State Willfully Discriminates Faith Community

national | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Tuesday January 23, 2007 18:26 by Dúlra

In a formal statement to an Irish Times journalist a spokesperson for the Governemnt said yesterday that there are ‘no plans at the moment’ to include members of the Pagan community to the first structured talks between the State and various faith groups.

In excluding those of Pagan faith the Government is quite content to contribute to the continued malignisation and sidelining of thousands of people. The exclusion also constitutes a wilful neglect of duty to these Irish people.

In a formal statement to an Irish Times journalist a spokesperson for the Government said yesterday that there are ‘no plans at the moment’ to include members of the Pagan community to the first structured talks between the State and various faith groups. The purpose of these talks was to discuss areas of common concern and to reflect the spiritual diversity of Ireland.

Two men of Pagan faith each requesting their community to be included in these talks are Celtic Druid Con Connors and Kit Ó’Marcaigh. Both firmly believe that for these talks to be heralded as truly diverse they must be inclusive of all faiths in Ireland especially given that Pagan traditions are indigenous to the island, origins of which predate Abrahamic religions by some 30,000 years.

It has been explained in their submissions to the Taoiseach and his advisors that Pagan faith exists because of its own ancient mythos, not in spite or defiance of another faith, and that their ancient heritage is as organic as nature itself, which is why it has survived to this day despite all Pagan faith has endured.

There is much stigmatism and deliberate misinformation about Pagan faith, much caused by patriarchal religions initially, and still in some corners to this very day. Paganism is an umbrella term for various Earth based Spiritual traditions that worship both the God and Goddess, the deifications of the creative polar forces of nature.

Paganism is not a ‘religion’ per se, as this word means to be ‘bound by ligament’ to dogma. Pagan folk are not, as they journey their own spiritual paths without the restrictions imposed by clerical hierarchy. This may be partly why the Pagan community has been excluded because the nature of this faith does not require such formal structure and thus folk are not as easily ‘steered’.

It could be referred to as the "Ostrich Syndrome" for the State to imagine Paganism in Ireland today as non-existent, but this deliberate exclusion is active religious discrimination on the State's part.

It seems however that in excluding those of Pagan faith the Government is quite content to contribute to the continued malignisation and sidelining of thousands of Irish people.

For the State to exclude one faith tradition and refuse dialogue is wilful neglect of duty to these Irish people. The same people who also pay taxes and vote. People whom politicians are also paid to serve.

At a time when Ireland is becoming more cosmopolitan and welcoming new spiritual traditions to the island we should also be acknowledging and respecting our own ancient spiritual traditions. Otherwise how can we hold up a flag to say we are truly a spiritually diverse and accepting state? To do so would be farcical.