Opinion

CofE talks to the electorate, but is anyone listening?

Religious leaders are free to speak out on politics, but they shouldn't expect their views to be given any special... Read More »

As a nation we’re thinking about our future, here’s our secular manifesto for change

Ahead of the General Election we're calling on political parties to embrace a series of secular reforms, drawn from... Read More »

This is not a ‘Christian country’

Despite many remaining anachronisms in our constitution, the UK is not a Christian country in any meaningful legal... Read More »

The Catholic Church in Scotland is still playing the victim card to stifle criticism

There is some lingering anti-Catholic bigotry in Scotland, writes NSS vice president Alistair McBay, but the Church... Read More »

Religious programming isn’t popular, and no amount of hounding from the Church will change that

The BBC still produces a considerable amount of religious programmes – but the numbers who watch it are so small... Read More »

Prime Minister and CofE promote fake ‘war on Easter’

After several media outlets falsely claimed that the National Trust and Cadbury were 'airbrushing' Easter out of their... Read More »

Caste discrimination: Fear of upsetting religious groups must not impede social justice

Caste discrimination is the latest area where misplaced sensitivity could allow deference to religion to trump social... Read More »

Who is running Ireland – the Government or the Church?

The reach and power of the Catholic Church has waned considerably in recent years in Ireland. But there are troubling... Read More »

Why are we still allowing religion to retard young people’s education and health rights?

The Government's proposals on Relationships and Sex Education are a welcome step in the right direction – but... Read More »

The human rights of women and secularism go hand in hand

On International Women's Day 2017 NSS campaigns officer Alastair Lichten reflects on the intersection of gender and... Read More »

Mass grave full of children's remains at Catholic home reveals atrocities on a massive scale

With the latest revelations about human remains in an Irish Mother and Baby home, Keith Porteous Wood, executive director... Read More »

A faith-based education system is deeply inefficient

Both the Government and the Labour Party have wilful blind spots around faith schools, and as the Government looks... Read More »

Britain’s ‘Christian right’: seeking solace in a narrative of discrimination

The 'Christian right' in the UK may not be anywhere near as powerful as its US counterpart, but it still tries to... Read More »

Stop pharmacies refusing prescriptions for emergency contraception on religious grounds

With the regulator considering curtailing 'conscience' objections to contraception prescriptions, Keith Porteous Wood... Read More »

A judge’s decision to separate a transgender parent from her Jewish Orthodox children was deeply misguided

The decision to separate a transgender parent from her children gets to the heart of why faith-based harm is perpetuated... Read More »

It’s time for an end to special religious privileges: we need a secular state

Should the Anglican peers in the Lords be joined by religious leaders from other faiths? Ought the BBC be required... Read More »

President Trump: American theocrat

Donald Trump may be America's latest 'atheist president', but his presidency has put Christian Nationalism at the... Read More »

Faith schools mustn’t be allowed to stymie young people’s sexual health and well-being

Political sensitivity about faith schools is getting in the way of providing evidence-based, age-appropriate sex and... Read More »

A faith ethos is no magic solution for improving schools

There are success stories and failures in schools of all types, including faith schools, despite what the churches... Read More »

Norway’s separation of Church and State: a work in progress

Norway's supposed separation of Church and State, effective from 1 January 2017, is a very positive step, but it's... Read More »

Sister Sarah Kuteh: up steps the next so called victim of ‘Christian persecution’

It has been another week in which we've seen Christians in the Middle East losing their lives to violence and persecution,... Read More »

Sabbatarians have imposed their dogma on islanders for long enough, help them put a stop to it

The National Secular Society is helping campaigners on the Isle of Lewis open a sports centre on a Sunday, currently... Read More »

The Casey Review lays bare the failure to integrate Muslim minorities

Dame Louise Casey offers a damning critique of mass immigration undertaken without serious efforts to integrate new... Read More »

Clerics shouldn’t be the gatekeepers to publicly funded schools

A progressive education policy would seek to break down barriers between people of different faiths and beliefs, not... Read More »

Sharia reviews and the case for non-accommodation and non-regulation

Our legal system cannot be permitted to fracture into parallel codes for different religious groups. Sadikur Rahman... Read More »

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