Ireland losing faith faster than most countries.

[Animavore]

http://www.independent.ie/national-news ... 94317.html



Catholic Church only have themselves to blame

[klr]

Finally, a survey on Irish religious beliefs with credible results.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I see God's hand in this.

[Horwood Beer-Master]

I see God's hand in this.

"Show us on the doll where God's hand touched you..."

[Blind groper]

Good luck to the Irish. Lack of religious belief correlates with happiness, so we can expect a lot more smiling Irishmen.
http://www.utne.com/Mind-Body/the-world ... gious.aspx

It makes them safer too. Homicide rates averaged over the 11 least religious countries is 3.5 killings per 100,000 people per year. Averaged over the 11 most religious, it comes to 9.89.
Reduce your religiosity, and the murder rate goes down!

Clear and definitive 'proof' that atheists are nicer people.

[JimC]

They'll abandon catholicism for a renewed belief in the little people, mark my words...

[Svartalf]

Ought to be good for tourism.

[mistermack]

To be honest, knowing the Irish as I do, this accelleration of loss of faith is probably not what it seems.

It's just becoming far more acceptable to say that you don't believe. And to miss mass etc.

It's really just shining a light on a lack of faith that's been there all the time. A few years ago, you might get shunned to some extent, for not conforming to respect for the church. That situation is disappearing incredibly fast, due to the protection of the pedophile priests by the church.

[Mysturji]

Lack of religious belief correlates with happiness, so we can expect a lot more smiling Irishmen.

I thought that was the Guinness.
And the whishky *hic*

[Horwood Beer-Master]

Lack of religious belief correlates with happiness, so we can expect a lot more smiling Irishmen.

I thought that was the Guinness.
And the whishkey *hic*

[Rum]

To be honest, knowing the Irish as I do, this accelleration of loss of faith is probably not what it seems.

It's just becoming far more acceptable to say that you don't believe. And to miss mass etc.

It's really just shining a light on a lack of faith that's been there all the time. A few years ago, you might get shunned to some extent, for not conforming to respect for the church. That situation is disappearing incredibly fast, due to the protection of the pedophile priests by the church.

I'm not so sure. A generation or two ago Irish Catholicism was a hugely pervasive force and a superstitious one at that. I remember some Irish Catholic family friends in my mid teens. The mother used to have a list of Saints she would pray to for this that or the other favour from her kids passing exams to good health. The various saints reminded me of the Roman pantheon of gods, which they probably were to a great extent. Her superstition and that of many Irish Catholics verged on the obsessive and lunatic.

That form of religious observance seems to have gradually faded over the last forty years and the sex abuse scandals as well as better education and a generally weaker stranglehold of the priesthood has hastened its ultimate death one hopes.

[Svartalf]

Wonder how much it has actually faded... just 20 years ago, I noticed all sorts of superstitious paraphernalia, especially marial stuff from Lourdes and Medjugorje was still all the rage... Old habits die hard, I'd assume that even if the kids of the adults who decorated their homes that way are less contaminated, one would have to wait for the current generation to leave high school and establish themselves in live for real progress to be observable.

[Rum]

I think the weirdly superstitious stuff (in Ireland anyway) is fading for sure. There is a body of the population however who still it appears wish to worship a god of their tradition and culture, and from what I have read and seen on TV they are jettisoning the ritual, pomp, elitism and mumbo jumbo of the Catholic priesthood and trying to find a simpler set of rituals. Hopefully that is part of the path away from needing the crutch of religion altogether, but for some it won't be. A lot of people seem to have a need to believe there's a big guy up there looking out for them and that they will live forever if they believe in him.

[Atheist-Lite]

I think the weirdly superstitious stuff (in Ireland anyway) is fading for sure. There is a body of the population however who still it appears wish to worship a god of their tradition and culture, and from what I have read and seen on TV they are jettisoning the ritual, pomp, elitism and mumbo jumbo of the Catholic priesthood and trying to find a simpler set of rituals. Hopefully that is part of the path away from needing the crutch of religion altogether, but for some it won't be. A lot of people seem to have a need to believe there's a big guy up there looking out for them and that they will live forever if they believe in him.

Anything is worth a try when it comes to curing mortality.

[Rum]

I think the weirdly superstitious stuff (in Ireland anyway) is fading for sure. There is a body of the population however who still it appears wish to worship a god of their tradition and culture, and from what I have read and seen on TV they are jettisoning the ritual, pomp, elitism and mumbo jumbo of the Catholic priesthood and trying to find a simpler set of rituals. Hopefully that is part of the path away from needing the crutch of religion altogether, but for some it won't be. A lot of people seem to have a need to believe there's a big guy up there looking out for them and that they will live forever if they believe in him.

Anything is worth a try when it comes to curing mortality.

Sadly it would appear none of it works. Tough innit?