Row over council prayers continues to boil

NSS Newsline - 16 october 2009
jeudi 22 octobre 2009
par cilalp_2
popularité : 2%

Members of Kendal Town Council this week voted to move a prayer session it holds at the beginning of its meetings to five minutes before the meetings are due to start. The row had erupted about the prayers after atheist Councillor Enda Farrell, who represents the Far Cross ward and is a member of the National Secular Society, complained that the prayers could lead to some people feeling excluded.

When making his complaint to the council this summer, Coun Farrell said the prayers made non-participants "feel like second class citizens", he argued that he had joined a secular council and threatened to consider legal action under the Human Rights Act. However, other councillors claimed it was a "Christian Council" and the tradition of prayers was not exclusive.

At the meeting on Monday councillors rejected proposals to abandon saying prayers or switching to a reflective period of quiet in favour of continuing the prayers, only earlier – described by Kendal Mayor John Bateson as "status quo plus".

"We continue to look at ways of involving other faiths and have moved it to five minutes before the start, rather than at the beginning of the meeting, so that councillors who don’t wish to be there don’t have to be," said Coun Bateson. "It was a very good debate. The town itself is evolving and we want to make sure that we are in touch with how the town is changing."

However, Enda Farrell said he was "bitterly disappointed" by the resolution. He told the local paper : "My objection is that there are going to be prayer groups in the chamber where the council meetings are going to be held," he said. "I think that it is not good practice for other councillors to have to wait in the hallway waiting for the meeting to finish. I believe that if they want to pray they should do it on their way to the meeting or in a different room. As a secularist I believe that we should be representing everyone. We don’t need the blessing of somebody’s God before the meeting."

Coun Farrell said he was considering whether he wanted to remain as a councillor and also said he would explore legal challenges to the authority’s decision.


Brèves

Number of Catholic weddings falls dramatically

Tuesday 7 September

The number of Catholic weddings in the (US) Archdiocese of Boston – where the extent of the present child abuse scandal first became apparent – has plunged by over 55% in the past decade, from 8,343 in 2000 to 3,727 in 2009. Father Dennis Nason, who works in the Archdiocese, said: "They [Catholics] don’t go to church, so it doesn’t have any meaning to them. I feel sad about it. When they marry in the Church, having a relationship with God is going to help them in their marriage and when everything is not coming up roses." Catholic weddings in the United States in 1965 numbered 355,182. They rose until the early 1970s, but then started to fall, and by 1995 there were 292,499. The decline then steepened to a 35% drop in less than a decade and a half; so by 2008 they were only 191,265.

 
On the Web : NSS newsline

Armed forces consider deploying "humanist chaplains"

Tuesday 7 September

The Scotsman reports "military sources" as being "sympathetic" to the idea of establishing an organisation to represent the interests of non-religious servicemen and women. Non-believers in the forces, including a senior Scottish officer, hope the move will pave the way for the establishment of Humanist chaplains, who would offer support and consolation to those with no spiritual beliefs. Currently the forces have 280 uniformed Christian chaplains as well as a number of civilian equivalents who cater for the needs of Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist recruits. An MoD spokesman said: "We do not discriminate on the basis of religion or belief. We respect people’s religions and beliefs, unless they conflict with the Armed Forces’ Core Values and Standards, and if there was a formal approach to establish a Humanist organisation we would look on such a request sympathetically."

 
On the Web : NSS newsline

Coming out as atheist – John McCrirrick

Tuesday 7 September

The barmy betting guru John McCrirrick tells us on Channels Four’s own "Thought for the Day" slot that all religions should be done away with and replaced with football .

 

Darwin’s house and laboratory denied world heritage status – for now

Tuesday 7 September

Charles Darwin’s home, Down House in Kent, and the surrounding landscape where he carried out his great biological experiments, has been rejected, for the moment, as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Despite Down House’s huge international significance, UNESCO has so far chosen churches over Darwin. In 2000, the organisation gave joint world heritage status to three Canterbury churches, the Cathedral, the ruins of St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church. They remain the only places in Kent to have been given the honour. Officials from the World Heritage Committee recognised the strength of the case in terms of scientific discovery. Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said while it was disappointing for all those involved in the bid, he was pleased it could be looked at again and strengthened for re-nomination. "I’m pleased the committee has recognised the value of the site not only in terms of historical interest, but the celebration of achievements in science, paving the way for including a greater representation of the heritage of science and technology on the World Heritage List," he said. Darwin moved to the house in 1842 after his five-year journey around the world on HMS Beagle and rarely left the area until his death in 1882.

