In this week’s episode, Emma Park is joined by Chris Sloggett and Helen Nicholls to discuss whether BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day should still be exclusively for “speakers from the world’s major faiths”. John Humphrys, former presenter of the Today programme in which Thought for the Day is featured, recently criticised it as ‘discriminatory’.

Emma also speaks to Stephen Evans and Alastair Lichten about a consultation on the reform of sex and religious education launched by the Welsh government this month. Proposals include making both subjects compulsory for all children regardless of their parents’ beliefs; and changing their names, with sex education being replaced by ‘Relationships and Sexuality Education’, and RE by ‘Religions and Worldviews’.

Follow Emma on Twitter: @DrEmmaPark

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Z_Gey3ht8&feature=youtu.be

Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts

Notes

Reform Thought for the Day: the NSS’s position

https://www.secularism.org.uk/thought-for-the-day/

Thought for the Day – BBC Radio 4

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00szxv6

John Humphrys criticises Thought for the Day

https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2019/10/scrap-discriminatory-thought-for-the-day-says-former-presenter/

Welsh government considers ending the right to withdraw from RE and RSE: the NSS’s position

https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2019/10/welsh-government-considers-ending-right-to-withdraw-from-re-and-rse

‘Ensuring access to the full curriculum’: the Welsh government’s consultation

https://gov.wales/ensuring-access-full-curriculum

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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