Author: Stephen Evans
Government’s GCSE subject content review is another missed opportunity
Posted: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 by Stephen Evans
The Government's proposal to reform the religious studies GCSE subject content falls far short of what's really needed, argues Stephen Evans.
The Department for Education is currently consulting on its proposed subject content for religious studies GCSE and... Read More »
The Christmas nativity: Let it go! Let it go!
Posted: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 by Stephen Evans
After it this week emerged that some school nativity plays are losing their religion, Stephen Evans argues that schools should be free to innovate and have a bit of fun with their festive plays without po-faced nativity police telling them they can't.
Predictable... Read More »
Transport to faith schools: Local authorities shouldn't be subsidising religious segregation
Posted: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 by Stephen Evans
A "hideous form of discrimination" or the justifiable removal of a religious privilege? NSS campaigns manager Stephen Evans takes on Conservative MP Nigel Evans over the removal of transport subsidies to faith schools.
Last week, during Education Questions... Read More »
Sixth formers: You have the right to withdraw!
Posted: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 by Stephen Evans
Sixth form pupils can excuse themselves from acts of worship – but it appears some schools aren't so keen on recognising their students' rights to religious freedom.
Sixth form pupils over the age of sixteen have, since 2006, enjoyed the right to withdrawal... Read More »
Teachers shouldn’t be the victims of religious discrimination
Posted: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 by Stephen Evans
The degree to which we tolerate discrimination against teachers in state-funded faith schools would be totally unacceptable in almost all other areas of public life, argues Stephen Evans.
Parents with children at a primary school in East Sussex expressed outrage... Read More »
Principles of secularism and equality must be defended
Posted: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 by Stephen Evans
Attempts to erode equality and undermine secularist principles must be challenged, argues Stephen Evans.
Those seeking to preserve or carve out additional privileges for Christianity in the UK appear buoyed by news that the Equality and Human Rights Commission... Read More »
Ministerial role that promotes religion should have gone, not just the Minister
Posted: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 by Stephen Evans
As Eric Pickles takes over Baroness Warsi's ministerial responsibilities for promoting faith, Stephen Evans argues that the job should have gone, not just the minister.
In one of the more popular moves of her political career to date, Baroness Warsi this week... Read More »
Why the time has come to end compulsory worship in schools
Posted: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 by Stephen Evans
With the launch of a new petition calling on political parties to make the removal of the collective worship requirement part of their education policy, NSS campaigns manager Stephen Evans explains why the time has come to relieve schools of the obligation... Read More »
School chaplains: the Church of England's latest plan to evangelise in schools
Posted: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 by Stephen Evans
With the majority church schools now employing Christian chaplains, Stephen Evans questions whether public money intended for education should be used to fund the Church of England's missionary work.
A new study on school chaplaincy, published last week by... Read More »
‘Halal hysteria’: Religious exemption from animal welfare law is the real issue
Posted: Thu, 08 May 2014 by Stephen Evans
Food retailers should be upfront about what they're serving up, but the main issue is one of animal welfare, and the religious exemption that allows animals to be slaughtered without being stunned, argues Stephen Evans.
Halal again hit the headlines this week,... Read More »
Faith schools: whose education is it anyway?
Posted: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 by Stephen Evans
Education policy and practice should focus more on children's independent interests and building a shared society rather than pandering to religious groups motivated by self-preservation, argues NSS campaigns manager, Stephen Evans.
According to a comprehensive... Read More »
The Church of England’s unrelenting exploitation of the nation’s schools
Posted: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 by Stephen Evans
The Church of England's intention is clear. State funded schools will be regarded as churches – and serve as pulpits for evangelisation, argues Stephen Evans.
Parents and their children may have deserted the pews in droves – but that doesn't really... Read More »
Secularism seeks to balance everyone’s religious freedoms fairly. Why would anyone oppose that?
Posted: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 by Stephen Evans
Despite the claims of its critics, secularism protects the freedom of conscience for all citizens, and welcomes believers and non-believers into the public square on equal terms, argues Stephen Evans.
