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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A new Catholic primary school is about to be constructed in Hampton Water, Peterborough, despite local opposition. It will be the first state-funded Catholic school in England for a decade.
Full shownotes and subscriber information: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2021/06/ep-52/
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This episode is about Batley Grammar School’s decision to suspend and investigate a teacher for using a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad in an RE lesson on blasphemy.
Full shownotes and subscriber information: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2021/04/ep47
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Rerelease of Ep 07. Check out the full shownotes, video and transcript for this episode: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2019/04/geoffrey-robertson-qc-exploring-religious-freedom-episode-07
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Baroness Lynne Featherstone joins the podcast to discuss the tenth anniversary of the Equality Act 2010, the Act’s significance and the problems caused by continuing religious privilege, as covered in a recent NSS report.
Full show notes and subscriber information: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2020/10/ep36
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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 use a misinterpretation of the First Amendment to justify religious gatherings during the 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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-itavtk6Vv8
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
The Freedom From Religion Foundation: https://ffrf.org/
Andrew Seidel – attorney, activist and atheist: http://andrewlseidel.com/
Secular attitudes and laws are assets against coronavirus https://www.secularism.org.uk/opinion/2020/04/secular-attitudes-and-laws-are-assets-against-coronavirus
Why religious freedom stokes coronavirus protests in the U.S., but not Canada https://theconversation.com/why-religious-freedom-stokes-coronavirus-protests-in-the-u-s-but-not-canada-136557
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 Megan Manson about Operation Christmas Child, a programme that encourages schoolchildren and youth groups around the UK to send Christmas shoeboxes to children in developing countries. Those sending the shoeboxes may not be aware that they are being used as part of a conversion drive by an evangelical Christian charity, Samaritan’s Purse. The case raises the question of whether ‘the advancement of religion’ should still be a charitable purpose.
Emma then speaks to Alastair Lichten about the NSS’s revelation that 20,000 children have been assigned to faith schools in the state sector this year despite their parents opting for a non-faith school as their first choice.
The episode also features highlights from our 2019 Bradlaugh Lecture. Assistant head Andrew Moffat defended inclusive education in his talk ‘No Outsiders: Reclaiming Radical Ideas in Schools’.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIQHMg3_wsY&feature=youtu.be
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
Does Operation Christmas Child benefit the public?
Samaritan’s Purse Mission Statement
https://www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/who-we-are/
Charities Act 2011, section 3: List of charitable purposes
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/25/section/3
Complete videos of the NSS’s Bradlaugh Lectures
https://www.secularism.org.uk/bradlaugh-lecture.html/
20,000 children sent to faith schools against parental preferences in 2019
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 head of education Alastair Lichten about our new report Religious Reps: Unrepresentative, Unnecessary and Unjustified. The report makes the case for ending the requirement on all Scottish local authorities to include religious appointees on their education committees. They discussed the report’s findings and recommendations and next steps for the campaign.
Campaigns officer Megan Manson also joined to discuss work the NSS has been doing on vaccinations, blasphemy laws and Jewish schools which severely restrict their families’ private lives.
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlAIuFqIeF8&feature=youtu.be
Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts
Notes
End religious appointees on Scottish education committees, NSS says https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2019/08/end-religious-appointees-on-scottish-education-committees-nss-says
Public Health England changes vaccination advice after NSS lobbying https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2019/08/public-health-england-changes-vaccination-advice-after-nss-lobbying
Jewish school may severely restrict families’ IT use, says DfE https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2019/08/jewish-school-may-severely-restrict-families-it-use-says-dfe
NSS urges government to review its language on blasphemy laws https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2019/08/nss-urges-government-to-review-its-language-on-blasphemy-laws
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
Support the podcast, share with a friend and leave a five star review everywhere you can.
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