Tag Archives: freedom from religion. secularism

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Ep 13: Religious appointees | Campaigning roundup



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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Ep 12: Circumcision | No Outsiders



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.


Ep 07: Geoffrey Robertson QC | Exploring religious freedom



Continuing our series of discussions exploring religious freedom, Alastair Lichten spoke with Geoffrey Robertson QC – the internationally renowned human rights barrister, academic, author and broadcaster and founder of Doughty Street Chambers.

This is part of a series of interviews leading up to our major conference in May, Secularism 2019: Reclaiming Religious Freedom: https://www.secularism.org.uk/2019

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOuTCTdEP3k&feature=youtu.be

Transcript: https://www.secularism.org.uk/uploads/geoffrey-robertson-qc-exploring-religious-freedom-episode-07.pdf

Links from Geoffrey

Rather His Own Man: In Court with Tyrants, Tarts and Troublemakers

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rather-His-Own-Man-Troublemakers/dp/1785903977/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528899019

The Justice Game

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Justice-Game-Geoffrey-Robertson/dp/0099581914/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528899019

The Case of the Pope: Vatican Accountability for Human Rights Abuse

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Case-Pope-Vatican-Accountability-Rights/dp/0241953847/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528899019

Find more reviews at https://www.secularism.org.uk/reviews

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


Ep 02: Rachel Laser | Exploring religious freedom



Continuing our series of discussions exploring religious freedom, Alastair Lichten spoke with Rachel Laser – head of Americans United for separation of church and state, and the keynote speaker at our upcoming conference Secularism 2019: Reclaiming Religious Freedom.

https://www.secularism.org.uk/2019

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Links to Rachel’s recommended reads:

 God and Government: Twenty-Five Years of Fighting for Equality, Secularism, and Freedom Of Conscience, by Rev. Barry Lynn

 The End of White Christian America, by Robert P Jones

 Seven Types of Atheism, by John Gray

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-and-renew.html


Ep 01: Stephen Evans | Exploring religious freedom



In the first of a series of discussions exploring religious freedom, Alastair Lichten spoke with Stephen Evans – chief executive of the National Secular Society. Stephen argues that religious freedom and secularism that allows people of different religions and beliefs can live together. In the interview Stephen explains the basis of religious freedom in human rights law and its limits.

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Links to the books/films that Stephen mentioned: