Mid-West Humanists say Yes in Blasphemy referendum on 26 10 2018

The referendum is on 26 10 2018, same day as the Presidential election.

The Mid West Humanists (MWH) support freedom of speech, and all people’s right to read any writing, cartoon, or other communication, including when it criticises or satirises an idea, whether religious, political, social, sporting, or scientific.

Peter O’Hara of the MWH says “The law restricts discussion only of religious ideas. People have to tolerate criticism and satire of their favourites in politics and sport. People can live with this though they may not like it. At times this leads people to change their views.
The law against criticism of religion encourages people to feel outraged by the criticism.
To vote Yes to remove Blasphemy as an offence will allow the same discussion on religious ideas. This will promote more mutual understanding between people; and more peace and harmony”.

To criticise an idea is NOT to criticise a person who believes the idea.

The Constitution (Article 40.6.1.i) since 1937 states that blasphemy is an offence, and in 2009 our legislators passed the Defamation Act to continue to give effect to it.

Peter O’Hara of the MWH also says “Government and other people in Pakistan quote Ireland’s law to say that it is normal, including in Europe, in the 21st century, for the law to prohibit criticism of religion. Pakistan’s law has stimulated the murder of people released from a blasphemy charge, a judge who decided on release, a lawyer defending a person so accused, and the governor of Punjab who favoured repealing the law. It was his bodyguard who killed the governor of Punjab state: he has been convicted of the murder but many people see him as a hero. All this encourages the murder of cartoonists and their publishers in Europe”.

The MWH have a leaflet with more detail of the arguments for removing the offence of Blasphemy on their website.

The Mid West Humanists’ website is www.midwesthumanists.com/.

The leaflet with our main arguments to vote Yes:

https://midwesthumanists.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/leaflet-blasphemy-mid-west-hum-2018-2.pdf

Constitution of Ireland, Article 40: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/cons/en/html – part13

Defamation Act 2009, Section 36: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2009/act/31/enacted/en/print – sec36

37th Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2018: https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/bill/2018/87/eng/ver_a/b8718d-as-passed-by-both-houses.pdf

Mid West Humanists

An Atheist Community in Limerick, Clare, and Tipperary

www.midwesthumanists.com/                      info@midwesthumanists.com

www.facebook.com/groups/midwesthumanists/  

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