If 92% of the public schools in Ireland are run by the Catholic Church, and people are leaving the Church in droves, there are bound to be some conflicts.

NPR’s Miranda Kennedy spoke with parents in Ireland who haven’t baptized their son, but know that not doing so severely limits their schooling options for him:

Incidentally, the group Atheist Ireland has been calling attention to this issue for a long time:

Atheist Ireland believes that a secular education system is essential to the building of an ethical and secular society. One of the most powerful ways in which religion maintains its hold on society is by teaching children fantastic tales as truth when they are at an intellectually formative age.

They have a website Teach Don’t Preach where they document the problems with religious education and lay out their position for what needs to be done in the meantime.

This problem isn’t going to get any better. It’s time for the government to get serious about providing secular education options for everyone.

(Image via Shutterstock)



