Iona Institute
Encyclopedia
| Iona Institute | |
 |
|
| Location | 23 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, Ireland |
| Founded | January 2007 |
| Director | David Quinn |
| Field | Religion and family values |
| Official website | www.ionainstitute.com |
The Iona Institute is a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
, Catholic think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
based in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Founded by David Quinn
David Quinn (Irish journalist)
David Quinn is an Irish journalist and commentator on religious and social affairs. For over six years, he was editor of The Irish Catholic, a weekly newspaper...
, a journalist and commentator on religious affairs, it was launched publicly in 2007. Psychiatrist Patricia Casey
Patricia Casey
Patricia Rosarie Casey is an Irish psychiatrist and conservative activist. She is Professor of Psychiatry at University College Dublin and consultant psychiatrist at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin...
and journalist Breda O'Brien are amongst its patrons.
The Institute aims advocates religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and traditional marriage. It posits that rising crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
, family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
breakdown, drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
and other social problems are typical of a "weakened society" and that such a society will fail to recognise the importance of marriage and religion unless an evidence-based case was made. Since its foundation, the Institute has released a number of reports to this end.
Marriage
The Iona Institute claims that children fare best only when raised by a mother and father who are married to each other and that, where possible, children have a right to a mother and father. It promotes the place of marriage in society. It is opposed to the surrender of children for adoption by married couples under the proposed children's rights referendum, except where those parents have failed in their duty to their children. The Iona Institute has been accused of homophobia because of their opposition to the Irish government recognising same-sex marriages. The organization has been criticized for an over-reliance on invalid interpretations of data to back these claims.In September 2007, Gay Mitchell
Gay Mitchell
Gabriel "Gay" Mitchell is an Irish politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Dublin constituency since 2004. He is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party, and a former Teachta Dála for the Dublin South Central constituency from 1981–2007. He was defeated by...
MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
hosted an conference named The Fragmenting Family on behalf of the Iona Institute.
A later report of the same name drew heavily on data from Census 2006 and claimed that between 1986 and 2006 marital breakdown in Ireland has risen by 500%.
The following November, the Institute released a document entitled ‘Domestic Partnerships: A response to recent proposals on civil unions’, the foreword to which was written by Martin Mansergh
Martin Mansergh
Martin Mansergh is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician and historian. He was a Teachta Dála for the Tipperary South constituency from May 2007 until his defeat at the general election in February 2011. He was previously a senator from 2002 to 2007.He has played a leading role in formulating...
TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
.
It argued that while marriage should continue to receive special benefits, other forms of relationship could nonetheless receive certain limited recognition and rights, such as next-of-kin rights and maintenance and property settlement rights. It argued that these benefits should not be restricted simply to those in sexual relationships, but to anyone in a caring, dependent relationship, for example, elderly sisters.
Taxation
In March 2007, Labour PartyLabour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
spokesperson on Finance, Joan Burton
Joan Burton
Joan Burton is an Irish Labour Party politician and the current Minister for Social Protection. She is a Teachta Dála for the Dublin West constituency....
TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
, launched The Iona Institute’s first policy document, Tax Individualisation: Time for a Critical Rethink. The document claimed that families with one parent working in the home were discriminated against by the current tax individualisation policy. The paper advocated an increase in the level of the Home Carer's Allowance.
Public's knowledge of Christianity
To coincide with Easter 2007, the Institute and the Evangelical Alliance published an opinion poll investigating the level of public knowledge of Christianity, the first such poll of its kind in Ireland. The poll showed that a majority of young people were unfamiliar with basic aspects of Christian and Catholic teaching, such as transubstantiationTransubstantiation
In Roman Catholic theology, transubstantiation means the change, in the Eucharist, of the substance of wheat bread and grape wine into the substance of the Body and Blood, respectively, of Jesus, while all that is accessible to the senses remains as before.The Eastern Orthodox...
.
In December 2007, a similar poll commissioned by the Institute performed in Northern Ireland gave similar results.
External links
- David Quinn discussed the project with Ryan TubridyRyan TubridyRyan Tubridy , affectionately known as "Tubs", is an Irish broadcaster and writer, a presenter of live shows on radio and television in Ireland. He has been described as "one of Ireland's most gifted broadcasters"...
on his RTÉ Radio OneRTÉ Radio 1RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
show of the 24 January 2007. You can listen to the discussion here. The discussion is at 36min 24sec into the show. Real player required.