The Iona Blog

Do children raised by religious parents fare better?

Sometimes, in a culture which often seems to be overwhelmingly anti-religious, parents of faith must feel that raising their children in their religion is an uphill climb. So it’s encouraging to see that there is evidence that the struggle is worth it. This piece, from Family Edge, an Australian website, shows that children raised by...

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Name-calling could make debate on same-sex marriage impossible

Let’s dispel a key myth about this current “debate” about same-sex marriage.  Should such a time comes for a referendum, there will be no debate, not a rational one at any rate.   Briefly, a debate is when two parties present their arguments for and against a motion respectively, and the motion is voted upon...

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David Quinn debates same-sex marriage on Prime Time

David Quinn and Moninne Griffith of Marriage Equality debate the issue of same-sex marriage on RTE’s Prime Time. You can watch the discussion here. (The item starts at 22 minutes and 45 seconds into the programme. David’s contribution starts at 28 minutes in.)

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David Quinn and Ivana Bacik debate same-sex marriage

Iona Institute director, David Quinn, and Senator Ivana Bacik debated the issue of same-sex marriage on Today with Pat Kenny yesterday. The debate quickly centred on whether or not children should ideally be raised by their own mother and father. You can listen to the debate by clicking here.

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Mr Gilmore and the “Separation of Church and State”

Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore’s (pictured) speech on Sunday, as well as distorting the true meaning of personal freedom also used another theme to advance his socially radical agenda. Issues like same-sex marriage, embryonic stem cell research and the rollback of religious education were part of a mission to complete “the separation of Church and State” he...

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Eamon Gilmore’s distorted view of “personal freedom”

Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore’s speech on Sunday got many headlines for coming out in support of same-sex marriage. But his remarks about personal freedom also deserve some attention. Mr Gilmore said that his party parted company from the European liberal tradition “on matters of economics, and in particular on the freedom of markets but had “always...

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Court ruling restricts real choice for children

The decision of a German court to attack circumcision is yet another example of state encroachment on religious liberty. The rationale of the ruling appears to be based on the notion that children should be allowed to choose religions and tradition for themselves, rather than having their parents choose their faith. The court held: “The...

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Leading gay historian asks “Is gay marriage worth trashing our traditions?”

A recent poll in the UK found that, while most homosexuals believe that the Government should redefine marriage to allow same-sex couples to tie the knot, a significant number 25pc, don’t think it’s needed, and 39pc don’t think it’s a priority. Atheist historian David Starkey (pictured) seems to be part of that 25pc. In this piece...

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Too big an issue to surrender

The news that David Blankenhorn, a leading defender of marriage, has decided to stop arguing against same-sex marriage, is very disappointing. In a column in the New York Times, he said he took the decision “in the interest of comity”, and with a view to creating alliances with people interested in building stronger families. He...

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The UN’s ultra-radical concept of “children’s rights”

The Government has now announced that it will hold its long-awaited children’s rights referendum in the autumn. We have yet to see the wording, but it is certain that the term “best interest of the child” will be included. A number of legal authorities have suggested that this term, unless express limitations are set down...

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