NSS Opinion
Anglicanism's 'purple circle' of bishops cannot be trusted over child abuse
Posted: Sat, 28 Jul 2018 by Keith Porteous Wood
NSS president Keith Porteous Wood reflects on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse's hearings into the case of the abusive bishop Peter Ball.
Under the guise of schemes with names such as "Give a Year to God", former Church of England bishop Peter... Read More »
Pakistan’s elections will mean little for minorities and secularists
Posted: Wed, 25 Jul 2018 by Basit Mahmood
Religious hardliners have pushed both frontrunners in Pakistan's elections to the right – and neither is prepared to stand up to them, says Basit Mahmood.
Change is in the air according to those campaigning in Pakistan's elections, as Imran Khan campaigns... Read More »
The Church of England provided the perfect cover for Peter Ball’s offending
Posted: Mon, 23 Jul 2018 by Richard Scorer
Opening statement by lawyer Richard Scorer of Slater and Gordon, also an NSS vice president, at the IICSA inquiry's hearings into the case of Peter Ball, the former bishop of Gloucester.
Chair and members of the panel: Mr O'Donnell and I represent five survivors... Read More »
Church schools are faith schools. Pretending otherwise is dishonest
Posted: Fri, 20 Jul 2018 by Alastair Lichten
The Church of England's pretence that 'its' schools aren't faith schools is a dishonest attempt to avoid association with the unpopularity of faith-based schooling, and at odds with their actual policy, argues Alastair Lichten.
When the term 'faith school'... Read More »
Sectarian schooling is nothing to celebrate
Posted: Fri, 13 Jul 2018 by Stephen Evans
Integrating schools isn't a magic bullet to end sectarianism, but no serious attempt to address the issue can ignore the role of religiously segregated schools, argues Stephen Evans.
Last week, as Catholic worshippers were leaving Saturday evening Mass in Glasgow... Read More »
I was concerned about proselytisation on a school trip – and the school listened
Posted: Thu, 12 Jul 2018 by A Parent
Sometimes concerns regarding religious interference in education can be easily resolved, simply through clear and polite conversations with the school. A parent shares her recent experiences working together with her school to stop educational trips to a church... Read More »
Ten years on from the abolition of blasphemy, free speech still needs defending
Posted: Wed, 11 Jul 2018 by Stephen Evans
Marking ten years since the criminal offence of blasphemy was abolished in England and Wales, Stephen Evans argues that the freedom to speak critically about beliefs others hold sacred is far from assured.
This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the abolition... Read More »
Seven secularist steps that would strengthen democracy in the UK
Posted: Wed, 04 Jul 2018 by Megan Manson
In recognition of National Democracy Week 2018, Megan Manson reflects on what still needs to be changed to make the UK a truly democratic, secular state. Read More »
The seal of the confessional and child abuse: a religious privilege too far
Posted: Mon, 25 Jun 2018 by Richard Scorer
Some clerics want exemptions from reporting requirements on abuse when it's revealed in the confessional. Accommodating their demands would undermine efforts to tackle child abuse, says Richard Scorer.
The controversy over the seal of confessional in clerical... Read More »
A Christian theatre company promoted abstinence in my daughter’s school. It was worth challenging it
Posted: Mon, 25 Jun 2018 by A Parent
A parent says it was important to challenge a school's decision to invite a Christian charity to perform a show with a pro-abstinence message under the guise of sex education.
Recently I received a letter from my daughter's school (a local authority-run comprehensive... Read More »
The British people deserve better than the fawning over Michael Curry
Posted: Thu, 21 Jun 2018 by Chris Sloggett
As a poll shows public ambivalence to a much-hyped sermon at the royal wedding, Chris Sloggett says the fuss around Michael Curry has distracted from an opportunity to ask critical questions about religion's public role.
In March the Independent Inquiry into... Read More »
It’s worth knowing why more Muslims are leaving faith behind
Posted: Tue, 19 Jun 2018 by Fiyaz Mughal
A new book reveals a substantive movement of people choosing to leave Islam. Fiyaz Mughal, its co-editor, reflects on the stories it tells and the importance of mutual respect and empathy between Muslims and ex-Muslims.
I have worked with communities for over... Read More »
God, Guys and Guns. A review of The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Posted: Thu, 14 Jun 2018 by Emma Park
Emma Park on what Margaret Atwood's modern dystopian classic (and its TV adaptation) tells us about the relationship between theocracy, gender and self-identity.
