A mindset of gratitude generally, and specifically towards the wonder of existence is a life of prayer. What’s the harm in that, why the Protests.

Yanks are da bomb !

So are their generally bigger cup size!

The reference to bread was removed, the “grand bit of Mass” has not been. It too is offensive.

Perhaps you didn’t “intend” offence, but t it is certainly indicates a particular mentality.

Tracy,

I think you’re referring to the caption and not the headline which there is considerable difference. I am sorry but I see nothing offensive about this, so it stays.

Thanks,

Hugh

Tracy

Do you not think it’s a bit cheeky of you to expect anything you find offensive to be removed?

Ah Hugh, you should have just moved the caption around and pretended it never happened.

Hugh – the fact that you see nothing offensive in referring to a “grand bit of mass” says a lot.

Would you refer to the Gay Pride March as “a grand bit of gayness”?

The term is belittling. You are entitled to free speech and can say what you like. I support your right in doing so. But as I said, the fact that you would phrase it this way tells us a lot about the mindset of The Journal.

Hold up! My grandfather used come home from mass and say it was “grand mass” or used say he was going to get “a bit of mass”, Tracy is not offensive and the day people feel using “grand bit of” is offensive will be a sad day for Irish people.

Tracy

The Journal isn’t a public service: if it’s not your preference you can always go somewhere else for news. I don’t buy The Sun for this reason.

Well, Tracy, you said it better than I could, so I therefore echo your remarks. Hugh, your ignorance is both insulting and flabbergasting. I do appreciate the caption changes, but please at least attempt to guise your ignorance with a small degree of respect for the faith of the majority. A “grand bit of mass” is indeed insulting, and at the very least ill judged

To be fair petr even though it isnt a public service as you say if someone posted a comment saying ‘its a grand bit of gayness’ it would be removed.
Harry, had to laugh when I read your comment!

Felix

You make me point for me. If people don’t care for The Journal’s slant on things, don’t read it. It’s what I do with Alive!, The Sun, and countless others.

This website is getting ridiculous in it’s mission to constantly put down the the religious in this country. Time to get some serious journalists in and stop using this as a platform for your sad little agenda.

Petr I’m just making a point that it seems to fine be to ridicule one section of people here while at the same time it seems to be unacceptable to to do the same about another group which normally gets censored.

Thanks. Actually couldnt care less about Grand bit of Mass. Tongue in cheek is fine, just felt the bread thing was a bit much, given its just easier to say what it actually is, communion. Feel free to write an article explaining how it is just a piece of bread, logically and scientifically and rationally. but ye

My point is really the same as that of Felix.

Absolutely I agree that it’s not a public service, and for that reason I believe it should, legally, be entitled to say whatever it likes so long as it isn’t defamatory.

But it’s the choices that are made that are interesting – the double standard is extraordinary and it really deserves to be pointed out. Journalists go out of their way to avoid offending some groups and seem to enjoy doing so with others.

If you want to offend religious people – go right ahead!! But you deserve to be called out on that double standard.

‘cos religion is stupid and should never be immune from ridicule….STUPID!!!

And Gavin – I suppose you are the great arbiter of what is and what is not stupid??

Eh earth made in 6 days, light before sun & stars? women made from ribs, talking snakes, boats with 2 of everything, turning people into salt, parting seas, virgin births, water to wine, walking on water, loaves n fishes, rising again, ascension to heaven…to name but a few things central to being a mick.

Tell me Tracy what of the above is not utterly moronic & stupid.

Maybe common sense would be a good yardstick, alas religious people have none.

Gavin, while I don’t subscribe to the church myself are you not thee kind of person that believes people should be free to do as they please without ridicule?

@Felix Of course religion should be open to ridicule. Why shouldn’t it?

So it should but so should everything else. I was just making that point.

A truly secular state and i would be happy.

Whatever people do in their own time is their own business however silly.

http://www.jesusandmo.net/tag/horse-porn

Gavin. And those ejitts who say the earth is round, and man made structures with solid granite blocks some weighing over 300 tonnes moved up mountains by man in Peru. We’re supposed to believe all this?

