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This week Lorely Burt, a new NSS honorary associate, introduced a bill in the House of Lords which would replace collective worship with inclusive assemblies in
non-faith schools. In the blog below our CEO Stephen Evans says this should prompt a broader rethink of the law requiring worship, to defend the religious freedom
of children in all schools.
Next week our honorary associate Dick Taverne will introduce another significant bill, and we're asking for your support to raise its profile. The bill – which we've helped to draft –
would remove the bishops' bench, which grants Church of England bishops an automatic right to sit in the Lords.
The bishops' bench is an affront to democracy and equality of citizenship. And just yesterday we had a reminder that it empowers an institution which promotes
joyless, discriminatory dogma, as the C of E declared its
position that sex was for married heterosexual couples only.
We've worked to scrap the bishops' bench since our founding more than 150 years ago, and now we're urging you to help us make the case. Our template letter makes it easy to write to your MP and raise the subject. If you can
take a moment to do this, we can generate awareness of the campaign to scrap the bishops' bench where it matters – among those in power. Thank you for your
support.
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News & Opinion
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A private member's bill to replace compulsory worship with inclusive assemblies should prompt the government to reform the archaic collective worship
law,... Read More »
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The Welsh government plans to remove parents' right to withdraw children from lessons on religion, relationships and sexuality and to rename religious...
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The National Secular Society has urged Peterborough City Council not to approve plans for a new religiously selective Catholic school, amid concerns about...
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An Orthodox Jewish school stocked texts which said women are "guards" to their families' wellbeing rather than "workers" and is failing to provide an
adequate... Read More »
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Sex is for married straight couples only, says C of E
The Church of England has said sex belongs only within heterosexual marriage, and that sex in gay or straight civil partnerships "falls short of God's purpose
for human beings".
The NSS has responded by calling for the disestablishment of the Church
and the removal of its constitutional privileges. Meanwhile a poll from YouGov has revealed that just four per cent of Britons think couples should wait until they are married before having sex.
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Call for inquiry on assisted dying
Yesterday the Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine led a debate in
parliament on assisted dying, and called for an inquiry into the functioning and impact of the current law.
The NSS campaigns to ensure policy on assisted dying is driven by medical ethics and personal autonomy,
rather than religious dogma.
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Parliamentary prayers latest
The NSS has criticised the Liberal Democrat MP (and former party leader)
Tim Farron over a suggestion that ending parliamentary prayers, or replacing them with a secular alternative, would imply "the presumption of Godlessness".
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International news
Turkey's ruling party has begun a second attempt at introducing a law to
grant rapists amnesty as long as they marry their victim.
Pakistan has suspended the release of a film amid intimidating
offence-taking from an Islamist political party.
A 16-year-old girl in France has received rape and death threats which
have forced her into hiding after she criticised Islam online. Meanwhile the police have opened two investigations – one to try to find those threatening her,
and one inquiring into whether the comments amount to 'hate speech'.
Three Sri Lankans who worked as security guards at a local five-star resort in Dubai have been fined and are set to be deported after they insulted
Islam online.
Keep up with all the latest news and views on secularism by subscribing to our
daily media briefing.
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NSS speaks out
Our opposition to a new religiously selective Catholic school in Peterborough was highlighted in iNews and The Tablet, with our CEO Stephen
Evans quoted.
Stephen wrote a letter in The Sunday Times noting the Catholic Church's hypocrisy in breaking the seal of the confessional to 'out' gay troops,
despite its unwillingness to do so to report child abuse.
And Stephen explained why we lobbied councillors in Hackney not to adopt the APPG on British Muslims' definition of 'Islamophobia' in the Hackney
Citizen. The council voted unanimously to adopt the definition.
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Quotes of the week
"It is hard to think of a policy less likely to promote the spirit of unity championed by Mr Johnson than the ghettoisation of children at
school."
Rachel
Sylvester, Times columnist, on plans to open at least one new discriminatory faith school
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"The powerful voices that should have supported the children and the school were largely muted. Headteachers spoke of being isolated. Where leadership was
desperately needed, it was lacking."
Amanda Spielman, Ofsted chief inspector, on politicians' response to anti-LGBT protests outside schools
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Seen elsewhere
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By Iman Amrani, for The Guardian
This episode of The Guardian's 'Modern Masculinity' series focuses on male circumcision.
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Read elsewhere
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By Eviane Leidig, for Foreign Policy
An unofficial visit by nationalist European leaders to Kashmir highlights the solidarity of far-right movements across the globe.
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By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid, for The Diplomat
Pakistan's blasphemy law needs to be sentenced to death — not so-called 'blasphemers.'
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NSS events
Our upcoming events include a talk on the 1944 Education Act and its legacy in February and an event for educators on our Exploring Secularism resources in May.
Find out more on our events page.
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In your own words: disestablish the Church of England
"Procedures based in archaic statutes delay getting anything done within the church, preventing it from reaching out to those most in need."
Paul,
Cumbria
If you want to let us know why you support a secularist cause, why not sign one of our
petitions? We aim to feature the best comments in Newsline.
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Support our work
Please support our work so we can make the case for a fairer secular democracy for all.
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Click here if you'd rather read Newsline as a PDF.
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