Call for Inclusive Remembrance Day

Leicester Secular Society is calling on the City Council and the Royal British Legion to end the central role of the Church of England in organizing, leading, and hosting Leicester's Remembrance Day events. There are two reasons for this:

1. Only 24% of Leicester's population is Christian (Census 2021)

   Today, Leicester is evenly balanced between Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Non-Believers. It is therefore inappropriate that any one religion should take the lead at civic events. This is especially the case since not all those killed in past conflicts were Christian. The death toll includes soldiers from India, Nepal etc as well as British Jews and Non-Believers.

2. The failure of the Church of England to apologise for the National Days of Prayer it organised during World War One.

   During the First World War, the Church of England acted as the primary ideological supporter of the British war effort. It encouraged enlistment and promoted national days of prayer called by the King. These were designed to bolster public resolve and beg for military victory. This contributed to the continuation of the war and further casualties. The Church has never apologised for this.

Some Secularists, like the former clergyman, John T. Lloyd, condemned the way in which both Christian sides (British and the German) justified the slaughter by claiming that God was on their side. He argued that millions of citizens praying for the survival of their loved ones or the destruction of their enemies was entirely useless, and was the ultimate proof of the futility of religious belief. He argued that national days of prayer were no different from the magical dances performed by tribal medicine men before going to battle. (Prayer: Its Origin, History, and Futility, 1916)

At the time, the Leicester Secular Society had no formal position on the war. Whilst some Society members were imprisoned as conscientious objectors, the factory owned by its ‘chairman’ produced artillery shells used on the Western Front. In consequence, the Society will be happy to join with the Church in making any necessary apologies. We should also make it clear that whilst the Leicester Secular Society is calling for a more inclusive approach to Remembrance Day, the churches and their congregations should be free to commemorate in whatever way they feel appropriate.

Ned Newitt (October 2026)
(Chair, Leicester Secular Society)
chair@leicestersecularsociety.org.uk

 

Appendix - What the Church said at the time

Pastoral letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury to be read in all churches on Sunday, June 6th 1915 

What is at stake is not only the honour of our plighted word but our safety and freedom, and the place entrusted to us among the nations of the earth. The spirit arrayed against us threatens the very foundations of civilised order in Christendom. It wields immense and ruthless power, it can only be decisively rolled back if we, for our part, concentrate the whole strength of body, mind, and soul which our nation and Empire holds.We solemnly call upon all members of the Church, and urge upon all our fellow citizens to meet with glad and unstinted response whatever demands of service or of sacrifice the Government decides to make.

The Prayer for the King's Forces written by the Bishop of London and distributed to troops, 1915-1916:

 Stretch forth thy hand, thou God of Hosts, and decide between us and our enemies; give us fortitude and courage to endure hardness as good soldiers, and crown our labours with victory; for Jesus Christ’s sake.

By Harry Mitchell - Own work, CC BY 4.0, Link