So, on Friday, the Irish are having a world's first referendum on whether or not to allow gay marriage.

Few high profile individuals seem to be in the "No" camp, save for the usual suspects. I note Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of All Ireland and obviously a prominent "No" man, said: "Until now, Ireland has accepted that it is in the best interests of children and of society to promote and protect the model of children being born and raised in a family with their biological parents". As a general point concerning child welfare, I, for one, wouldn't want the Catholic Church or any of its representatives, within 100 paces of any child of mine. Further, I think it is sanctimonious claptrap for any Catholic Archbishop to be talking about the "best interests of children", when one considers the horrendous damage which has been done to numerous children by the Catholic Church in Ireland and elsewhere throughout the world, either directly, by actual abuse committed by Catholic priests, or indirectly by failure to act where blatant injustices or abuses have been perpetrated by members of the Church, their associates or their institutions. It would certainly seem that, historically, "being born and raised in a family with their biological parents" offers little protection against a determined predator priest.

I believe Ireland, however belatedly, is waking up to the shear folly of entrusting so much to an organization (one which I personally see as a cult), whose pseudo stewardship of the nation's moral compass has been so terribly destructive. Although referenda always carry a risk, in this case I think there is wisdom in seeking a public mandate for the change of law because the result, hopefully a resounding "Yes", will indelibly confirm to the Church that some of its own fundamental doctrines are simply not accepted by the majority of people and that without radical change, the Church's position is untenable. In truth, I'm not sure that the degree of change necessary is actually possible without tearing the institution asunder, as it were, so my own honest view is that the kindest thing the Church in Ireland could do, if it cares at all about its Irish flock, is to disband totally, sell its assets and give the proceeds to the poor (an act which I think Jesus himself would have endorsed). Maybe they should have a referendum on that proposal.

I think it is no coincidence that the power of the Church (in "Western" countries, at least) is distinctly on the wane. The recent Pew report in the United States provided unequivocal confirmation that this is so, and it is a statistical fact that the pace of decline is accelerating. I would agree with the US Philosopher Daniel Dennett who, in commenting on the Pew Report, asserts that religion, en masse (i.e. excluding individual zealots), works best where there is ignorance and deprivation - eliminate these factors and you will find that safe, well educated, well fed people are far less inclined to seek solace in the supernatural or rely on peculiar ancient scriptures, written by people entirely ignorant of what today we now understand to be true. In particular, with instant information being disseminated throughout the globe and accessible to most, it seems that the notion of the "Ju-Ju" coming to get you, if you transgress some arcane and unfathomable law, becomes immediately exposed to the ridicule it deserves. In other words, the truth, if you seek it, is merely a click away.

I heard Archbishop Martin on the radio this morning using a kind of "inverse ad hominem argument", which is my phrase for the logical fallacy of "argument from authority". He was pointing out, presumably to anyone who would listen, that Pope Francis, of all people, was absolutely not in favour of same sex marriages. "So there!" you can almost hear him say. Elsewhere, supporters of the "no" side are placing great store on the notion that the only marriage "endorsed by scripture" is that of a man and a woman. This is a desperate act, since it seeks to invoke an authority which relies entirely on "feeling", or blind allegiance, rather than any sort of rational analysis. Further, Archbishop Martin, invoking no greater authority than God himself, has informed us: "There are no grounds for considering gay unions to be even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family". God's plan?! So now we mortals are ruining the plans of the great omniscient supernatural being, the same one who made the entire universe and every single being in it, including making a good number of us fancy someone of the same sex. Oh, come on! From my perspective, I cannot conceive of a single logical reason why a man cannot love a man, or a woman love a woman. If same sex love is someone's preference, as it naturally is for numerous people, why wouldn't any civilized society endorse its support for that love, via whatever legislation is necessary to affect equality in every sense? Surely that is blindingly obvious.

Perhaps ironically, Archbishop Martin was not the only one to invoke what I call the inverse ad hominem. I note, admittedly with some amusement, that a string of celebrities, are in the "Yes" camp, including such Irish heroes and luminaries as Bono, Brian O'Driscoll and even Gay Byrne, to name but three in a long list. I'm quite sure there will be those who would vote for Bono and the others any day over Pope Francis, simply because in this age where the currency of fame and populism is what counts, they're the ones who've really "got the gold". However, I also note that research tells us that the "no" camp is going to rely a lot on the older generation for support. Since I am a father of someone who might be considered a typical young man, I can tell you that the young look at all these silly prejudices which the old desperately cling onto, with incredulity, if not disdain. Perhaps famous supporters might swing some people's vote, but, in my view, society, powered by the young, is at last coming to its senses. The vote will be "yes" because that is the right answer, and to all these latter-day witch-doctors urging otherwise, I say, "Look out, boys, the end is nigh!"