News and Opinion

The open letter of complaint sent to the Mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby, from the President of Leicester Secular Society, about the civic event celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela (which appears in the earlier Blog "Commemoration of Nelson Mandela in Leicester) stated: “We are very concerned indeed that you chose to endorse a commemorative event that is a religious affair, inevitably dividing us and reinforcing the privileges of the Church of England. Mandela advocated an inclusive and plural society free from discrimination, prejudice and privilege” The Leicester Mercury reported on this, together with comments from the Bishop of Leicester and Sir Peter Soulsby in its issue of 20/12/13 under the headline “Row over religious elements of Nelson Mandela memorial in Leicester”   and published an editorial which can be read  here under the headline “Leicester is not a secular city” Gush Bhumbra, President of Leicester Secular Society, has responde...

This issue has produced an article and comment in the Leicester Mercury . There have also been some letters on 20/12/13 and 25/12/13 . Following the death of Nelson Mandela an invitation to a “Thanksgiving for the Life & Legacy of Nelson Mandela” was issued by Leicester City Council, Leicester Cathedral, St Philip's Centre and Leicester Council of Faiths to be held on Saturday 14th December. The event consisted of a gathering at Nelson Mandela Park (with readings, singing and a Christian prayer), a procession to the Cathedral and a Church of England Service, where representatives of various faiths and beliefs made short statements paying homage to the life of Nelson Mandela. Whilst this attempt at an inclusive celebration of Mandela's life by the Church of England was to be welcomed, particularly as it had not always been so strongly supportive of him, it also incorporated the civic celebration of the life of Nelson Mandela. As such the event failed to involve othe...

Universities UK have published a guide for its member universities entitled " External speakers in higher education institutions " in which it advocates universities allowing the segregation of audiences by sex in order to meet the religious “requirements” of some speakers. Leicester Secular Society is opposed to such discrimination.  This policy is based on exactly the same grounds as used in the “ Separate but equal doctrine ” in United States constitutional law that justified racial segregation until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the apartheid regime of South Africa. In a university segregation by sex on the grounds of religion and belief is no more acceptable than such discrimination on the grounds of race or religion. Some religions may object to adherents sitting with others with different beliefs. Would it be acceptable to divide an audience in this way by religion or race? Human Rights relate to the individual and freedom of speech is not promoted in any way...

From Sense about Science - A quick note to let you know about two things happening this week: Today we’re launching a new edition of   ‘I’ve got nothing to lose by trying it’ , our guide to help weigh up claims about miracle cures and untested treatments on the internet and in advertising. We’ve worked with patients and medical charities and now captured more patient experiences and the ways you can get involved in research.  We’re trying to get this out as widely as possible, can you help by sending to your contacts? You can download the guide here:   http://bit.ly/194Rm4O . And this week the Ask for Evidence campaign is taking on dubious treatments:   http://bit.ly/1496q2W . You can get involved, share your experiences and read about what others are doing – starting with a guest blog on unproven cancer treatments from Cancer Research UK’s Dr Kat Arney:   http://bit.ly/180Y2lg .

Posted on behalf of Mike Burden: How timely it is that Leicester Secular Society welcomes Anne Marie Waters ( One Law for All ) to speak at Secular Hall next Sunday ( 28th April 6.30pm ), Having watched tonight's horrific Panorama on Shari'a Councils in Britain .  We need to know more. Where are the Shari'a councils in Leicester? Are they open to the public? Who are the judges? Who holds them to account? We need to know.  The terrible injustices and inequalities handed out to the women in the programme demolishes any idea that Islamic Law has any place in our Society.   Support Anne Marie, a brave woman, who is at the forefront in opposing this evil and inhumane form of 'justice'.

Posted on behalf of Mark Lucas ‘... nowhere in the Bible is the word democracy mentioned.   Ideally, when Christians meet, as Christians, to take counsel together their purpose is not (or should not be) to ascertain what is the mind of the majority but what is the mind of the Holy Spirit – something which may be quite different.’   M. Thatcher, 21st May 1988 So there we have it in a nutshell:   the thoughts of the Great Iron Female Leader.   Sod the majority (illegally if it was up to her).   She was not in Parliament because of democracy, but in spite of democracy.   She quickly lost the blessing of the majority, but that matters not one iota because she has ghosts on her side. As for that other pillar of the Church and the Party – the Family – the evidence shows us that she and her family were either unchristian, hypocritical (a mortal sin the last time I looked), or incompetent.   According to Prof. Bernard Crick, grocer daddy Roberts was ...

If you're a member or associated with one of Leicester's radical or community pressure groups you will probably have visited or held meetings in Secular Hall at 75 Humberstone Gate. Unfortunately this Grade II listed Victorian building doesn't any longer come up to the modern standards we'd expect, especially for an organisation as committed as Leicester Secular Society is to equality and diversity. We have no accessible toilet for disabled people, no hearing loop, and our kitchen is frankly a shambles. So we're raising funds for a mini-modernisation.  You can read more about it - and I hope, make a donation - from the project page on our website . Here are some extracts from the modernisation plan (click to enlarge): New accessible toilet for disabled people Refurbishing the Kitchen New st...

'What can people learn from Humanism?  Humour, love and respect for each other.  We all have so much in common' That's the title the Leicester Mercury placed above an interview piece about me and my work in the community as a non-religious celebrant and volunteer hospital chaplaincy visitor ( More Mercury, 9 Feb 2013, pp 10-11) . I couldn't find it on their website, so here it is: I was 8 years old when I decided that I didn’t believe in god.  I’d thought about it a lot, and worked out that it simply didn’t stack up.  It wasn’t a subject that was often spoken about at home.  My grandmother had an expectation that I attend Sunday School, which I did until I was 11.  I spoke to my mother about my atheism, who thought it was no big deal and that I should be allowed to make my own mind up about such matters.  It’s only in recent years that people have started to identify themselves by their religion.  We used to simply refer to each other as ‘...

Leicester’s need for civilised discourse on religion and belief A criminal prosecution was recently brought by Leicester’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) against a man who publicly demonstrated his opposition to religion by ripping up a Koran in public and throwing it to the ground. The case ended with a hung jury and a decision by the CPS not to pursue it further.   The failure of the jury to reach a verdict reveals a problem with the law.    Tearing up a holy book is not an effective way to take issue with religion but the right to free expression valued by jury members is so fundamental to our way of life that it must be protected even when its exercise involves bad taste or insult.    Many religions take it on themselves to seek to persuade people of other religions or of no religion to convert.   Dire consequences of failing to believe in this or that god are often cited in these attempts.   Likewise, atheists sometimes seek to e...

Posted on behalf of Peter Flack Teachers must be valued for what they do Teaching is an unusual job.   It involves taking responsibility for the education of other people's children.   It is also a daunting one.   You enter your classroom and are normally out-numbered 30 to 1.   You are expected to control and manage the class, ensure their safety, address their individual needs and at the same time stimulate and enthuse them about learning. To do so requires skill, knowledge and the ability to capture and retain the attention of children of varying abilities who may be ill-fed, tired, abused, or living in squalor.   To do so requires belief in what you are teaching, belief in the importance of learning and a huge amount of self-belief in your abilities as a communicator.   That is why morale is important.   If you lose that self-belief and start to doubt what you are doing then you cannot teach well. Despite the impression often given, te...