video/latelate.html
4.45pm – Closing Remarks by Dr Peter Admirand, Mater Dei/Irish School of Ecumenics
Article 44
1. The State acknowledges that the homage of public worship is due to Almighty God. It shall hold His Name in reverence, and shall respect and honour religion.
2. 1° Freedom of conscience and the free profession and practice of religion are, subject to public order and morality, guaranteed to every citizen.
2° The State guarantees not to endow any religion.
3° The State shall not impose any disabilities or make any discrimination on the ground of religious profession, belief or status.
4° Legislation providing State aid for schools shall not discriminate between schools under the management of different religious denominations, nor be such as to affect prejudicially the right of any child to attend a school receiving public money without attending religious instruction at that school. 5° Every religious denomination shall have the right to manage its own affairs, own, acquire and administer property, movable and immovable, and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes.
6° The property of any religious denomination or any educational institution shall not be diverted save for necessary works of public utility and on payment of compensation.
Filed under: Conferences & Commentaries, Education, Human Rights, Religion Tagged: | 2° The State guarantees not to endow any religion. Article 44.2
I’m not sure how any Muslim could take part in such an event in good conscience. Islam is superior to ALL other faiths or none, and is the only religion acceptable to Allah – it is dishonest to share a platform and not announce this.
Islam is the only religion acceptable to the Almighty, the Maker of the Heavens and the Earth. It is a religion superior to all others and one that will in the end times dominate and subjugate all others. There are faith facts, not opinion, not conjecture but solid beliefs held by all 1.5 billion Muslims around the globe.
lol, very funny, did the almighty also write those comic books you live in?
Mujaahid & Irish Islamic Vanquard: Both of your comments show your intolerance to others and their choice of religion.
I have no doubt that a Muslim who has a good conscience would have no problem putting their point across and those who are intelligent enough would listen.
It appears to me that you are the ones with the problems with rational intelligent debate and exchange of views and are the ones who hold intolerant views.
It may come as a shock to you but we live in a society where we are allowed to choose our religious views and we are also allowed to do so without others telling us that are choice is wrong. I would like to remind you that you have a right to be a Muslim but have no right to tell others their choice of religion is wrong.
Acknowledging the superiority of a faith system is not tantamount to intolerance, what an odd take? If you want to see an example of intolerance just consider Ireland under the yoke of secularism, where secularist fanatics ban all public expressions of religion. So don’t bleat about intolerance when given half the chance you’d subdue all religious adherents to a false system. Mexico suffered at the hands of fanatic secularists, it won’t happen here!
And just for the record – all other religions apart from Islaam are wrong. I will announce this, proclaim this and die upholding this
We note you seem incapable of arguing it so it looks like you will die uploading it!
An argument requires two valid propositions, you don’t have one. Besides, it’s simply not open to argument by the likes of you or anyone else.
Islamicvanquards.com: What a ridiculos argument you make for your religion. How do you know that everyone else is wrong and not you? I doubt you have done any rational thinking or investigation in your life.
Anyone who belives in any religion without rational intelligent thinking and debate has a huge problem. Islamic fanatics are no exception.
I would agree, and to be honest I wonder how any rational individual could reject the clear evidences regarding al Islam. And that may be your saving grace for you certainly don’t come across as a rational individual. But to give you the benefit of the doubt, answer this: on what rational grounds do you reject Islam.
Rearguard, black guard and mud guard come to mind
Yesterday the Theo are to be congratulated for the wide variety of opinion they had available. It was a pity that few stayed to hear others so that they could get a sense of totality of the presentations.
I was shocked to hear that we will lumbered with the current very poor understanding of Religion found in the census which has a totally confused understanding of Religion.
I tried to focus on the fact that Ireland has very unclear ideas around the issue of Religion. In Ireland the census confuses Religion with a Confession or Denomination of a Religion. It is clear that the media, government and the general public talk about Religion when they are talking about the Christian Religion and they call the Church of Ireland for example a Religion, rather than a Communion, confession or Denomination of Christianity.
http://dialogueireland.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/the-church-of-ireland-is-not-a-religion-rte-gets-it-wrong/
It was clear that the person speaking about the census was aware of the contradictions in the current situation.