My anti-imperialist beliefs are affronted by use of the term “Americans” and I demand Hugh removes it at once and apologises to me publicly.

A lot of people in this little isle need to grow up and respect others

West

What on earth is offensive about ‘giving out the bread’?

Petr its not offensive in and of itself. But any decent article would use the commonly used description as 90% of the country know it as “Communion”, most of us make our First Communion in school (if we want to or not :p) not our First Bread….

For Catholics its not bread. For the people at the mass from which the picture was taken its not bread. Its the Body of Christ, they have a right to believe what they want and they have a right to a modicum of respect.
It is called communion not “giving out of the bread”, its even one word instead of 5…

That’s not correct Frank, the recent Irish Times/MRBI poll of Irish Catholics asked the respondents about the topic of transubstantiation, i.e. The changing of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The belief that Christ is actually present during this process is an absolute cornerstone of Catholic teaching and is one of the main differences between Catholicism and Protestantism- Protestants believe that Christ is only represented during the breaking of bread whereas Catholics believe he turns from bread into body and wine into blood and is actually there.

Funny then how a sizable 62% of Irish Catholics answered in the poll that they did not believe that the body and blood was actually that of Christ but that it only represented him.

So now we descend into the farcical situation of 62% of Catholics having religious beliefs that are actually Protestant.

You couldn’t make it up.

It is what it is…

Perhaps it’s neither, rather a literal description of what is occurring and needn’t be seen as indicative of anything other.

Eh it’s either lousy bread or or virtual cannibalism for those who haven’t grown up yet.

Nothing else.

What would have been the problem with stating communion as everyone in the country know it is.. instead of wording it in a particularly offensive/dismissive way. Its not like it was Brennan’s bread they were handing out…
It doesnt matter what you think or believe, a majority of the country are Catholics and a large percentage go to mass weekly and receive communion, they believe that the body of Christ is present.
They didnt have to see “distribution of the Body of Christ” but the commonly used word is communion and it was patently disrespectful to say otherwise. I dont expect much just to use the word that most people use and how it is more commonly referred to….

get over your self u Dick he is giving out the Bread

the Bread. Why did u capitalise it? and why the need for a definite article.
Why not handing out some bread??

Why do we refer to the game as American football and not merely football? or why do we not say a game where big men run at each other with a piece oft weird shaped aired leather?
Because there exists commonly used words for these common practices which most people in Ireland and reading this article would or should understand.

Get over yourself

Excuse the ‘should’….Hair of dog

*the….going back to bed.

Thank you.

It is interesting to see different peoples interpretation of the comment ” that’ll do them the world of good. It’s almost biblical in the way is interpreted!

Doing this in Dublin Castle is a deliberate and direct insult to all Protestants, both in Northern Ireland and southern Eire. Why not do it in the GAA stadium or some other republican stronghold?

Go on back to your Orange lodge and march like a good man William Charles Thom. Some of us actually live in a modern, non-sectarian society!

Conner, I never said I was a Protestant.

You have to admit that having a pompous little Catholic get together like this, right in the heart of Dublin Caste is bound ruffle a few feathers.

Imagine Catholics having a similar event in the heart of Stormount. Ridiculous and childish.

It’s Conor, thank you. Anyway, there is absolutely nothing wrong with staging an open-air mass in an historic Dublin landmark. As far as I know, there was little or no objection to a mass being staged in Phoenix park for the Pope in 79, just a stones throw away from the monument dedicated to that great Protestant, the Duke of Wellington!

Imagine that,a Catholic ceremony in a Catholic country!
Now they’ve gone and offended all those poor Loyalists up north and presumably all the fecking Hindus in India too…

“Southern Éire”. Ha! Great trolling…..

I thought this William fellow was some sort of an amusing parody but it seems that he is the real deal.

William the Turd. Dublin castle IS a big Republican stronghold, you idiot.

