Tags: History
There is nothing new about cartoons which mock religion
Posted: Thu, 08 Apr 2021 by Bob Forder
Religious leaders have long feared irreverent drawings that could challenge their authority. We should remember that amid the latest effort to prevent the use of Muhammad cartoons, says Bob Forder. Read More »
It's not too late to fulfil George Holyoake's secularist vision
Posted: Thu, 30 Jul 2020 by Ray Argyle
With secularist principles under siege across much of the world, it's worth reconsidering the vision of the man who coined the term 'secularism' in the 19th century, says his biographer Ray Argyle. Read More »
Barbara Smoker’s remarkable life should inspire us all
Posted: Thu, 17 Jan 2019 by Helen Nicholls
Former NSS president Barbara Smoker's book My Godforsaken Life: Memoir of a Maverick reminds us of the value of ordinary people's principled activism and provides a link to secularists of the past, says Helen Nicholls. Read More »
Peterloo’s heroes represented the finest traditions of secular democracy
Posted: Fri, 23 Nov 2018 by Bob Forder
The film Peterloo is a reminder of the close links between the campaign for church-state separation and the push for a truly democratic society in the 19th century and beyond, writes Bob Forder.
Mike Leigh's keenly anticipated, ambitious and long film, Peterloo... Read More »
The House of Lords and religion
Posted: Fri, 12 Aug 2016 by Keith Porteous Wood
The Parliamentary recess provides welcome respite from the frenetic activity of the political battles being fought out in the chamber and corridors, allowing us to stand back and have a wry look at the institution itself, writes Keith Porteous Wood.
With the... Read More »
The gay community should recognise and oppose its chief oppressor
Posted: Tue, 17 May 2016 by Terry Sanderson
While people of all faiths and none have campaigned for and against LGBTQ rights, the merger of religious and state power has always been the greatest threat to LGBTQ rights around the world and turns bigotry into discrimination, argues NSS president Terry... Read More »
The surprising origin of Collective Worship in schools
Posted: Thu, 10 Mar 2016 by Ed Moore
Collective worship has its history in a murky compromise between politicians and the church dating back to the Second World War – and it is long since time the arcane requirement was removed, writes Ed Moore.
There is a growing consensus among educators,... 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 »
Remembrance Sunday should not be dominated by religion
Posted: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 by Dan Snow
Historian, broadcaster and NSS honorary associate Dan Snow on the need for an inclusive and secular remembrance ceremony that better reflects the society it serves.
It is one of the most important events of the year. I remember my dad taking me when I was a... Read More »
25 years: women working against fundamentalism in the UK
Posted: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 by Nira Yuval-Davis and Sukhwant DhaliwalI
An interview with Nira Yuval-Davis and Sukhwant Dhaliwal, co-editors of the new book telling the story of Women Against Fundamentalism, an organisation set up in 1989 by women of many faiths and none to work at the interface of feminism and anti-racism. The... Read More »
