Texts & Emails Thursday 12 Nov, 2009

Topic: Education and the role of the Catholic Church
Panelists: Senator Ronan Mullen, Patsy McGarry and Councillor Ruth Coppinger and Dearbhail McDonald.
Here is a selection of texts and emails received by the programme ---

The school system should be totally secular as The State should be. Nobody is born a catholic (or whatever). Identification occurs as a result of indoctrination. Indoctrination is solely for the benefit of the priestcraft. It is most effective when the family, church and the education system work in tandem. Parents are victims of religion and pass on that mind control to their children. Like psychoactive substances, religion should have no part in the developing mind. Religion imposed on the young is, in and of itself, child abuse - because it interferes with cognitive development. - From Kevin Broaders in Sligo.

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Teachers teach their subjects, full stop. Religion is just another subject and should be treated as such. Of course, every church would like to be given special status like de Valera gave to the catholic church but hopefully those days are over. Liam O'R
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Could EU Nationals who are not employed be supported by the Country of origin who would have to pay from their exchequer. Co-operation would be needed of course but this be a better way to track social payments Any wages earned would see the paye prsi equivalent go to their country of origin. Jim Larkin Galway

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why is ties no system to stop shares being sold so fast - the banks lose millions this way - there should be a system where buyers must hold onto their shares for a certain period before they can be sold

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Buying shares is like gambling on horses except you cant get ur money back on a horse when u think its going to lose. Shares should be the same - if u lose - u lose !

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A school is a school and a church is a church education in school and religion in a church

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the now world order is proposing one world bank and world currency one world government and one world religion when are you going to discuss this which only a certain amount of people know about people that have been praying for peace in Ireland are well aware of it Joan Dunbar

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I have to agree wit what the irish SUN said yesterday about child welfare payments to foreign workers whose children or families dont live here.it has to B stop as this money goes out of our economy forever&not even spent in this country so we lose out. Also theres almost 100,000 foreigners unemployed here so no wonder our unemployement figures are so high.and worse than the 80's. Also people on €100,000 per yr dont rely on child benefit as it rightly stated.

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By that womans logic -Why should education be the place where IRISH is forced on pupils?. Why not after school classes? See? Rubbish logic- Ed

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the church is telling kids the world was made in 7 days and patrick drove snakes out of ireland..anybody with a brain knows its rubbish so why teach it

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is it right or legal to have cameras in toilets in schools

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if parents want their children educated in catholicism they should learn it through going to church not through the schools.

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This country is failing and people want the catholic church out of all aspects of society when this recession really kicks in the very same people will be looking for help off the same church...my parents were lazy catholics and im really thankfull that i was in a catholic school im 19 and a man and looking back now i am glad i got catholic education because i would have been at a loss if it was left up to my parents

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FOR SALE. Special Purpose Vehicle, as new, no reverse gears and not suitable for U-Turns..but it is Green approved..and ECO-nomy friendly. No time wasters. A.Pleb.

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we don't have enough money to run existing schools so why attack the religious who have helped with education for generations. By all means have continuous reform but let's not lose perspective on what is achievable. Jimmy

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i want my children brought up in a catholic school. Its mre important 2 say its worse 2 c kids being able 2 get in2 schools wen sumtimes at d cost of kids it d catchment area.

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The ethos is not just about religious instruction but also about Christian values being taught by example in every day life. Nothing to do with Maths:-) of course these values are not exclusive to the Catholic faith. Mary in Tullamore.

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Ethos is imprinted on ALL subsects and hence such issues such as Intelligent Design - v - Evolution. Remember the Scopes Trials? Miriam Kivlehan Leitrim

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saying parents would want their children educated in a catholic ethos should not be confused with being taught good morals and manners. Each religion would teach its own values and beliefs and "little catholic ireland" should not expect non catholic families to fall in line behind them. What about children from multi religous families or athiest families. If a family want to inform and educate their children in religous education should that not be the job of their respective churches?

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The taxpayer should not fund religious segregation. As an atheist adult I resent that I had to undergo Catholic indoctrination in for 13 years of my life. All state-funded schools should be secular. Only private-schools should be allowed to be denominational. The Ryan Report shows the need to break the power of the Church over our children. There is no proof that God exists. Joe wexford

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its not about teaching maths,etc,etc, it's about teaching the boy and girl, in a rounded way

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may I suggest that catholic priests be allowed have a partner/ wife. This would ellay the fear some parents have about sending their children to catholic schools. Priests are deprived of all sexual activity which leads to their frustration etc.... Colm Dublin

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Ronan Mullen says 'parental choice' is the central issue -what about 'taxpayers choice'? for e.g. I don't want to fund the religious indoctrination of children via my hard earned taxes. A secular education is the way to go for a tax funded system. Michael McGrath, Kilkenny.

