- NEWS
Martin wades into abortion debateAs the Dáil committee hearings continue on the abortion bill, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has waded into the debate saying it is important that Christian believers "be, and seen to be, on the side of life, especially when life is most vulnerable".
Payment cuts see families pay rent shortfallLimits on rent supplement payments set by the Government are forcing thousands of families to make undeclared top-up payments to landlords to secure places to live.
- WORLD
Anger as North Korea launches another missileNorth Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast, a day after launching three more of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said.
How Star Trek predicted the futureWHEN Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first dreamed up the concept of a television show based in the unexplored universe of Outer Space in 1964, the world was a very different place.
- BUSINESS
Warnings over future of eurozoneThe eurozone is heading towards a break up unless there are moves towards much closer political and fiscal union, according to chief economist with State Street Global Advisers, Chris Probyn.
Bruton defends corporate tax rateIreland will be able to maintain its current corporation tax code in the face of international pressure to prevent multinational corporations avoid paying their fare share of tax, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton said yesterday.
- SPORT
Mayo’s statement of intentGalway 0-11 Mayo 4-16 Five minutes to go in Salthill yesterday and James Horan was still cajoling his men to sew it into Galway.
Wilkinson inspires Toulon to gloryASM Clermont Auvergne 15 Toulon 16 Not for the first time this season, a matchday performance and the result have made a mockery of the statistics.
- LIFESTYLE
What Lenny Abrahamson did nextLENNY Abrahamson has directed three feature films: Adam & Paul, Garage and What Richard Did.
Why do women love to dress up?Trying on clothes, said Ewart, produced "sensations which bring deep peace and perfect contentment" to the female mind.
15-18C
Breaking stories
Judge tells teen drug dealer: Plant flowers or risk jail
Celebrity's file accessed 80 times on Garda database 'out of curiosity'
Hogan: Revenue will pursue unpaid Household Charge fees
Charity blames Irish 'culture of humiliation' for high rate of male suicide
Shatter: I didn't use private information on Wallace driving incident
Only 47% consider themselves religious
From the island of saints and scholars to this: Ireland now ranks as one of the world’s least religious countries.
Out of 57 countries in a Win-Gallup survey, Ireland ranks 43rd in terms of individual religious beliefs.
By Claire O’Sullivan
The poll found that 59% of those questioned think of themselves as religious, but in Ireland it is just 47%. The poll also shows Ireland as having the second largest decline worldwide in numbers claiming to be religious. At the time of the last survey, in 2006, 69% of Irish people described themselves as religious. Last year, that figure had declined to 47%.
Another 44% of the Irish people questioned described themselves as not religious compared to 23% globally.
Those surveyed were asked: “Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, would you say that you are a religious person, not a religious person or a convinced atheist?”
According to the poll, 10% of Irish people are convinced atheists, compared to 13% worldwide.
The poll also showed that 66% of the world’s poorest people declare themselves religious, compared to 49% in the highest-earning wage bracket. The most religious in the world are in Ghana, followed by Nigeria.
Meanwhile, China has the largest atheist population — 47% describe themselves as convinced atheist. Japan has 31% convinced atheists.
Fr Brendan Hoban of the Association of Catholic Priests said the numbers of religious had likely declined due to increased prosperity, education, greater independence, and the handling of child abuse complaints.
Kieran O’Connor, a sociologist at University College Cork, said the rapid distancing from religion was a direct response to the cover-up of abuse in the Catholic Church.
“Six years ago, we were affluent and educated. That change has not just materialised recently. So the Church’s handling of the abuse crisis has clearly affected our views of religion.
“Despite these results, as a people we all still engage with the rituals of religion: The marriage ceremonies, baptism, funerals, and Communion. Due to the homogenity of our society, we don’t tend to reflect on the other options.”
Belief data
* Ghanaians are the most religious, followed by Nigerians, Armenians, Fijians, and Macedonians.
* Ireland has seen the second largest drop in those claiming to be religious since 2005. The biggest drop was among the Vietnamese. Switzerland has seen the third steepest drop.
* 44% of Irish people say they are not religious, compared to 25% six years ago.