Opinion
Religion and public benefit – why it’s time to rethink charity law
The NSS's latest report calls for 'the advancement of religion' to be removed as a charitable purpose. Stephen Evans... Read More »
Let’s face facts: FGM has something to do with religion
Politicians who insist female genital cutting has nothing to do with religion set a dangerous precedent that undermines... Read More »
Sudan deserves a secular democracy
As protesters demand the end of Sudan's Islamist regime, Nahla Mahmoud says a secular democracy is the only way to... Read More »
The government should stand up to parents who want religious opt-outs
Giving ground to religious groups' individualistic demands for opt-outs from relationships & sex education undermines... Read More »
The BMA’s genital cutting guidance is a disturbing departure from evidence-based, patient-centred policy making
The body which represents doctors has missed the opportunity to take a stand against medically unnecessary child circumcision... Read More »
IICSA's Ealing hearings showed the Catholic Church can't be trusted to police itself
An inquiry has highlighted the Catholic Church's lamentable failings over child abuse at an abbey and school in west... Read More »
21 steps the pope would take if he was committed to tackling child abuse
As the Catholic Church unveils another inadequate plan to tackle child abuse, this open letter from Keith Porteous... Read More »
Northern Ireland: where Protestants and Catholics don’t need to be Protestants or Catholics
Northern Ireland's equalities practices are furthering the harmful narrative that the country is made up of two communities... Read More »
Integrated communities require inclusive, secular schools
A government plan on integration sets out a positive vision on education - but faith schools remain the elephant in... Read More »
Religious dogma still clouds assisted dying debate
As the Royal College of Physicians consults its members over assisted dying, Stephen Evans says we should be aware... Read More »
Catholic abuse scandals: why self policing always fails
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has turned its attention to child sexual abuse at Ealing Abbey and... Read More »
A secular education system would mean community schools for all
The 1944 Education Act set many of the foundations of our education system. At the time the Church of England –... Read More »
Barbara Smoker’s remarkable life should inspire us all
Former NSS president Barbara Smoker's book My Godforsaken Life: Memoir of a Maverick reminds us of the value of ordinary... Read More »
Institutionalised prayer doesn't belong in parliament
As MPs launch a motion against parliamentary prayers, NSS CEO Stephen Evans says ending the anachronistic custom would... Read More »
The NHS’s pastoral support shouldn’t be based on religiosity
Moves to introduce humanist chaplaincy services in some NHS hospitals paper over the cracks in a discriminatory service,... Read More »
Defending one law for all is the only sustainable way to beat reactionaries of all stripes
As a ban on non-stun slaughter comes into force in northern Belgium, Chris Sloggett says there should be no religious... Read More »
Northern Ireland's children and families are paying the price of faith schools’ failure
Over the last five years schools in Northern Ireland have experienced a 10% funding cut. While the classroom population... Read More »
The pope's empty words and meaningless gestures won't tackle clerical abuse
One of the pope's Christmas messages urged clerical abusers to hand themselves in. Keith Porteous Wood asks how effective... Read More »
Weaponised unreasonableness: father claims school standards violate his rights
After a father threatens the government with legal action over a requirement to teach about LGBT people in independent... Read More »
Relativism is undermining liberalism from within
In her book Identity, Islam and the Twilight of Liberal Values, Terri Murray explores attacks on liberalism from the... Read More »
Students should be free to excuse themselves from worship
After two students pushed the Welsh government for a response to a petition to remove schools' obligation to hold... Read More »
My children’s school has become Christian by default
Lee Harris didn't choose a faith school for his children. But when he challenged evangelism at his local school, he... Read More »
Unravelling the choice delusion
We often hear that faith schools improve choice. But an NSS report shows that choice centred narratives mischaracterise... Read More »
The gatekeepers of public debate can’t patronise away anti-Muslim bigotry
A parliamentary group's proposal that the government define 'Islamophobia' is a misguided power grab, says Chris Sloggett.... Read More »
Peterloo’s heroes represented the finest traditions of secular democracy
The film Peterloo is a reminder of the close links between the campaign for church-state separation and the push for... Read More »