You would think we had a number of religions present due to this major confusion.
A further point Imade was that because in the colonial period Catholicism was suppressed, when it did indeed gain Catholic Emancipation in 1829 it still had a sense of inferiority. Only after Irish Independence did the Catholic Church begin to assert itself. However, it is now in a state of both spiritual and institutional decline. So even though it is still a majority that majority does not reflect adherence to Catholic Orthodoxy.
There is a sizable group that would be birth rite Catholics. They would view themselves as Catholics by birth and would adhere to Catholicism more in a sense of being Cultural Catholics. Then as polls have shown there is a significant group who identify as Catholics whose views would be very similar to Liberal Protestantism. Women priests, abortion in certain circumstances and definitely married priests. Now there is then a group of orthodox Catholics who emphasis the strict interpretation of Catholic doctrine. They are hesitant to engage with other Christians and do not see their mission as being ecumenical. Then is another sub group represented by the Irish Priests Group, The Association of Catholic Priests (Ireland). (ACP) who have Tony Flannery and Brian Darcy in their midst. They would be open and would be very strong supporters of the Reforms of Vatican 2, Liberation Theology and the Catholic Church’s Social Teaching e.g. Peter McVerry. The more conservative group would like these rebels to leave the Catholic Church and become Protestants or more likely would like them to accept their vision of Catholicism.
So in this mix which is the majority and which is the minority?
Not one of these groups has been willing to challenge the bishops’ on the issue of abuse or the abuse of Catholics in a place like the House of Prayer. No one has stood up to Cardinal Brady who should have walked years ago. In other words we have no Martin Luther waiting in the wings.
Archbishop Martin is seen as the most open of the hierarchy yet the Dublin Archdiocese has now got the most restrictive policy of undermining the entry of non Catholics to National Schools in the country. The political game being played by this Archdiocese is to appear to be making concessions yet creating a Catholic Primary sector which will remove the National School from our vocabulary.
This in breach of our Constitution but seems to no longer be of interest to our governing elite.
Is there something about the State not funding any religion hard to understand?
I think when state funding has obviously endowed the Christian religion, it’s demonstrably unjust to impose a blanket ban until there is parity. The government must of necessity and in the interests of equality endow Islam and other minority faiths until such a time as all have received an equal share of funds.
Your logical skills are quite undeveloped. so what you are suggesting is that the state which is currently supporting unconstitutional actions by all Churches should allow it to continue so your special Islamic interest can catch up on the Gravy train.
Gravy train? Only an idiot would suggest that the Church has not contributed to society, gravy train indeed. Perhaps you should reflect on comments before you commit to posting, that way you won’t always come across as a foolish windbag.
Yes…sadly old Mike Garde is what he looks like..a windbag. But we cannot help that, but sadly so is DI a shallow site offering help and support , where this organisation has neither the means nor the resources….but like most other growths that flourish under certain circumstances, DI needs the climate of inter religious, or inter-faith hatred to target certain foes. Sadly too DI tries to pander to Govt to “suppress” all cults/sects etc in Ireland, but at present the Min of justice seems to have other things on his mind, and rightly so, should be damned wary of entering the arena (shithole) DI presents….aw well, lets wait for the end of the world and the meeting of all the guys in wooley jumpers…
Islamicvanguard.com
I think it is a previous comment you made that DI are referring to; “The government must of necessity and in the interests of equality endow Islam and other minority faiths until such a time as all have received an equal share of funds.”
This is understood as asking the government for money, an “equal share of funds”. You are ‘jumping on the gravy train’.
The HofP anonymous (I don’t think) jumps at the chance of throwing in his tupenny bit. Neither are good spokespersons for their cultish thinking. God preserve us from the fanatics.
Dialogue, keep up the good work!