As the old idiom goes, throw enough mud and some of it will... Read More »
Evangelism in schools?
Posted: Fri, 11 Oct 2013 by Stephen Evans
A report published this week by the National Secular Society has shone a much needed spotlight on the activities of evangelical Christian organisations operating in our children's schools.
The report reveals a concerted effort from evangelical organisations... Read More »
Egyptians are in urgent need of the protection secularism can offer
Posted: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 by Stephen Evans
Earlier this week a ten year old child was shot dead as she walked home through the streets of Cairo on her way home from Bible study.
Jessi Boulus was the latest target of Islamist extremists who have targeted Egypt's Christian minority, holding them partly... Read More »
Why the Guides’ new Promise is something to be celebrated
Posted: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 by Stephen Evans
The reaction to the Girlguides decision to amend their promise has been greeted in some quarters as if it signals the end of the world.
Some Christian commentators have sought to portray this as yet another 'attack on Christianity'. It is of course nothing... Read More »
Woking: equal treatment vs. religious privilege
Posted: Wed, 05 Jun 2013 by Stephen Evans
This week, The National Secular Society launched legal action against Woking Borough Council over its policy of offering free parking to worshippers, while charging others.
Woking Borough Council, like Bideford Town Council before it, has come out fighting.... Read More »
Why are children being forced into faith schools?
Posted: Thu, 25 Apr 2013 by Stephen Evans
By Stephen Evans, Campaigns Manager, National Secular Society
When primary school places were allocated in England last week, around sixty thousand families missed out on their first choice of school. For some parents, this meant their children being placed... Read More »
Take part in the Scouts and Girl Guides consultations on the promise
Posted: Tue, 08 Jan 2013 by Stephen Evans
Despite describing themselves as "open and inclusive" organisations, both the Scouts and the Girl Guides currently insist that new members take a 'Promise' that includes a religious oath. However, this could all be about to change.
The Scouts have launched... Read More »
Census 2011: What has caused this massive flight from Christianity?
Posted: Tue, 11 Dec 2012 by Stephen Evans
So, now we have the census figures and, as expected, there has been a huge drop in the number of people declaring themselves Christian in Britain – from 72% to 59%. The rise in those declaring they have no religion has risen from 15% to 25%.
So what has... Read More »
Why won’t the Government get serious about caste discrimination?
Posted: Wed, 28 Nov 2012 by Stephen Evans
When the Equality Act was passed by parliament in 2010, it was hailed as a piece of landmark harmonising anti-discrimination legislation that embraced new discrimination strands and strengthened existing ones. One discrimination strand that didn't quite make... Read More »
An important lesson that politicians can learn from the American election
Posted: Wed, 07 Nov 2012 by Stephen Evans
"The Religious Right is dead" announced the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday morning after the defeat of the Republican Party in the US election.
The headline was over a blog by the paper's rather wacky blogs editor Damian Thompson, but Mr Thompson seems to be... Read More »
Time to rethink the Church's role in state education
Posted: Mon, 01 Oct 2012 by Stephen Evans
It's the same every year. No sooner have kids gone back to school than we notice a spike in calls to the office from parents concerned about the amount of religion being forced down their children's throats. This year it appears to be on the increase.
In March,... Read More »
Time to challenge the religious slaughter of animals
Posted: Fri, 07 Sep 2012 by Stephen Evans
Last week, the Birmingham Mail reported that Birmingham City Council's trading standards department had seized hundreds of chickens as part of an investigation into selling of meat wrongly labelled as halal to Muslims.
It turns out that some businesses had... Read More »
Faith based welfare looms as local authorities ask 'Big Society' to feed the poor
Posted: Wed, 29 Aug 2012 by Stephen Evans
As the UK economy stagnates, charity-run food banks are booming. But as most are run by churches and faith groups, secularists should be concerned about reports that local authorities are considering funding such initiatives.
Cuts next year to the social fund... Read More »
