A spoof religion devised to mock creationism has attracted a global following. But what does ‘religion’ mean anyway?
With Derk Venema (03:20), Tanya Watkins (28:35), and Tony Meacham (43:17).
Full shownotes and subscriber information: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2021/08/ep-55
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In the final episode of 2020, Emma Park is joined by members of the NSS team to look back at an unusual year of campaigning and activities.
Full shownotes and subscriber information: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2020/12/ep-41
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What is the real meaning of Christmas in modern Britain, secular and multicultural as it is? Does the Christian tradition have a prerogative on its meaning, and if not, why not? And does anyone really get offended at the phrase ‘Merry Christmas’?
Full shownotes and subscriber information: secularism.org.uk/podcast/2020/11/ep-39
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In this episode, Emma Park speaks to Stephen Evans and Megan Manson from the NSS team about marriage law reform in England and Wales.
Show notes, transcript and supporter/subscriber information here: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2020/09/ep34
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Where do you draw the line between safeguarding people’s protected characteristics, and guarding their right to freedom of speech? The new Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill, introduced in April purports to protect groups defined by reference to protected characteristics, including ‘religion’ or ‘perceived religious affiliation’. But some have argued that the proposed legislation will chill free speech about religion.
In this episode, Emma Park is joined by Neil Barber, communications officer at the Edinburgh Secular Society, along with the NSS’s Stephen Evans, to give a detailed analysis of the language of the bill relating to offences of ‘stirring up hatred’. They argue the Bill is likely to make it all too easy to shut down valid debate about religion.
While the bill will abolish the common law offence of blasphemy against Christianity in Scotland, there are good reasons for thinking that the new statutory offences will simply be a multi-faith version of the former.
Follow Emma on Twitter: @DrEmmaPark
Browse all NSS podcasts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSlpdKk8m_g&feature=youtu.be
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
Help us protect free speech in Scotland: https://www.secularism.org.uk/free-expression/scottish-hate-crime-bill.html
Scotland’s new hate speech law will be too censorious: https://www.secularism.org.uk/opinion/2020/05/scotlands-new-hate-speech-law-will-be-too-censorious
Does Scotland’s justice minister realise the reach of his own hate crime bill? https://www.secularism.org.uk/opinion/2020/06/does-scotlands-justice-minister-realise-the-reach-of-his-own-hate-crime-bill
Minister to correct record on hate crime bill after NSS intervention: https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2020/06/minister-to-correct-record-on-hate-crime-bill-after-nss-intervention
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 https://www.secularism.org.uk/join
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How much progress will the Welsh government make with its proposed reforms to RE? In this episode, Emma Park speaks to Stephen Evans, CEO of the NSS, and Alastair Lichten, head of education, for an update.
Encouragingly the subject’s name is to be changed to ‘Religion, Values and Ethics’, to reflect a more pluralistic and critical approach. But the proposed abolition of parents’ right to withdraw their children is more concerning. Faith schools will still be able to teach RVE ‘in line with the tenets of their faith’, but will be obliged to offer a secular alternative if parents expressly choose it.
Do these proposals go far enough? And should religious education continue to be a separate subject that is compulsory for all students up until 16? Join Emma and her guests for comment and analysis.
Follow Emma on Twitter: @DrEmmaPark
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD2syE26heQ&feature=youtu.be
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
NSS response to RVE proposals in Wales: https://www.secularism.org.uk/21st-century-re-for-all/rve-wales.html
Will Wales lead the way in reforming RE? – Stephen Evans, 2 June 2020: https://medium.com/@stephen.evans_42820/will-wales-lead-the-way-in-reforming-re-415cf3049fa6
Should lessons on sex and religion take parents’ wishes into account? –– Emma Park, 12 March 2020: https://life.spectator.co.uk/articles/should-lessons-on-sex-and-religion-take-parents-wishes-into-account/
NSS podcast, Episode 17: RE in Wales: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2019/10/ep-17-thought-for-the-day-re-in-wales
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 https://www.secularism.org.uk/join
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In this week’s episode, Emma Park speaks to Josephine Macintosh, a solicitor and vice president of the National Secular Society, about her work representing the NSS at the United Nations.
Earlier this year, Josephine attended the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council at Geneva. She made submissions on behalf of the NSS on its objections to male circumcision, proposed reforms to Italian law to counter child abuse in the Catholic Church, and the need for the UK to legislate explicitly against caste discrimination.
She discusses the content of these submissions, the process of presenting them at the UN and lobbying for support, and why it’s vital for the NSS to be represented at international level. She also talks about the constraints that the coronavirus is likely to place on the UN’s human rights work.
