Mark ‘No Religion’ on Census 2016 to help end discrimination

See this video if you need persuading on the potential benefits of marking ‘No Religion’ in the Census 2016 this Sunday night.

CSO statistics on Humanist marriages 2015

The Central Statistics Office has released fascinating statistics on marriages taking place during 2015.

It shows that marriages conducted by celebrants/solemnisers accredited by the Humanist Association of Ireland accounted for more than five per cent of all marriages. The report states that ‘In recent years the Humanist Association has also risen in popularity with 1,264 (5.7%) of marriages in 2015.’

August is  the most popular month for marriage.  ‘In 2015, 13.3% (or 2,927) of marriages occurred in August.  Over a quarter (26.5%) of all marriages took place in the months of July and August.’

Friday and Saturday are the most popular days of the week to get married with 69.2% of marriages being conducted on those days.

Friday 31st July and Saturday 1st  August were the most popular wedding dates in 2015 with 276 (over 1%) marriages taking place on each. Then came Friday 4th September, with 248 (over 1%) marriages.  Other highly desirable dates were New Years Eve, Saturday 30th May and Friday 7th of August, each of which saw 247 marriages taking place.

Humanist Naming Ceremonies

Naming ceremonies are becoming more popular for people who choose not to have their children baptized. Such parents tend to be commendable adults of integrity, conscious as they are that it is more important to teach their children to be authentic and true to themselves than to jump a queue for a school place merely because their child is baptized. And until the Irish people  and an Irish Government changes the discrimination that exists against unbaptized children, these parents should be applauded for their courage, integrity and leadership.

Demand for naming ceremonies is increasing as parents realize that they can formally welcome their child into their families, circles of friends and the wider human community without having to initiate their baby into ill-founded beliefs about deities and gods.

You can read some feedback from a recent baby naming ceremony that I conducted here.

And I’ve started a new Pinterest board on Humanist Naming Ceremonies here.