The National Secular Society’s General Principles

The National Secular Society’s General Principles are as follows:

• Secularism affirms that this life is the only one of which we have any knowledge and human effort should be directed wholly towards its improvement.

• Affirming that morality is social in origin and application, Secularism aims at promoting the happiness and well-being of mankind. Secularism demands the complete separation of Church and State and the abolition of all privileges granted to religious organisations.

• Secularism affirms that progress is possible only on the basis of equal freedom of speech and publication; that the free criticism of institutions and ideas is essential to a civilised state.

• It asserts that supernaturalism is based upon ignorance and assails it as the historic enemy of progress.

• It seeks to spread education, to promote the fraternity of all peoples as a means of advancing universal peace to further common cultural interests and to develop the freedom and dignity of mankind.

• To remove an impediment to these objectives, we demand the complete separation of Church and State and the abolition of all privileges granted to religious organisations.

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