Tags: Charity
Any serious counter-extremism strategy should consider religious charities
Posted: Mon, 15 Mar 2021 by Megan Manson
As a commission calls for action to tackle hateful extremism, Megan Manson says changes in the charity sector – including legal reform – would be both helpful and compatible with fundamental liberal principles. Read More »
Religious conversion isn’t a charitable endeavour
Posted: Thu, 14 Jan 2021 by Megan Manson
Some registered charities exist primarily to convert members of one religion to another. Megan Manson says such activity is harmful to community cohesion – and shouldn't be treated as a valid charitable purpose. Read More »
Scotland says it wants to clamp down on hate. But its charity law helps to promote it
Posted: Thu, 21 May 2020 by Megan Manson
The Scottish government has published a bill that threatens to outlaw the expression of hateful ideas. But meanwhile religious groups who promote harmful ideology enjoy charitable status, says Megan Manson. Read More »
How charity law props up ‘gay conversion therapy’
Posted: Thu, 14 May 2020 by Megan Manson
As the NSS challenges the status of a Christian charity which pushes "change oriented therapy" for gay people, Megan Manson says charity law shouldn't help religious groups to engage in exploitative behaviour. Read More »
Charity and homophobia shouldn’t mix
Posted: Wed, 15 Apr 2020 by Megan Manson
The proliferation of religious charities openly expressing anti-LGBT views should prompt us to rethink religion's privileged position in charity law, says Megan Manson. Read More »
Charities can’t sell snake oil. Or can they?
Posted: Tue, 07 Apr 2020 by Megan Manson
If we want to protect vulnerable people from being duped into buying 'miracle cures' from religious charities we should start by reforming charity law, says Megan Manson. Read More »
Faith groups should practice without preaching when helping the vulnerable
Posted: Thu, 20 Feb 2020 by Megan Manson
As a report shows some religious groups are helping survivors of modern slavery without proselytising, Megan Manson says public sector bodies must ensure all organisations that provide services adopt similar policies. Read More »
Most new faith based charities do nothing but promote religion. Time to reform charity law
Posted: Tue, 19 Nov 2019 by Megan Manson
An Islamic organisation which condones extremist messages was among charities which registered on questionable grounds in October. The bar for religious groups to become charities is set too low, says Megan Manson. Read More »
Election 2019: pledges that should be in the parties’ manifestos
Posted: Tue, 05 Nov 2019 by Stephen Evans
As the UK's political parties consider their manifestos for the upcoming election, Stephen Evans outlines a series of secularist pledges they should include to advance freedom, fairness and equal citizenship. Read More »
Operation Christmas Child: Does its charity benefit the public?
Posted: Wed, 25 Sep 2019 by Megan Manson
Samaritan's Purse is again launching its Christmas shoebox scheme in parts of the UK. The harm done by Operation Christmas Child should prompt a rethink of this Evangelical group's charitable status, says Megan Manson. Read More »
Charity law shouldn't support infant genital cutting
Posted: Tue, 23 Jul 2019 by Megan Manson
The existence of religious charities that support and facilitate infant circumcision demonstrates the urgent need to reform charity law, argues Megan Manson. Read More »
The harm caused by Jehovah’s Witnesses shows charity law reform is urgently needed
Posted: Tue, 26 Mar 2019 by Lloyd Evans
The Jehovah's Witnesses organisation causes serious abuse and harm, says Lloyd Evans. Its charitable status should be revoked – and society should stop assuming religious organisations only have good intentions. Read More »
Religion and public benefit – why it’s time to rethink charity law
Posted: Fri, 22 Mar 2019 by Stephen Evans
An NSS report says 'the advancement of religion' should be removed as a charitable purpose. Stephen Evans says the law should align with public opinion and only support charities that deliver a genuine public benefit. Read More »
Why are harmful charities registered at all?
Posted: Fri, 12 Oct 2018 by Megan Manson
The revelation that Amazon funds extremist religious charities is the tip of the iceberg. Our charity system has deep problems, in part stemming from the presumption that religion is a public good, says Megan Manson.
On paper, it's hard to find fault with Amazon... Read More »
The questionable ethics of evangelical debt advice
Posted: Fri, 05 Oct 2018 by Stephen Evans
The good deeds of faith-based organisations shouldn't lead us to turn a blind eye to their more ethically dubious practices, argues Stephen Evans.
Personal debt in the UK has reached epic proportions. Millions of households are living beyond their means with... Read More »
Advice for parents wanting to give the evangelical Operation Christmas Child shoebox scheme a wide berth
Posted: Wed, 12 Oct 2016 by Alastair Lichten
Alastair Lichten looks at the ethical, educational and efficiency case against the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child shoebox scheme.
It gets earlier every year. Despite the unseasonable sunshine this September we've already started to receive the... Read More »
Did Christian charities really need twenty five years to complete a form?
Posted: Thu, 19 May 2016 by Ed Moore
A little known piece of legislation allows Christian charities to avoid complying with charity law. Who benefits, asks Ed Moore.
Becoming an official charity provides a non-profit organisation with substantial benefits, especially freedom from many forms of... Read More »
Operation Christmas Child: Christian fundamentalism, gift-wrapped
Posted: Thu, 12 Nov 2015 by Stephen Evans
The Operation Christmas Child 'shoebox' appeal is a front for a project to convert children in predominantly Muslim countries to literalist Christianity. Parents should give it a wide berth, argues Stephen Evans.
My heart sank this week when picking my daughter... Read More »
Churches, charity and the conferring of privilege
Posted: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 by Alistair McBay
There are many ways to do good, including campaigning for human rights and equality over discrimination and prejudice, but charitable work is not a bargaining chip for special privileges, argues Alistair McBay.
Recently some Christian leaders in Scotland angered... Read More »
Operation Christmas Child
Posted: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 by Alastair Lichten
Every year the National Secular Society is contacted by parents upset to discover that a festive charitable project in their children's school is unwittingly making them tools for evangelisation. Alastair Lichten looks at some of their concerns.
It seems to... Read More »
BBC poll shows that religious people give more to charity than non-religious. Maybe...
Posted: Sun, 08 Jun 2014 by Terry Sanderson
Here we go again – the BBC has commissioned a survey that apparently shows that religious people are more likely to give to charity than non-religious people.
If you look at the results, you see that the difference in charitable giving between believers... Read More »
Faith-based welfare – the push goes on
Posted: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 by Terry Sanderson
David Cameron's big society initiative could result in religion taking control of welfare provision, just as it did in Victorian times. Terry Sanderson warns against this and explains why the role of 'faith communities' should be limited and modest.
While sitting... Read More »
The Church of England should act now if it wants to save its hospital chaplaincy service
Posted: Tue, 06 Nov 2012 by Terry Sanderson
The following message appeared recently on the social networking site Gransnet:
"Went with a friend for her Chemo session. A chap who was a spiritual healer, wearing a chaplaincy badge, was approaching, one by one, everyone who was having chemo treatment, asking... Read More »
Enticing children to evangelism with toys: Samaritan’s Purse shoebox scheme.
Posted: Thu, 18 Oct 2012 by Rebecca Sharkey
Every year, in the run-up to Christmas, The National Secular Society receives numerous calls from concerned parents about Operation Christmas Child, run by the evangelical Samaritan's Purse organisation. Thousands of churches, schools and businesses across... 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 »
