[extropy-chat] can't war protesters do better?

[Dirk Bruere]

Keith Henson wrote:

> At 12:38 PM 07/08/05 +0100, Dirk wrote:
>
> snip
>
>> a) The Catholic minority has been breeding faster than the Protestant 
>> majority and within a decade the positions will be reversed.
>
>
> The model's claim is that rising income per capita shuts off war.
>
> Most places in Europe population growth of Catholics is at or below 
> replacement. Is Ireland and/or N Ireland different?
>
Until recently yes.
http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/english/jlincecum/eire.html

"


  When the Irish Free State was created in 1922, the Catholic Church
  established itself with a vengeance and had several of its doctrines
  written into the Irish constitution: e.g., no contraceptives, no
  divorce. In effect, Ireland was like a theocratic state, that is, one
  in which the government is a secular arm of the church. Although its
  power has weakened of late (mainly because of several scandals of
  major proportions involving priests and bishops and because
  modernization tends to bring a more secular society), recently the
  church led the fight against a constitutional. amendment that would
  have allowed divorce under specified circumstances.


  Irish Catholicism has always been more conservative and puritanical
  that that of American or European catholics. Until about 1970 it made
  its presence felt in many aspects of Irish life: such as the threat of
  excommunication for young catholics who wanted to attend a protestant
  university. There was heavy censorship of movies and books and plays.
  The major influence of the church on modern Irish lit. has been to
  foster an attitude of criticism and opposition. Some of Ireland’s best
  lit. has been anti-clerical. Ireland, which used to boast of exporting
  priests to other countries around the world, now has too few young men
  choosing the priesthood as their vocation even to supply the needs at
  home.

"
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=326&HistoryID=aa31
On the social front the issues of urgency derive from the power and 
influence of the Roman Catholic church. On three topics of passionate 
concern to ordinary families - divorce, contraception, abortion - there 
are continuing struggles between liberal and Catholic pressure groups.
		







On abortion, a referendum in 1983 confirms the existing policy of 
absolute prohibition; nine years later another referendum relaxes the 
ban in certain circumstances. On the availability of contraception 
Catholic opposition finally crumbles in 1985. A referendum on divorce in 
1985 confirms that it is not to be available in the republic; 
subsequently, after a referendum in 1995, the ban is lifted.


-- 
Dirk

The Consensus:-
The political party for the new millenium
http://www.theconsensus.org



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