26/3 Atheists not quite human?

Michael Nugent

It's hard to imagine that anyone in the developed world would offer this gross liable in a developed country in the 21st century but Just a few days ago a Catholic Professor said exactly this, at a Pluralism in Education conference held in Limerick titled Towards Mutual Ground: Religious Pluralism in Educational Practice in Irish Schools. The event was attended by representatives of Atheist Ireland including Michael Nugent. While the conference generally progressed well, the second key note speaker Prof Gavin D’Costa, embarrassed himself his church and his nation by echoing a claim by Cardinal Murphy O’Connor made on BBC radio that suggested that atheist are not quite human. To make matters worse when challenged on this canard he repeated claiming to be religious revelation describing atheist as "not fully formed" as reported by delegate Micheal Nugent.

DeCosta also argued atheism is a religion. He also described it as a nonreligious position. When challenged he acknowledge the inconsistency and claim the denying atheism is religion is kidding ourselves

Anti-atheist epithets may be wide spread in Ireland's education system provided schools that are 96% denominational. Even teachers colleges Herbinia College was critised for requiing student teaher to tae the position that "Atheist humanism produced the worst horrors history has ever witnessed". What makes this remarkable is this poisonous liable was being offered a now religious school. Considering the role atheist had in "the troubles" this is an even more gross distortion of moral superiority at work in Irish culture.

Source atheist.ie