Follow Emma on Twitter: @DrEmmaPark
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zdfQeKP8Tj8
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session43/Pages/43RegularSession.aspx
Protect all children from ritual genital cutting, NSS tells UN
NSS raises Italy’s response to child abuse in Catholic Church at UN
The Vatican Is Talking About Clerical Abuse, but Italy Isn’t – New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/world/europe/italy-catholic-church-pope-francis-abuse.html
Outlaw caste discrimination
https://www.secularism.org.uk/outlaw-caste-discrimination/
NSS urges UN to push government to pass law on caste discrimination
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
https://www.secularism.org.uk/join
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This week, Emma Park is joined by Stephen Evans and Chris Sloggett for a general election special. During the campaign the NSS is calling on parties to adopt 11 secularist pledges on subjects such as education and free speech. But which of these are on the parties’ agendas? Will any of them make it onto the statute book any time soon? And is religion stifling political debate? Join Stephen, Chris and Emma for comment and analysis.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7mwTBwyy6Xo
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
Election 2019: a secularist manifesto
https://www.secularism.org.uk/election-2019.html
Don’t let religious sectarianism tear our democracy apart
The definition of ‘Islamophobia’ and its criticisms
Angela Rayner on Twitter: “I’ve never put our faith schools at risk and never will.”
https://twitter.com/AngelaRayner/status/1196856260186066944
Labour’s ‘race and faith manifesto’
https://action.labour.org.uk/page/-/party-documents/Race%20&%20Faith%20Manifesto%202017.pdf
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 https://www.secularism.org.uk/join
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Emma Park speaks to Stephen Evans, CEO of the NSS and Chris Sloggett, communications officer, about the NSS’s opposition to a definition of ‘Islamophobia’ which was proposed by a parliamentary group in November 2018.
Chris and NSS campaigns officer Megan Manson also join Emma to discuss two recent rows relating to infant circumcision.
Megan highlights a court case in which a Nigerian Christian woman, Martina Obi-Uzom, was given a suspended sentence for having an infant boy circumcised without his mother’s consent. And Chris discusses a speech by the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, in which he asked secularists and Humanists to stop campaigning against faith schools and infant circumcision.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U28virLevfM&feature=youtu.be
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
The NSS’s criticism of the APPG’s definition of Islamophobia
https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2019/05/islamophobia-definition-unfit-for-purpose-say-campaigners
Concerns that the definition of Islamophobia would have a chilling effect on free speech
The NSS’s position on anti-Muslim bigotry
https://www.secularism.org.uk/hate-speech/position-statement-on-anti-musli.html/
Islamophobia Defined – the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims
Islamophobia: An Anthology of Concerns – essays critical of the APPG’s definition collected by Civitas, including one by the NSS
https://www.civitas.org.uk/publications/islamophobia/
The NSS’s concerns over the lenient sentencing of Martina Obi-Uzom in the forced circumcision case
The NSS’s response to Chief Rabbi Mirvis’s request that secularists stop campaigning against religious privileges
The speech by Chief Rabbi Mirvis
https://www.facebook.com/ChiefRabbiMirvis/posts/2303906899738431
Forthcoming NSS events
https://www.secularism.org.uk/events.html
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 https://www.secularism.org.uk/join
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Chris Sloggett spoke to NSS chief executive Stephen Evans and campaigns officer Megan Manson about the recent BBC documentary ‘A cut too far?’ and the ethics of ritual infant male circumcision. Did the documentary go far enough and is the tide turning against this abusive practice? Also in this episode our head of education Alastair Lichten spoke with Andrew Moffat, creator of the inclusive education resource ‘No Outsiders’ and speaker at our upcoming Bradlaugh Lecture.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jKa0ED12Y8&feature=youtu.be
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
Bradlaugh Lecture 2019 | No Outsiders: Reclaiming Radical Ideas in Schools https://www.secularism.org.uk/no-outsiders.html
End non-consensual religious surgery https://www.secularism.org.uk/religious-surgery/
A Cut Too Far? Male Circumcision https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006wj8
Male circumcision needs to be seen as barbaric and unnecessary – just like female genital mutilation https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/male-circumcision-fgm-baby-child-abuse-body-rights-medical-hygiene-a9011896.html
Let’s face facts: FGM has something to do with religion https://www.secularism.org.uk/opinion/2019/03/lets-face-facts-genital-cutting-has-something-to-do-with-religion/
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 https://www.secularism.org.uk/join
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