=
×

Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

Head To Head
Log In
Register
U-Know! Forum »
Blasphemy made illegal in Ireland
Log In to post a reply
39 messages
Topic View: Flat | Threaded
grufty jim
grufty jim
1978 posts

Edited Jul 30, 2009, 14:39
Re: Blasphemy made illegal in Ireland
Jul 30, 2009, 14:05
Certainly one view is that anything that criticises or lampoons religion or religious figures is blasphemous. But while that may have been the way it was interpreted in the Middle Ages, and while it may be the way religious people wish it was interpreted today, I think most countries (i.e. not theocracies) have a far narrower view of blasphemy.

I'd argue that Father Ted does no more than poke mild fun at the Catholic clergy and some of the more absurd aspects of religion (seeing the face of God in stains on the skirting board, or as actually happened recently, the image of Mary in a tree stump). It's worth noting, for instance, that the Catholic Church have completely dismissed this latest "miracle" despite the 24 hour vigils and pilgrimages being made.

Right now Ireland's relationship with Catholicism is entering a new phase. The Ryan Report into institutional abuse has revealed horrors that have shocked and surprised even the most cynical among us. Churches are half-empty on Sundays and those who do still attend are -- generally -- the older generation for whom Sunday mass is as much a socio-cultural habit as it is a spiritual observance.

While throwing off the shackles of a religious cult is doubtlessly a positive step for the Irish, it's not universally positive. What worries me is that liberal secularism -- almost everywhere it has gained ground against religion -- has completely failed to offer people substitutes for those good things that the church provides.

Social inclusion, community cohesion, the importance of charity and of individual sacrifice for a greater good... these are all functions that Catholicism has fulfilled in Ireland for generations. We can certainly find other ways of fulfilling those functions, but by-and-large we don't. Modern secularism too often goes hand-in-hand with selfish consumerism and the atomisation of communities. The removal of the Church is a necessary step for the Irish to take, but to just allow the vacuum that remains to be filled with lonely materialism is dangerous in the extreme.

This is not a uniquely Irish problem, but it's one that we're encountering a little while after most other places. And instead of learning from the mistakes of others we seem doomed to repeat them.
In reply to:
Re: Blasphemy made illegal in Ireland (sanshee)
Topic Outline:
U-Know! Forum Index