@William Charles Thom: Why is hosting such an event in Dublin Castle insulting to Protestants either side of the border? Oh and FYI, Ulster is not a part of the UK as your twitter profile incorrectly states – Ulster is a province of the island of Ireland comprising 9 counties 6 of which make up Northern Ireland. It is these 6 counties that are a part of the UK. The other 3 are a part of ROI, Ireland or Eire as you seem to prefer.

No right-thinking Protestant would find anything objectionable about Mass being celebrated in Dublin Castle, or anywhere else for that matter. It is most definitely not an insult Protestants. Why on Earth would we be offended by another group of Christians coming together to pray publicly & celebrate Holy Communion?

A world without currency would be inefficient. Whats the point

@Tracy. Respect needs to be EARNED

@Tracy… ah for Christ’s sake would you chill out!

@Gavin I’m just curious here, I’d imagine that’s your son in your profile picture and judging by your comments you’re an atheist. but what do you tell the young lad? how does that work? genuine question

@paddy While @gavin will I’m sure get back to you, I’d like to answer your question. I’ve raised 4 athiest children, so have some experience here.

When they were very small, we just never mentioned a deity at all, because it simply never arose. As they got older and started to become aware of other people’s beliefs, we just told them in a matter of fact way that some people believe that there is a being who made the world, there is an afterlife or whatever belief it was they asked about, but that we don’t. We have always taught them to respect the beliefs of other’s even if they don’t share them.

They occasionally went to religious services – funerals, weddings or whatever – but generally speaking religion had no part in their lives. At school they attended religion classes, although the schools were aware of our beliefs. Learning about religion is important, as it is such a big part of so many other people’s lives. Two of my children are young adults now. All of them consider religion to be a somewhat incomprehensible thing, kind of like belief in Santa, but they don’t have any problems at all with what other people believe.

Thanks Katie, great reply, I always wondered how kids would manage through the school part, but you seemed to manage it well. Well done. I’m not a practising catholic myself but do have my beliefs. Hopefully Gavin will read your comment and learn from it.

Hello Paddy yes the kid in my profile picture is my son and yes he is an atheist as are ALL children before they get brainwashed.

My son has not been baptised and has had absolutely no introduction to religion at all no prayers at bedtime….nothing. We have his name down for the local Educate Together which is sectarian free so I’m looking forward to when he starts school.

He is a bright happy caring child with with super sense of humour and sense of adventure. He already a great love of nature and the outdoors. I suppose you could say he loves living and life even at his young age.So he is 100% woo free, no “I’m a sinner forgive me” bullshit, a fact I am tremendously proud of.

If only more Irish parents would stand up to religious grandparents and do the right thing Ireland would be a much better place….well a more honest place anyway.

@Katie well done but one thing. It is a pity we have to describe our children as “Atheist children”….they are just children the Atheist thing is automatic as long as they are not tampered with :)

@gavin he sounds exactly like my own son, bright happy caring child with with super sense of humour and sense of adventure. He already has a great love of nature and the outdoors. What’s your story? you seem to have a hate for not only religion but anyone that stands by it or respects it. That will rub off on your son at some stage. Why wouldn’t you take katies approach instead of trying to force feed people your non beliefs? I just dont get your attitude when it comes to religion. Why does it bother you so much that the likes of myself want to believe in God? For the record I haven’t been to mass in 20 years, I don’t consider a priest to be above me, I just like to believe there’s something after this life

@Paddy I replied but my post went AWOL. Essentially I dislike religions as the are all based on dishonesty on behalf of the preachers and ignorance on behalf of the adherents. It is self perpetuating social control that relies on the indoctrination of innocent children to keep it going.

I hold special hatred for the catholic church because not only was it imposed upon me as a child an in the hijacked state education it was also actually imposed upon me for 10 years in my job as a public servant.

So I think the belief in imaginary friend sky fairies is utterly infantile and an insult to human intelligence and therefore cannot respect it ever.

Tell me Paddy why and what exactly do you believe in?

why and what?
well “why” because it makes me feel better to believe

and as for the “what” I honestly haven’t a clue, just something

@paddy so you are not a catholic you are a “somethingist” and believe in somethingism.

