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Dialogue Ireland
DIlogo.jpg
Type Charity
Founded 1988
Headquarters Dublin, Ireland
Area served Ireland
Focus New Religious Movements
Website http://www.dialogueireland.org

Dialogue Ireland is an independent trust that works to promote awareness and understanding of New Religious Movements (sometimes referred to as 'cults') in Ireland.

Contents

[edit] Description

Dialogue Ireland works for dialogue with the country's 100-plus New Religous Movements, seeking to understand them better through research, and through listening to what their adherents have to say. It provides information to members and former members, young people, teachers, government departments, the medical profession, the media and the public at large of the beliefs, practices, and, in some cases, hidden agendas of these NRMs.

The main focus of its educational work is in providing secondary schools, vocational groups and other establishments with educational encounters with fringe religious groups, with a particular eye to giving background to the transition to third-level. It offers modules in the RE school syllabus and also give informal talks. Other services provided include the provision of help and support to families, and to individuals who have left NRMs such as Tony Quinn Yoga or the Church of Scientology, including, if necessary, Thought Reform Consultancy. It circulates a newsletter and maintains a website to provide access up-to-date information about many of the worlds faiths and religions, and links to significant sites in the field. It has held an annual conference since 2000.

[edit] Organisation

Dialogue Ireland is based in Dublin city. Its activities are co-ordinated by an executive group of six members, chaired by Louis Hughes. It does not take governmental or commercial funding, but it has received limited financial backing from each of the four main Christian churches. It was registered as a charity (No 296072) in 2004.

In addition Dialogue Ireland has under its direction an executive group of six members which is chaired by Louis Hughes. This group, which includes a full-time field worker, Mike Garde, is responsible for its educational role, conference organisation, publicity and financial affairs. It has been in negotiation with the Department of the Taoiseach and Department of Education and Science, and has made a submission to the Dáil Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights. It belongs to FECRIS, a European-wide federation of those concerned about NRMs.

[edit] History

Dialogue Ireland came into existence in the 1980s as a result of a cry for help from individuals and families whose lives were affected by involvement with one or other of the New Religious Movements which had been appearing on the Irish scene since the early 1970s. While the organisation was originally set up with an official link to the four main Christian churches - Catholic, Church of Ireland, Methodist and Presbyterian, in 2001 this link was dropped when it became an independent trust. This gave it the freedom to also come out against "cultish activities" in groups or parishes within the churches.

[edit] See also

  • FECRIS[1] General Assembly of the European Federation of Centres for Research and Education on Sects.

[edit] Notes and References