NSS Opinion
Quilliam is coming to Exeter- and here’s why
Posted: Thu, 16 Jul 2015 by Charlie Evans
The Quilliam Foundation promote a citizenship and human rights approach to tackling extremism. Charlie Evans is setting up the first Quilliam student group at Exeter University and hopes anyone who shares secular and liberal values will join this new student... Read More »
Why have I never taught a Jewish child?
Posted: Tue, 14 Jul 2015 by Dennis O’Sullivan
Is this the way to unite society – with faith schools teaching the supremacy of their ideology and how wrong the rest of us are, asks Dennis O'Sullivan, a headteacher with thirty-five years of experience in education.
Teaching British Values is now compulsory... Read More »
Misrepresenting concerns about Islam won’t make society more cohesive
Posted: Wed, 08 Jul 2015 by Benjamin Jones
Recent polling found that 56% of Britons think Islam poses a threat to democracy. However this finding has been misrepresented to suggest that British people think Muslims themselves are a "threat".
When asked, "does Islam (not fundamentalist groups) pose... Read More »
When is a faith school not a faith school?
Posted: Wed, 08 Jul 2015 by Alastair Lichten
Academisation and the 'grey area' between faith and non-religious schools may allow even more schools to assume a religious character by stealth. To avoid this, we need a much clearer definition of 'faith school', argues Alastair Lichten.
The 1944 Education... Read More »
Catholic hierarchy stand by while nuns’ orders seek to obstruct justice for their abuse victims
Posted: Mon, 06 Jul 2015 by Keith Porteous Wood
Following the failed attempt to obstruct the historic child abuse inquiry in Scotland, Keith Porteous Wood exposes the continuing reluctance of the Catholic Church to face up to and pay for its crimes.
Two orders of nuns have sought and failed to frustrate... Read More »
Tim Montgomerie need not worry, secularism and tolerance go hand in hand
Posted: Thu, 02 Jul 2015 by Stephen Evans
There's nothing "anti-Christian" about a society that sets about dismantling historic religious privilege, argues Stephen Evans.
In a Times opinion piece about the power of forgiveness – so poignantly expressed in Amazing Grace, the former slave trader... Read More »
Academics call for greater sensitivity about religion in universities, but students suggest it’s not an issue
Posted: Fri, 19 Jun 2015 by National Secular Society
Some academics are giving undue prominence to religion and religious students- when the evidence shows they are exaggerating the scale of the 'problem' they describe.
Tariq Modood, professor of sociology at the University of Bristol, and Professor Craig Calhoun,... Read More »
Faith schools: education’s sacred cow
Posted: Fri, 19 Jun 2015 by Stephen Evans
Faith-based schools have been part of Britain's educational landscape for a long time. But as Britain's religious outlook changes, the time has come for some people to come to terms with their fear or unwillingness to question them, argues Stephen Evans.
Britain's... Read More »
Preacher James McConnell faces prosecution for calling Islam “Satanic"- the state again tramples over free expression
Posted: Thu, 18 Jun 2015 by Benjamin Jones
Free speech for all is threatened once more by the senseless prosecution of another Christian preacher. His religious freedom is the same liberty that defends secularists, atheists, people of all religions and none.
"Islam is heathen, Islam is satanic, Islam... Read More »
Academic claims university atheists are “militant”
Posted: Thu, 18 Jun 2015 by Benjamin Jones
A paper published by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education has claimed that atheists can be "militant" on university campuses, while describing religion as a "public good" and the exclusion of religion from the public sphere as "repressive."
Professor... Read More »
Anti-Muslim bigotry and the problem, with ‘Islamophobia’
Posted: Thu, 11 Jun 2015 by Benjamin Jones
Islamists are again using the victims of anti-Muslim bigotry to advance their agenda. Once again, a British university has aided this project in a conference on 'Islamophobia' which undermined and demonised ex-Muslims as "McCarthyites".
