With the country still feeling the impact of the Ryan report, which chronicled decades of mental and sexual abuse by the Catholic Church, the government has acted swiftly in light of these events and passed a new “blasphemy law”, which would make disparaging religion a criminal offence. The law seeks to punish offenders with a fine of up to €25,000.

The law is surely going to blow up in their faces. By trying to defend the church with this poorly conceived blasphemy law, the government now has to enforce an edict that will turn out to be a political quagmire. To be fair, a blasphemy law was already in effect, but the changes were made to avoid a costly referendum to remove this unpleasant piece of legislature. Still, it only enforces the perception that the Catholic Church has far too much power in Ireland, and this law at the very least gives the growing secular movement in the country more fodder in calling for the separation of Church and State. How can any country consider themselves modern and ‘free’ when they seek to punish their own citizens for simply refusing to respect ancient superstitions? It’s downright pathetic.

The government claims the law is meant also to protect other faiths. Does Reiki, astral projection and other moronic belief systems qualify as well? Why don’t we also make it illegal to make fun of people who think Friday the 13th is unlucky? If the whole purpose of this law is to demonstrate how weak the church has become by involving the government in their petty disputes, then they’ve succeeded brilliantly.