 
On the Web : NSS newsline

Notes on a meeting in Paris on 29 August 2010 between ILCAF, Internationaler Bund der Konfessionslosen und Atheisten e.V., Danish Atheist Society, Atheist Ireland with representatives of IHEU

Tuesday 31 August

Note from a meeting in Paris on 29 August 2010 at which the following were present:

Philippe Besson (International Liaison Committee of Atheists and Freethinkers) Catherine LeFur (International Liaison Committee of Atheists and Freethinkers) Roger Lepeix (International Liaison Committee of Atheists and Freethinkers, IHEU treasurer) Christian Eyschen (International Liaison Committee of Atheists and Freethinkers)

Andrew Copson (International Humanist and Ethical Union)

Rene Hartmann (Internationaler Bund der Konfessionslosen und Atheisten e.V.)

Stinus Lindgreen (Danish Atheist Society)

Michael Nugent (Atheist Ireland)

All concerned discussed and will continue discussions about how to best organize international atheist, freethought and humanist organizations, and to explore the ways for common campaigns to promote and defend separation of church and state and rationalism internationally.

All concerned specifically discussed (a) the proposed motion being discussed within AAI about AAI’s relationship with American Atheists; (b) the proposed new organisation for atheists and freethinkers being discussed within ILCAF; (c) how best everybody involved can work together on issues of common interest; (d) the relationship of all groups and potential groups with IHEU.

ILCAF board members stated their desire to prepare together the Oslo Convention in 2011.

The AAI representatives stated that they would be recommending, within AAI, that the vote about the AAI/AA merger be postponed as the matter is so fundamental that it needs proper reflection and discussion. Due to the complexities of this issue, no deadline for this process could be decided presently.

Andrew Copson stated IHEU’s desire to enter into discussions with the non-US affiliates of AAI with a view to find out what they looked for from an international organisation in the hope that they could be accommodated within IHEU if the US affiliates of AAI become one with AA. He made clear that negotiations would be open and frank and IHEU would wish to be flexible and accommodating in such negotiations.

FROM KEITH PORTEOUS WOOD, LONDON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SECULAR SOCIETY AND ILCAF BOARD MEMBER)

I am very sorry not to be with you today in person. I am working away here to make the Pope’s visit to the UK memorable, but perhaps not in the way he would like!

Could I send best wishes to our friends in Libre Pensee with whom we have had a fruitful and warm relationship for around ten years. And send my greetings to our guests from Denmark, Deutschland, Ireland and the UK.

It had been planned for me to speak with you by telephone, but as the discussion is running late, there is probably insufficient time, so I am writing this email instead. Unfortunately that means I will not be able to answer any questions, but if there are any they can be relayed back to me.

Could I say that I am delighted that AAI have expressed interest in joining ILCAF. One of the reasons I went to speak at AA’s Annual Convention at Easter this year in New Jersey was to support and build links with atheists in the USA. I was impressed by the enthusiasm and professionalism of many people there, and the progress being made.

Were AAI to join ILCAF it would seem to be a good fit for the mutual benefit of both organisations. If there is an ILCAF vote on that, it has my support.

It is good that this meeting is taking place with IHEU observers. I recall co-chairing a debate at the IHEU congress in Paris as to whether state neutrality was sufficient or whether complete separation was preferable. While perhaps not a majority, a significant proportion of delegates, like the NSS, passionately hold the latter view. So, given the vote on Education at the last general Assembly in Brussels, IHEU needs to demonstrate by its deeds – as I am sure it will – that:

1. IHEU continues to accept a plurality of views on neutrality and separation and encourage mutual respect between those holding divergent views 2. IHEU does not wish to impose the neutrality (majority) view on ILCAF or impede it in any way from flourishing within the IHEU family.

I conclude by thanking you and sending also the best wishes of my President, Terry Sanderson. Keith Porteous Wood