Many, many Muslims are... Read More »
Don’t ban women drivers – ban faith schools
Posted: Sat, 30 May 2015 by Oliver Kamm
In a pluralist and diverse society, it's an invitation to ignorance for children to be segregated by their parent's religious affiliation – so why, asks Oliver Kamm, is the state entrusting the education of huge numbers of children to religious bodies?... Read More »
Christian leaders need to prioritise their targets
Posted: Thu, 28 May 2015 by Benjamin Jones
It is tiresomely common to have some Christian leaders describing secularism as intolerant, bigoted, militant or aggressive. At a time when Christians are being met with genuine persecution around the world, Benjamin Jones argues that Christian leaders should... Read More »
The Catholic Church is now paying the price for its past in Ireland
Posted: Tue, 26 May 2015 by Keith Porteous Wood
NSS executive director Keith Porteous Wood welcomes the Irish referendum result on marriage equality and argues that the Catholic Church's appalling recent history in Ireland shows it deserves to be discredited- as it now has been, by the overwhelming referendum... Read More »
Time for Christians of goodwill to say “Not In My Name”
Posted: Tue, 26 May 2015 by Terry Sanderson
Most Christians don't feel the need to be exempt from equality legislation in order to live their lives in accordance with their religious beliefs. Terry Sanderson says it's time they spoke out against those that do.
The efforts by some evangelical groups to... Read More »
A very confused and immoderate Moderator
Posted: Wed, 20 May 2015 by Alistair McBay
Alistair McBay examines the confused and immoderate arguments of the new Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland.
The Reverend David Robertson of the Free Church of Scotland has now taken up the mantle of the church's Moderator.
First of all, it would be churlish... Read More »
‘Spiritual influence’, democracy and free expression
Posted: Tue, 19 May 2015 by Alastair Lichten
Religious voting blocs and sectarian and divisive politics harm society and can undermine democracy. But are laws that potentially restrict free expression the answer? Alastair Lichten considers the charge of 'undue spiritual influence'.
Many student unions... Read More »
You can never kill ideas: an anonymous blogger on the deaths of secularists in Bangladesh
Posted: Thu, 14 May 2015 by Anonymous
Following the recent wave of assassinations targeting atheist and secular writers in Bangladesh, we publish the thoughts of a British secularist of Bangladeshi origin – and his message to their murderers.
Ananda Bijoy Das was killed just two days ago... Read More »
After initial crisis, nation struggles on without Minister for Faith
Posted: Thu, 14 May 2015 by Benjamin Jones
After initial panic and a constitutional and political crisis, the country is struggling on without a Minister for Faith. Benjamin Jones lambasts the Prime Minister for leaving this crucial role unfilled for so long.
While the Prime Minister set about appointing... Read More »
Most Britons aren’t religious- but are religious ‘voting blocs’ wielding increasing power in our elections?
Posted: Wed, 06 May 2015 by Benjamin Jones
Religious leaders are wielding disproportionate influence in this election. Benjamin Jones argues that this is likely to get worse, and politicians should resist the urge to treat religious people as blocs.
While the religious are declining as a share of the... Read More »
Cardinal Nichols’ conflation of secularism and religious persecution is self-serving and shameful
Posted: Sun, 03 May 2015 by Alastair Lichten
It's grossly distasteful to equate the persecution of Christians in the Middle East with the discomfort felt by some Christians in Britain at having to provide services in a non-discriminatory manner, argues Alastair Lichten.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols's recent... Read More »
It should be politically impossible for universities to enforce blasphemy laws
Posted: Thu, 30 Apr 2015 by Benjamin Jones
It should be politically toxic, publicly excruciating, there should be protests, and mass disruption to campuses when universities censor blasphemy. Where is the outrage?
The censors and reactionaries are at it again. The most recent case came from Bath. A... Read More »
Secularist bequest upheld in court, in 1915
Posted: Fri, 24 Apr 2015 by National Secular Society
A landmark legal cases involving secularists took place a century ago. In Bowman v. Secular Society the relatives of a testator leaving money to the Secular Society (an associated company of the NSS) sought but failed to have the bequest declared invalid on... Read More »
The Christian “fired for praying at work” – here’s the other side of the story
Posted: Thu, 23 Apr 2015 by Terry Sanderson
The British media unquestioningly promulgates the false narrative of Christians being discriminated against in the workplace. Terry Sanderson looks at the latest case involving a Christian disciplined for subjecting a subordinate to unwanted and intrusive... Read More »
Allowing children to languish in illegal religious 'schools' is the bigotry of low expectations
Posted: Wed, 22 Apr 2015 by Stephen Evans
NSS campaigns manager Stephen Evans warns that growing numbers of unregulated religious 'schools' are badly letting children down, and argues that the rights of children to education should be prioritised.
This week it was revealed that officials at the Department... Read More »
