Rational Atheists

According to what you just said though, I can concur that you don't either.

Why should they?

am a agnostic
n ave always wondered why atheists dont believe in a higher power

Bump. This may sound childish, but I've got a question. In Buddhism, is the desire to purge oneself considered a desire?

I can see why you're not so pleased there, DK. It turns out that there's a law in Quebec, stating that any group ~17 can be considered a manifestation and can therefore be brought in for questioning by the police.

I really don't know. The official response from the good Mr. Ahern is that it's to address the mass immigration, but I don't think anyone wanted it in the first place. It's needless complications and trouble they've managed to cause for themselves

They won't convict anyone, and if they do there'll be international outcry over it I'm sure. Still though, that very fact means it's a mockery of a law if they've made it too hard to be prosecuted with.
Damned if they do, damned if they don't. They just can't win! :P

Hey I'm the new guy,

Anyway DK you seem to know a lot more about this law than myself so can I ask you, if they aren't going to actually go through and convict someone of breaking this law, (hopefully they won't at least) then why go to the trouble of reforming it in the first place?

I'm sure there was some reason? otherwise it would seem very strange, well to me at least. I'm sure I'm just missing something here and the reason is actually blatantly obvious.

Indeed.
The law has always been in our constitution, which was crafted back in the days when the Catholic Church had a huge amount of influence on Irish policy/life

It's been largely ignored since, there's only been one charge if I remember right, but it had no real punishment.
The law has now been reformed so that any "publishment or utterance" if blasphemy with the intent of causing outrage to "a significant number" of any religious order is liable of a fine of up to €25,000 and a warrent to search the blasphemer's home for any other blasphemous materials.

Nobody will be convicted of it, the Justice Minister (Who spearheaded the reform) won't have the guts to actually go through with a conviction, but the very existence of the law is what people are railing against.

@Hime, I go for weddings and funerals only :)
And Christmas, since my grandmother stays with us, and it's not worth shocking the poor woman with the knowledge we're not all devout Catholics

Though this year the church had a big banner "2009-2010, A Year For Priests" which I thought pretty ironic given what's happened here since the summer..!

Unbelievable

Don't you hate it when people drag you to church?