Opinion
Women in NI should have the same abortion rights as other UK citizens
Other people's religious beliefs shouldn't be allowed to continue to thwart women's access to safe and accessible... Read More »
Ending compulsory worship in schools should be next on the agenda for Wales
Following major curriculum reforms in Wales, Alastair Lichten argues that the Senedd should now turn its attention... Read More »
Any serious counter-extremism strategy should consider religious charities
As a commission calls for action to tackle hateful extremism, Megan Manson says changes in the charity sector –... Read More »
Faith-based school admissions pave the way for sexist and unreasonable demands. It’s time to end them
An adjudicator's ruling has exposed the outrageous requirements a state-funded faith school places on pupils and their... Read More »
Joint campuses are a cop out in efforts to tackle sectarianism
As the Scottish government confirms funding for a new joint campus between a non-denominational school and a Catholic... Read More »
NI’s education review is a golden chance to take a stand for inclusion
Alastair Lichten says a review of education provision in Northern Ireland must be willing to challenge entrenched... Read More »
The evidence against faith schools is overwhelming
A comprehensive new bank of academic research shows how shaky the main arguments for faith schools are, say its authors... Read More »
Ireland's mother and baby homes scandal shows the necessity of separating church and state
The misery which women and children faced for decades highlights the damage that can be done when states leave religious... Read More »
Religious censorship is about ownership
Theocratic demands for censorship in India and Pakistan reflect attempts to grab power which undermine everyone's... Read More »
Christian nationalism is a key part of Trump’s legacy
As the US presidency changes hands, Alastair Lichten argues that understanding Christian nationalism is essential... Read More »
Our school – and community – were severely disadvantaged by our C of E status
Former headteacher John Mapperley says the school he ran was given a vastly reduced range of options when considering... Read More »
Religious conversion isn’t a charitable endeavour
Some registered charities exist primarily to convert members of one religion to another. Megan Manson says such activity... Read More »
"Being offended is the price we pay for living in a free society": NSS CEO talks to Charlie Hebdo
The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has been the target of terrorist attacks in 2011, 2015, and 2020. All... Read More »
The lockdown exemption for communal worship represents a dangerous double standard
With the country again plunged into a strict lockdown, Stephen Evans questions the rationale behind and wisdom of... Read More »
All I want for Christmas is freedom of and from religion
Opponents often erect a straw man of secularism to justify demands for religious privilege. But freedom of religion... Read More »
RE shouldn’t be a vehicle for the Church of England’s interests
A new study of a widely-used set of RE resources illustrates the way powerful groups control the subject to accommodate... Read More »
The Catholic Church’s dogma shouldn’t undermine sex education
The local council in the Outer Hebrides has endorsed Catholic Church resources on sex and relationships – with... Read More »
Religion is not a justification for discrimination
A shadow minister was wrong to say religious registrars should be able to opt out of providing same-sex marriages.... Read More »
Allowing religious discrimination in school admissions opens the door to other forms of discrimination
A state-funded faith school recently rejected a child because her mother isn't Jewish. This shows the absurdity of... Read More »
The state mustn’t allow children to die for their stated religious beliefs
The High Court is considering whether to allow a girl from a Jehovah's Witness community to refuse blood transfusions.... Read More »
The Catholic Church’s control over abortion policy has sparked a furious backlash in Poland
A ruling which effectively outlawed abortion in Poland has again highlighted the government's damagingly close relationship... Read More »
Why was the Church of England allowed to influence the direction of our local secular schools?
The church was given a key role on the board of our local multi-academy trust – even though there were no faith... Read More »
The onus should be on theocrats, not liberal democracies, to change
Liberal equivocation on whether to stand up to jihadist murder and Islamist intimidation is morally wrong, misguided... Read More »
Church and state should be separate
Ahead of the NSS's 2020 Bradlaugh Lecture on the subject, Stephen Evans says the disestablishment of the Church of... Read More »
Human rights should not be at the mercy of the pope’s pontifications
Amid widespread interest in the pope's views on same-sex civil unions, Megan Manson says states shouldn't allow themselves... Read More »
