Robert Putnam of ‘Bowling Alone’ fame has co-authored a new book with David E Campbell called ‘American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us’. Its findings are that religious people are more charitable and non-religious people are more tolerant. Here’s my question, which is better for society, charity or tolerance? Of course, a person can...
I have recently retired after spending thirty five years as a Secondary school teacher in Ireland all of it spent in Catholic schools. I thank you for highlighting the possible dangers contained in the Teaching Council’s Code of Professional Conduct which I feel may not be fully appreciated by Boards of Management or school Principals...
We don’t normally comment on abortion on this blog and in fact this blog isn’t really about abortion at all, but rather about the conscience rights of doctors and of medical institutions like hospitals and the attempt by abortion supporters to severely curtail if not eliminate those rights. A few weeks ago the Parliamentary Assembly...
A report in today’s Irish Times suggests that children who are preschooled don’t just do better economically and educationally, but also grow up to be more moral. They quote Dr Larry Schweinhart, who carried out research on a preschool scheme launched in the 1960s. According to this research, children who attend preschool are less likely...
Thank you for highlighting the issue of the proposed new professional code for Irish teachers, with all its inherent dangers for Christian teachers in your most recent e-letter. It reminds me an issue that I faced in London some years ago. Back in September 1986 some of the more strident London Labour controlled councils began...
Very few people will be aware of the Teaching Council of Ireland or its Code of Professional Conduct. The code could have potentially far-reaching and worrying implications for the teaching of religion in our schools. Number four of the code tells teachers that they must “interact” with students in a manner that does not “discriminate”...
The movie the chattering classes are talking about at the moment is ‘The kids are alright’, about a lesbian couple and their children via a sperm donor. It’s based on a true story and the message of the movie is in the title. According to the Sims IVF clinic here in Ireland, about 15pc of...
Children’s rights organisations plus a number of politicians have reacted to the publication of the Roscommon Child Care Case report by calling for a children’s rights referendum. For example, in a statement the Children Right’s Alliance said: “The Constitution currently does not grant individual rights to children, within marital families. It is clear that constitutional...
In the run-up to the 2007 General Election The Irish Catholic sent a questionnaire to the various political parties asking them for their position on various social issues including the family and the right to life. Last week I did a follow-up piece for The Irish Catholic and I compared what the two main parties promised...
Earlier this week the Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection issued a report called ‘Financial Disincentives to Marriage and Cohabitation’. On the plus side, the report admits that children raised by lone parents often face bigger problems than those raised by two parents. On the negative side, it refuses to recognise that marriage is generally better...
