A ground-breaking case on the right to a pluralistic education in Northern Ireland is currently being considered by the High Court.
Full shownotes and subscriber information: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2021/12/ep-63
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Opinion Out Loud brings you a selection of the National Secular Society’s opinion pieces in audio format.
The Church of England’s new evangelical missional strategy should lead us to question its entitlement to proselytise in schools, argues Stephen Evans.
Read this original opinion piece: https://www.secularism.org.uk/opinion/2021/07/schools-arent-there-to-save-the-church
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This episode is about the place of religion in Britain today, both in society in general and in schools in particular. Emma Park interviews Linda Woodhead MBE, professor of religion at Lancaster University.
Full shownotes and subscriber information: https://www.secularism.org.uk/podcast/2021/03/ep-44-post-christian-britain-and-religion-in-schools
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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
Support the podcast, share with a friend and leave a five-star review everywhere you can.
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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
Welsh government considers ending the right to withdraw from RE and RSE: the NSS’s position
‘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
Support the podcast, share with a friend and leave a five star review everywhere you can.
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Continuing our series of discussions exploring religious freedom, Alastair Lichten spoke with Rudolf Eliott Lockhart (Rudi) CEO of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales.
This is part of a series of interviews leading up to our major conference in May, Secularism 2019: Reclaiming Religious Freedom secularism.org.uk/secularism-2019
Watch this episode on YouTube: youtu.be/cVE8vsffUOk
Transcript: secularism.org.uk/uploads/rudolf-eliott-lockhart—exploring-religious-freedom-episode-06.pdf
More information on the NSS work on RE reform: secularism.org.uk/21st-century-re-for-all
School resources (Exploring Secularism): exploringsecularism.org
Links from Rudi:
Commission on Religious Education: commissiononre.org.uk
Religious Education Council of England and Wales: religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk
Most Hated Woman in America: youtube.com/watch?v=qsAIPE2f0QQ
(Link from Alastair) Blame the Victim: A Review of ‘The Most Hated Woman in America’: patheos.com/blogs/nogodblog/2017/05/blame-the-victim-a-review-of-the-most-hated-woman-in-america
Hail Satan: youtube.com/watch?v=27RtJp-rhHk
Intolerance (D. W. Griffith): youtube.com/watch?v=vd6NPuhXUAo
Find more reviews at 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: secularism.org.uk/join
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