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its time for educatìon to be seperated from religion. Education is acedemic, religion is philisophical.

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we are a catholic country Catholic schools are better Parents should be practicing in order to enrol there children like they do in england annette

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School classrooms should be used for education, not indoctrination. The church is simply looking to "get them while they're young" with education secondary to faith. A disgrace in modern society! Gary Byrne, IFSC D1

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its up 2 parents 2 educate their kids in religon take them 2 church or sunday school not our teachers 2 do their job. If they are that concerned about religon then they should folow some other parents and deal with it at home and on their own time.

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that guy needs to realise that change has to come about. His religious beliefs should not be taught in schools. We need to seperate teaching and religion. They have no meaningful relationship in life. Aran

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just because people come to this country why should we then change our traditions?? Lets be tolerant and let them have their faith but they must fit in here in the country of their choice....if we went to india or a muslim country for example, would they change for us? Tell me, and looking at the uk in paricular, what is so great about "multiculturalism", whats wrong with our own culture, apart from our politicians that is!!!

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if a teacher dislikes the catholic religion should they be allowed teach in catholic school.hindus ar not allowed 2 teach in muslin schools.brendan in nenagh.

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Why, when anybody mentions sending migrants home, are they are branded racist. Surely, they are realists. Paul Vickers, Tralee

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If more than 90 per cent of parents want a faith ethos in their sch o ols then what is wrong with their tax being spent on such an education? Marie

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What about the problems the society Has with drugs, drinking, crime, -weren't they all educated by catholic school, So it is obviously Doesn't really matter - it doesn't prevent the bad-doing! Ana Kelly

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What is wrong with ireland. Must we change our whole culture to facilitate everyone else. If we moved to an arab country would they change their culture for us. By the way non catholic families pay large fees to have their kids educated in catholic schools in the united states.. Maura.

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the ethos of a school is much more important than any subjects thought the students are meeting their maths teacher everyday and are influenced by the ethos of their teachers a school without an ethos is failing our children ,community schools are not allowed to profess any ethos this leaves our children with a huge void in their lives leading to a whole range of problems all kids i teach love to be thought about morals etc

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i am church of ireland and went to a church of ran ns and then went to the local tec and which was majority catholic and all the time i was there i alway s felt a religous divide which could be malice at time s . I believe this all came from the devission at ns level . Roll on all school s being 100 % state ran

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ask mullen what kind of society has the catholic ethos produced only gross inequality

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Census 2006 tells us that there is an 86.8% Roman Catholic population in this country. Obviously the vast majority of parents are of this religion and will want their children educated in a Catholic ethos, where admirable morals prevail. Can some of your speakers cut the "Century 21" talk please?

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Sending children to a fianna fail or fine gael school would also offer a unique (and decidedly distasteful) world view! Andrea from bray.

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The situation resulted from decades of state underinvestment in education. Churches took up the slack when the state failed. They don't want to be so involved in education, but historically they were. Most church chairmen would be delighted to hand over to the state. Will the state buy the schools

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all religion should be taken out of schools let various religious groups teach out of school hrs. Current Time spent in schools can be used far better now given serious lack of funding now and to come

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our children go to catholic school and dont know the rosary we do it at home they dont kno the stations of the cross we do it at home we think catholic school religion needs to be looked at again its not doing what it says it is. eilish

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i am a non practising catholic with six children in both primary and secondary school i do wish to have my children going to a catholic schools. Having said that i an delighted to have children of differant denominations within our school who seen to get as much out of our school as we do.

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religion shouldnt be responsibility of the education system.it is a personal choice.my son started school this year and the only homework he gets so far is to do wit the religioun curriculum.keep religion out of schools.

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They can argue til the cows come home but Catholic schools are inconsequential as a recruitment centre. Just count the number of teens that attend mass on any Sunday. Its just the elderly and the under 12's. No in ''beteeners''. NgM, galway

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On this topic re Church and Education, may I recommend a book I am currently reading callee 'THE BIG CHAPEL', by Irish writer Tom Kilroy. It is a novel based on real events in Kilkenny in 1878, when a local Priest rebelled against Church interference in his National School. Its BRILLIANT! Geraldine Nolan, Tralee, Kerry

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What needs to be looked at is the enrolment policies of schools under various patronage. Where there is pressure for places in certain areas, denominational schools will give priority to children of a particular religion; educate together schools are first come first served. Therefore, those who are new to an area may be excluded because they are not of a certain religion or because they didn't get their childs name down on time. There parents/children have no choice and this can lead to a situation where the majority of children are newcomers. Some schools now have little or no irish born children to irish parents. Tom

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There is no such thing as "catholic children" or "muslim children" - only children of catholic or muslim parents. The children are mere pawns in a global game of numbers. Gary Byrne, IFSC D1

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Religion has been the cause of so many wars, and like tonight....so many arguments. Frank.