Tags: Religion & Belief
Court challenge to crucifix in Polish parliament fails
Posted: Tue, 10 Dec 2013
An MP in Poland has lost a court challenge to the presence of a large crucifix in the country's parliament building. Read More »
£350,000 of taxpayers’ money wasted over an Islamic tradition
Posted: Wed, 23 Oct 2013
A High Court judge has expressed his bafflement at a case involving the Islamic tradition of shaving off a woman's pubic hair that has cost the taxpayer £350,000 and has now been dropped. Read More »
Magistrates reject proposal for a single secular oath
Posted: Mon, 21 Oct 2013
The Magistrates Association has rejected a proposal from one of its members that it should end the swearing of oaths on holy books in court. Read More »
Judges call for one secular oath for all
Posted: Mon, 07 Oct 2013
Magistrates are considering proposals to replace religious oaths and affirmations with a single oath for all defendants and witnesses. Read More »
Switzerland wants a secular national anthem
Posted: Thu, 08 Aug 2013
Switzerland wants to get rid of its old-fashioned "hymn-like" national anthem and replace it with a modern, secular version. Read More »
Opponents of Channel 4’s call to prayer outnumber supporters by two to one
Posted: Fri, 05 Jul 2013
A new Yougov poll shows that Britons opposed to the TV broadcast of the Islamic call to prayer during Ramadan outnumber supporters two to one. Read More »
EU adopts guidelines on freedom of religion or belief
Posted: Thu, 27 Jun 2013
This week, the EU Council of Foreign Affairs adopted a report offering guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, with the aim of promoting the fundamental human right to freedom of religion or belief in countries beyond EU borders. Read More »
Parliamentary prayer breakfast dismisses 'fairy tale' of atheism
Posted: Tue, 25 Jun 2013
An audience of around 600 people, including a number of MPs, gathered at the Houses of parliament to hear keynote speaker Professor John Lennox from Oxford University describe atheism as a "delusion" and a "fairy tale for those afraid of the light". Read More »
NSS calls for Baroness Warsi - and her post of Minister for Faith - to go
Posted: Thu, 30 May 2013
The refusal of Baroness Warsi, the "Minister for Faith and Communities" to steer the flagship same-sex marriage bill through the House of Lords was condemned today by the National Secular Society. Read More »
More Americans think religion is losing its influence
Posted: Thu, 30 May 2013
Over three-quarters of Americans (77%) say religion is losing its influence on American life, while 20% say religion's influence is increasing. These represent Americans' most negative evaluations of the impact of religion since 1970, although similar to the views measured in recent years. Read More »
Children uninterested in religion – but churches determined to bring them into the fold
Posted: Wed, 29 May 2013
An educational revision website has found that almost a quarter of seven to 16-year-olds do not know that Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, and 26% are unaware Christians believed Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Read More »
Report into experiences of female converts to Islam
Posted: Thu, 23 May 2013
A ground-breaking report examining the experiences of nearly 50 British women of all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds and faiths (or no faith) – who have all converted to Islam - was launched in London yesterday by the University of Cambridge. Read More »
Report recommends directing homeless to church
Posted: Mon, 22 Apr 2013
A new report, funded by a number of religious groups and researched and published by Lemos and Crane, recommends that agencies working with homeless people should encourage their clients to go to church and to talk about "faith." Read More »
Secular doctors call on the GMC to revise personal belief and medical practice guidance
Posted: Wed, 17 Apr 2013
Secular doctors have called on the GMC to urgently revise guidance that allows religious doctors to opt out of providing a particular procedure on the grounds of belief. Read More »
Scots are abandoning their religion
Posted: Tue, 16 Apr 2013
Scotland, once one of the more pious parts of the British Isles, is rapidly becoming secularised according to a poll commissioned for the Sunday Times and Real Radio Scotland. Read More »
Is this a true history of religious education or a rewriting of the facts?
Posted: Wed, 03 Apr 2013
Secularists and humanists in the 1960s and 1970s played a critical role in stopping religious education in schools being used for proselytising. That's the claim being made in new research from the University of Exeter. Read More »
New research shows dwindling support for religion in Britain
Posted: Tue, 02 Apr 2013
A Sunday Times commissioned YouGov poll among 1,918 Britons has revealed dwindling support for religion in Britain Read More »
Prime Minister should ignore former archbishop's theocratic blundering, says NSS
Posted: Sat, 30 Mar 2013
The National Secular Society has urged David Cameron to ignore Lord Carey's "theocratic and anti-democratic blustering" after he accused the Prime Minister of making Christians feel marginalised. Read More »
Judgements due on landmark religious discrimination cases at European Court
Posted: Tue, 08 Jan 2013
The European Court of Human Rights will announce its judgement on four landmark cases of alleged religious discrimination in the workplace on Tuesday 15 January. Read More »
More people may believe in an afterlife than believe in God
Posted: Thu, 06 Dec 2012
Almost half – 49 per cent – of those surveyed earlier this year by the Institute of Education, University of London believe that there is 'definitely' or 'probably' life after death. Read More »