You are demonstarong the power of childhood indoctrination. Its function is to leave otherwise same people with a built in “Need”.

Come on man break free. Think for yourself it is iberating.

Sorry mate , very happy the way I am, but if I ever do go down that path, i’d rather take katie’s approach and not be be so bothered about everyone else.

A truly secular state and i would be happy. People should be free to practice religion and at the same time people should be free to not to have religion…the latter is not the case in IRL. The CC has its grubby paws in all the government departments and takes a wealth transfer of tens of millions every year.

Whatever people do in their own time is their own business however silly.

http://www.jesusandmo.net/tag/horse-porn

I find that the limits of language make it difficult for me to adequately state the contempt in which I hold those who remain within an organisation that systematically raped and tortured children, moved the predators from place to place, harboured and protected them.

Actually Petr you have expressed yourself quite eloquently and used the limits of language quite well.

Do you think you are the only one who is angry with abuse??

For the record – the “organisation” did not systematically rape and torture anyone. Individuals – even in large numbers and even some in power – did so. The organisation itself did not.

Do we judge an organisation by dissidents and criminals who refuse to follow its core teaching or do we judge it by those who have actually lived as it advocates? It seems to me that only the latter option is rational; the former is rather nonsensical.

People remain Catholic because they believe Catholicism to be true. If you believe in Jesus Christ and believe that it is is the Church that he founded then there really isn’t anywhere else to go. It makes no sense to abandon Jesus Christ because of the betrayal of Judas.

Anyway, there is a need for an equivalent of Godwin’s Law when it comes to Catholicism and abuse, because every single debate about Catholicism pretty quickly back to abuse, and the abused are used to justify any attack and any insult against Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular.

Perhaps people could try to engage with an issue on its own merits for once.

People remain because they were BRAINWASHED with state collusion as kids…simples.

Correction…”People remain Catholic”…Dog must have worked in one of his mysterious ways and screwed up my previous post….Bastard.

Well said Tracy.

@Gavin, some parents “brainwash” their kids to believe in a religion, and some like yourself “brainwash” their children not to. Or are you teaching prejudice instead of brainwashing religion?

@mick Please tell me how there can be brainwashing of “no religion”.

Or maybe you think reality is a form of brainwashing.

What an arsehole comment.

Tracy, never mind is the Pope a Catholic, is the Pope a criminal?

The catholic Church has been rotten for centuries. They didn’t start raping children recently, they’ve been doing it for centuries. They’ve also burned an estimated 250,000 people, mainly women, to death for witchcraft, they’ve abused women and even today try and deny them control over the own bodies.

Does the Catholic Church “respect” people of other religions? No, they teach they’ll burn in Hell. As Gavin said, you are indeed brainwashed but that isn’t a sufficient reason to respect your views.

Hate is bad for you.

Yeah i’m grand with that.

No problems here.

I thought i was ok with it but having considered your point……Still ok with it.

No probs here…

awe.. what time did you start protesting at? going to be a long day for ya. fair play though, there’s nothing more dangerous than a bunch of praying American football players.

does anyone sell bottles of cop on in this country anymore?

Unfortunately the rag that is our constitution imposes a duty on the state to honour god.

Sad but true.

The Constitution is far far from a rag. Written when there were only two functioning democracies in Europe, it has stood the test of time (ie very few amendments). Though that should not be taken to mean that it can’t be modernised eg remove the preamble (and have a better article one), repeal article 44.1, strengthen 44.2, provide for marriage Equality, reform the seanad, make it gender neutral, make the Irish match the English version etc etc. Ireland should be a secular republic but using the response to my post as a guide, it is unlikely to be for some time.

Yeah that’s fine thanks.

Representative team is probably the wrong term, their from the naval academy at Annapolis, much like our cadet teams from the curragh.

Representative team is probably the wrong term, their from the naval academy at Annapolis, much like our cadet teams from the curragh. Oh, and I’m good with it.