We don't think religious worship should play any part in the formal business of the state.
We want to see parliamentary and local government meetings conducted in a manner equally welcoming to all attendees, whatever their personal beliefs.
Parliamentary prayers
Sittings in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords begin with Anglican prayers. MPs and peers stand for prayers facing the wall behind them – a practice thought to have developed due to the difficulty members would historically have faced of kneeling to pray while wearing a sword.
When the chamber is at its busiest, parliamentary prayers act as a bizarre and antiquated seat reservation system. Even MPs and peers who are slated to speak have no option but to attend prayers in order to reserve a seat.
Whilst they may be viewed by some as an important tradition, parliamentary prayers serve to assert the superiority of Christianity (and the Church of England in particular) at Westminster. This 'tradition' is inimical to a modern, pluralistic, secular democracy.
In the Scottish Parliament, Tuesday afternoon sessions begin with 'Time for Reflection', with faith and belief representatives invited to addresses members for up to four minutes. The Northern Ireland Assembly begins formal business with a period of two minutes of silent prayer or contemplation. The Welsh Assembly has adopted no such rituals.
Parliamentarians who wish to pray are free to do so. But prayers should not form part of the official business of Parliament.
Council prayers
Many local authorities in Britain also begin their meetings with prayer.
Local democracy should be equally welcoming to all sections of society, regardless of their religion or belief. Council meetings should be conducted without anyone feeling excluded, or compelled to either participate in prayers or absent themselves from part of the meeting.
Council prayers open the door to wholly unnecessary conflict and sectarian squabbles within local authorities. There is a history of local councillors being bullied and marginalised for challenging council prayers.
The absence of prayers from the formal business of meetings in no way impedes religious freedoms or denies anybody the right to pray. Conversely, organised worship in secular settings imposes worship on those who do not share the faith. A genuine commitment to freedom of religion or belief is incompatible with including acts of worship in the formal business of council meetings.
If local authorities wish to hold a moment of silent reflection at the beginning of a meeting, or if councillors wish to meet for prayers prior to the meeting, they are at liberty to do so.
Take action!
1. Write to your MP
Please enter your postcode and urge your MP to support an alternative to parliamentary prayers, to make parliament more welcoming to people of all faiths and none.
2. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue - for example, if you would like to challenge prayers at your own council.
3. Join the National Secular Society
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
Irish politicians face ejection from the chamber and loss of pay if they don't stand for prayers
Posted: Wed, 3 May 2017 11:51
The Irish parliament has approve a requirement mandating TDs remain standing during the prayers that open each Dáil sitting.
Today FM reported that TDs can be subject to disciplinary action, including being thrown out of the chamber and losing a day's pay, if they refuse to stand.
During a debate on whether the Irish Parliament should discontinue the practice of holding prayers at the start of each sitting, several TDs said they would refuse to stand for prayers.
Bríd Smith TD said, "I'm not standing, no matter what I'm told to do, because my religion is my business and is not up for public scrutiny."
Another said it was "baffling" that they would have to stand.
Following the debate on the prayer's purpose and much criticism of its suitability to a republic, the current practice was amended to include a half minute for "reflection" in addition to the current prayer, but secularist campaigners in Ireland say the situation is now worse than it was before.
Ireland and the UK are the only European parliaments to start their formal business with a prayer.
Atheist Ireland offered its thanks to the TDs who "spoke in favour of separation of Church and State", ahead of the vote on Thursday. The secularist organisation said that while they were "still a minority in the Dáil, they reflect the changing mood of the Irish people."
Atheist Ireland vigorously rejected the requirement that TDs be made to stand for prayers and have also spoken out strongly against forcing the Ceann Comhairle (speaker) of the Irish parliament's lower house to read the prayers, calling that requirement an "unconstitutional religious test".
During the debate Ruth Coppinger TD also challenged the requirement on the speaker to read the prayer: "Can we ever have a Ceann Comhairle who is not a Christian?"
"At a time when the rest of society out there is demanding an absolutely separation of Church and State the Dáil decides to embed an archaic practice," Coppinger added.
Catherine Murphy TD questioned whether prayers at the start of the parliament's business "reflects the non-denominational nature of our Constitution".
She said she "cannot support the retention of the prayer".
Atheist Ireland said the new time for reflection was not an improvement on the current situation, but "makes the situation worse".
They challenged the retention of the prayer's current wording, which says that "every word and work of ours may always begin" with God.
In the UK Parliament sittings in both Houses begin with Christian prayers led by a Church of England bishop. MPs and Peers stand for prayers facing the wall behind them – a practice thought to have developed due to the difficulty Members would historically have faced of kneeling to pray while wearing a sword. Prayers are voluntary but serve as an antiquated seat reservation system on busy days.
In the Scottish Parliament, Tuesday afternoon sessions begin with 'Time for Reflection', with faith representatives invited in to addresses members for up to four minutes, in a similar format to Radio 4's 'Thought for the Day'.
The Northern Ireland Assembly begins formal business with a period of two minutes of silent prayer or contemplation. The Welsh Assembly has adopted no such rituals.
In the 2016 secular manifesto released by the National Secular Society, the NSS said that "Parliament should reflect the country as it is today and remove acts of worship" from its formal business.
It’s blasphemy to oppose having prayers in meetings, blasts councillor
Posted: Fri, 25 Nov 2016 11:03
A Cheadle town councillor has rejected objections to the council holding prayers in its meetings, saying it was blasphemous to deny that the UK was a "Christian country".
A local resident had written to Cheadle Town Council to object to the saying of prayers during meetings. Chris Addis wrote: "I attended a town council meeting in September as an observer, interested particularly in the future of the hospital.
"I was very disturbed to discover that at the commencement of the meeting all those present were asked to stand and share a moment of prayer."
Mr Addis said it was a "huge presumption" to assume that "every person in the room subscribes to the same religious viewpoint.
"We know that cannot be the case. Ours is a multi-ethnic society which hosts a variety of outlooks and religious beliefs."
He wrote that it was a "fact that some people in the room will be made uncomfortable by this request to stand and pray" and accused the council of failing to accept that the UK was no longer a majority Christian country.
"Are council members happy that their decision to open the proceedings with prayer will make some uncomfortable?" Mr Addis asked.
"Britain is not a 'Christian country'. The label is and always has been incorrect, because it implies that every subject is, by choice, a Christian.
"In 2016 many UK residents are Christians, many are not.
"I am aware of the legal ruling following the Secular Society's complaint against Bideford Town Council, and of the March 2015 debates in the House of Lords.
"But I would ask you to ensure that Council members are aware that in opening the meeting with a prayer they are making some members of the public uncomfortable."
According to the local paper, Councillor Ian Whitehouse reacted to the letter by saying, "I don't agree that Britain isn't a Christian country; that's blasphemy."
"I propose we keep the prayer and the Mayor can say if anyone doesn't want to take part they can leave," he suggested.
Several other councillors agreed that the council should not change its policy on holding a prayer in meetings. "Once we let the tail wag the dog it's a downward slope," said Councillor Gary Bentley.
NSS campaigns director Stephen Evans said "This is by far the strangest set of arguments we've heard in favour of local authorities having official prayers in their meetings. Meetings should be welcoming to all; they are not opportunities to force religious beliefs on others."