The Handmaid's Tale is Margaret Atwood's contribution to the twentieth-century tradition of dystopian... Read More »
Bishop Rachel’s prejudiced thinking highlights the problem of state-sponsored religion
Posted: Wed, 13 Jun 2018 by Stephen Evans
The bishop of Gloucester is entitled to question whether atheists can truly have deep love or hope, writes Stephen Evans. But the state shouldn't indulge the view that the religious are morally superior to others.
The bishop of Gloucester drew criticism this... Read More »
Religion and politics – the discrepancy at the heart of our schools
Posted: Tue, 12 Jun 2018 by Alastair Lichten
Schools are forbidden from promoting, showing favouritism to or discriminating on the grounds of partisan politics. Alastair Lichten asks why partisan religious beliefs are treated so differently.
Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 (applying to... Read More »
Just how equal is marriage now?
Posted: Sun, 10 Jun 2018 by Megan Manson
After the NSS revealed the extra hassle and expense involved in arranging same-sex and non-religious weddings in England and Wales, Megan Manson calls for marriage to be made a civil affair in the eyes of the law.
The institution of marriage has radically transformed.... Read More »
New guidance on the right to withdraw from RE in Wales – response
Posted: Wed, 06 Jun 2018 by Alastair Lichten
New guidance on managing parents' right to withdraw their children from religious education in Wales is largely common sense, says Alastair Lichten. But it downplays the confessional nature of some RE teaching.
The right to withdraw from RE is a difficult area... Read More »
It shouldn’t be normal for pubs to conform to blasphemy codes
Posted: Wed, 06 Jun 2018 by Chris Sloggett
The brewer Greene King has taken the Saudi Arabian flag down from its World Cup displays after complaints from some Muslims that an Islamic symbol shouldn't be in a place which serves alcohol. Chris Sloggett responds.
Do you find the Saudi Arabian flag offensive?... Read More »
Section 28 was a shameful piece of legislation prompted by fake news
Posted: Wed, 23 May 2018 by Terry Sanderson
Thirty years after the government banned local authorities from 'promoting' homosexuality, Terry Sanderson reflects on the hysteria that prompted Section 28, the fear it caused and the backing religious fanatics gave it.
The struggle for gay rights in this... Read More »
The government's U-turn shows the tide is turning against faith schools
Posted: Fri, 18 May 2018 by Stephen Evans
The decision not to allow more faith-based admissions to new free schools in England is a big win, says Stephen Evans. But the expansion of faith schools is the wrong response to Britain's growing religious diversity.
The government's U-turn on its manifesto... Read More »
How secularism cuts the Gordian knot in education
Posted: Fri, 18 May 2018 by Megan Manson
Faith schools' approach to admissions and sex education reminds us that religious groups' interests often conflict with those of society. Megan Manson says the only answer to this is to separate education from religion.
When we tie religion and state together,... Read More »
We’ll all suffer if we let religion dictate how public servants do their jobs
Posted: Tue, 01 May 2018 by Chris Sloggett
Politicians have hung a coroner who stood up to religious groups out to dry, says Chris Sloggett. And they've revealed how foolish we are to indulge individualistic demands for state services to accommodate religion.
When Mary Hassell isn't appearing in court,... Read More »
Faith schools: why reducing the harm isn’t enough
Posted: Mon, 23 Apr 2018 by Alastair Lichten
We can mitigate the harm caused by faith schools in plenty of ways. But after the launch of the No More Faith Schools campaign, Alastair Lichten says the long-term battle is over the fact faith groups run schools at all.
I spent a lot of Friday reading though... Read More »
The row over right of withdrawal highlights the need to reform RE
Posted: Fri, 13 Apr 2018 by Stephen Evans
Teachers from the ATL union have voted to demand a clampdown on parents selectively withdrawing their children from RE. But Stephen Evans says the right to withdraw should only be scrapped once the subject is reformed.
A teaching union warned recently that... Read More »
Bishops must be accountable – and not just to themselves
Posted: Fri, 23 Mar 2018 by Richard Scorer
Abridged version of the winding-up speech by lawyer Richard Scorer of Slater and Gordon, also an NSS vice president, at the IICSA inquiry's hearings into the handling of child sexual abuse in the diocese of Chichester.
This has been the first opportunity for... Read More »
