"No one has ever tried to persuade us of the merits of handing huge swathes of our schools over to the Christian religion. It has been done by stealth, by a Prime Minister whose Christianity is more to the fore than any PM since Lord Salisbury left office in 1902, but who would not have been able to persuade the electorate that it was a good thing to do, if he had done it openly. Almost two thirds of voters oppose plans to increase the number of religious schools." - Francis Beckett Schools for scoundrels

The modern secular world with its emphasis on science, rationality, liberalism, & common consent, is under attack from fundamentalists. This is most evident in the most powerful nation on earth, America where their Republican Party has become synonymous with religious extremism. Many of the countries policies are driven by backward religious dogmas. These are holding back possible life-saving medical research, damaging AIDS prevention programs & disrupting the teaching of basic science in state schools.

Here the problems have not yet become that bad; however, they could do if nothing is done. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the UK government under the leadership of Tony Blair has an unstated agenda to increase the influence & involvement of religious organisations in the running of our society. Many of these are associated with creationism & other forms of fundamentalism that seem to have crawled straight out of the Dark Ages.

Unlike the rest of the population, who input their views via the ballot box, these people seem to have a back door into government that seems permanently wide open. There has been no discussion or debate about the justification for such a policy & one result is that fundamentalist Christian groups are now taking control of state schools & exposing thousands of schoolchildren to their absurd religious views.

Two of the largest organisations opposing these growing problems are, The National Secular Society & the British Humanist Association. They do have some influence at a national level but their message is being largely ignored by a government that gives the impression that it would be happier running the Republican Party.

If you wish to help fight the growing menace of creationism then you should consider joining one of these organisations. For more information on these issues, see their websites:

Welcome Those of us who value reason, are becoming alarmed about the increasingly extreme religious influence in our government, our lawmakers, and our public institutions - especially in our education system. Many people, while standing up for freedom of religion, and freedom not to believe, feel that the proper place for religion is in the place of worship or home. They see the danger of religion becoming too politically ambitious.

The NSS is a rallying point for opposition to this religious resurgence. We must convince our politicians and public servants - as well as our friends, neighbours and colleagues - that our institutions and public life should be secular. A secular state should guarantee freedom of conscience, but eliminate religious privilege.

The only way to prevent the kind of religious power seeking that leads to conflict is to make both religious discrimination and religious privilege constitutionally impossible.

We need a secular constitution that will:

  • End the privileged input of religious bodies to policy making and law-making
  • Keep all public services free from religious control so that that they remain equally available to all on the same terms
  • Abolish the established church and all its privileges (including 26 bishops in the House of Lords)
  • Put an end to the divisiveness of publicly funded religious schools by making them open to all without discrimination on grounds of religion, or lack of it, and bringing them under local authority control
  • Abolish blasphemy and similar repressive laws, rather than extend them

Religious influence in Government has not been higher in living memory. The rise of fundamentalist religion of all shades has the potential to seriously erode hard-won freedoms.

Individually, we can only look on with mounting fear, but working together, we can make a difference. Join the fight for a truly secular society and join the National Secular Society today.

Keith Porteous Wood Executive Director

The BHA promotes Humanism and supports and represents people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs. The BHA:

  • campaigns for a secular society and an end to religious privilege
  • provides educational resources for schools, students and parents
  • provides humanist (non-religious) funerals, weddings and other ceremonies

If you are concerned about

  • the rise of fundamentalism
  • the growing influence of religious groups in politics
  • the segregation of children in religious and sectarian schools

You can help do something about it: