Tags: FoRB
Ep 60: Atheists in foxholes – religion and the army
Posted: Tue, 2nd Nov 2021
In an increasingly secular country, why does the British army retain its exclusively Christian practices?
There are many institutions in Britain whose entrenched Christian characteristics are out of step with the country's increasingly diverse and secularised population. Among these are the monarchy, the Church of England, and, closely linked to both, the armed forces.
In this episode, Emma Park speaks to Laurence Quinn, a civil servant and former lieutenant colonel in the Royal Engineers. During his career in the army, Laurence came to discover that he was not religious. He began to notice the institutionally Christian features of the army and their implicit exclusion of non-Christians like himself. Three of the most striking of these features concern chaplaincy, language and culture, and, above all, the services conducted by the army to remember fallen comrades.
Laurence talks to Emma about his own efforts to make the army's practices more secular and inclusive. He argues that its Christian characteristics no longer reflect the views of the majority of its members.
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Podcast produced by Emma Park for the National Secular Society (2021). All rights reserved.
Ep 58: Reforming marriage law
Posted: Tue, 5th Oct 2021
What's wrong with marriage law in England and Wales, and how can it be made fit for purpose in the twenty-first century?
In January, the Law Commission completed a consultation on the reform of weddings law. They are due to publish the results at the end of the year. In this episode, Emma Park is joined by three guests, who together discuss some of the main problems with the laws surrounding marriages and their consequences in England and Wales, and the ways in which they need to be reformed. These problems include the law's current focus on buildings and the assumption that a wedding ceremony (registry office aside) should involve some sort of religion or belief. Another important topic is the extent to which unregistered religious marriages in minority communities are exploited to give one party an unfair advantage.
Russell Sandberg, Professor of Law at Cardiff University, has recently published a book entitled Religion and Marriage Law: The Need for Reform. See his blog post on marriage law.
Pragna Patel is the founder of Southall Black Sisters, a non-for-profit, secular and inclusive organisation that supports the rights of Asian and African-Caribbean women in Britain. See her blog post on 'Shariafication by stealth'.
Philip Spicksley is an independent celebrant and Chair of the Wedding Celebrancy Commission, as well as President of the Association of Independent Celebrants.
The NSS campaigns for legally binding weddings to be equally open to all, regardless of religion or sexual orientation.
Watch this episode on YouTube | Direct MP3 Link | Transcripts
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Podcast produced by Emma Park for the National Secular Society (2021). All rights reserved.
Women Leaving Islam: the rights of those who leave religion must be protected - Opinion Out Loud Ep 008
Posted: Tue, 1st Jun 2021
The film Women Leaving Islam shows the risks facing those who stand up for the fundamental right to leave religion and the ongoing neglect of minorities within minorities in public life, says Helen Nicholls.
Ep 30: Religious freedom in China
Posted: Thu, 16th Jul 2020
On paper, the Chinese constitution permits 'normal religious activities'. In reality, if you try to practise your religion in China independently of the state, you risk prison and worse.
In this episode, Dr Sophie Richardson, China director of Human Rights Watch, speaks to Emma Park about freedom of religion and belief in China – or the lack of it.
They discuss the Chinese authorities' persecution of the Uighurs, the Turkic Muslim minority in the north-west, and the deliberate strategies that are being used to wipe out their culture. In Tibet, Sophie reveals how followers of the Dalai Lama are sentenced to years in prison, and how the Chinese authorities even keep spies in the monasteries. There are similar stories of the suppression of Christians and Falun Gong practitioners elsewhere in China.
The speakers also consider the feebleness of the international community's response to these human rights violations –– and the grim outlook for basic freedoms in the People's Republic.
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Notes
- China's religious persecution is a secularist issue
- China and Tibet – Human Rights Watch
- Why do Muslim states stay silent over China's abuse of the Uighurs?
Make a stand for freedom, fairness and human rights by adding your voice to the call for a secular democracy. Join the National Secular Society today.
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Image: Distribution of religions in China, Wikimedia
Ep 26: Hindutva with Gita Sahgal
Posted: Thu, 21st May 2020
In this episode, Emma Park speaks to Gita Sahgal, a human rights activist and honorary associate of the NSS, about secularism in India, and the threats it is facing from the Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) movement endorsed by Narendra Modi's government.
Modern India has been a secular state since its foundation in 1947. But since the first election of Modi's government in 2014, as Gita explains, Indian supporters of secularism, pluralism, and the rule of law have been targeted, silenced, and in some cases imprisoned or killed; and the coronavirus pandemic has been used as an opportunity to clamp down on them further.
Gita and Emma also consider how the ideology of Hindutva is bringing its version of Hinduism closer to a monotheistic religion, and how this reinforces its intolerant stance towards Indians who are not Hindus, in particular, the large Muslim minority. Finally, Gita discusses her current work with One Law For All, which is campaigning against sharia law and other religious laws in the UK.
Watch this episode on YouTube | Direct MP3 Link | Transcripts
Notes
Ep 25: American religious exceptionalism and Covid-19
Posted: Thu, 7th May 2020
This episode is about secularism in the USA, its basis in the American constitution, and its opposition by the religious right.
The NSS's Alastair Lichten interviews Andrew Seidel, an attorney at the Freedom From Religion Foundation. They discuss the narratives of religious exceptionalism and persecution propagated by some on the Christian right – and other tactics which they have used over many years to build up their political influence.
Andrew argues that the Christian right is using a misinterpretation of the first amendment to justify religious gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic. He also reveals what organisations like the FFRF are doing to challenge them.
Alastair is then joined by Emma Park to reflect on similarities and differences between the place of religion in the US and UK, and what British secularists can learn from organisations like the FFRF.
Watch this episode on YouTube | Direct MP3 Link | Transcripts
Notes
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