Author Archives: Cornwall Humanists

Richy Thompson Visits Cornwall Humanists

Richy Thompson

Richy Thompson
director of Public Affairs and Policy for “Humanists UK”

Richy Thompson came to give a talk to Cornwall Humanists at their monthly meeting on 18th September.

Richy described six areas of “Humanists UK” activity, to a well-attended meeting.

  • Government Contacts – Speaking with central government in London, through contacts with civil servants and MPs. The all-party Humanist group of 100 MPs, led by Crispin Blunt, is very important.
  • Research – publicising relevant research and undertaking new research when necessary.
  • Campaigns – Encouraging members and supporters to advance campaigns for change, by writing to MPs, writing letters to newspapers,  and organising protests.
  • Media – Promoting the inclusion of a Humanist perspective in newspapers, television, and other public media.
  • Legal – Challenging illegal practices, and supporting individuals who are going to court to fight injustice, such as the refusal of assisted dying.
  • Advice – Helping people who are suffering from unfair discrimination in a faith school, or who are struggling with the imposition of Collective Worship.

What can we do in Cornwall?

Richy gave examples of what we could do locally, to advance Humanism.
We could attend the constituency surgery of our local MP to learn about their standpoint, and ask for their support in advancing Humanist ideals.

We can try to influence local decision making through our membership of SACRE, the body advising Cornwall Council on Religious Education.

We can make sure that our views are publicised in local newspapers, and heard on local radio and television.

 

 

Humanism should be added to Religious Education

Religion and Worldviews

(The Observer 9th September 2018)

The subject should be renamed Religion and Worldviews to equip young people with respect and empathy for different faiths and viewpoints, says the Commission on Religious Education in a report published on Sunday.

Content “must reflect the complex, diverse and plural nature of worldviews”, drawing from “a range of religious, philosophical, spiritual and other approaches to life, including different traditions within Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism, non-religious worldviews and concepts including humanism, secularism, atheism and agnosticism”.

The report was welcomed by the head teachers’ union, the Church of England and Humanists UK.

Read full report

Farewell to Peter Edmead

Farewell to Peter and Barbara

The photograph above shows a group of friends of Peter and Barbara Edmead at their home near Nancegollan. The friends met on 26th August to wish Peter and Barbara well as they move  to a smaller home near Weymouth.  Peter has been a very active member of Cornwall Humanists and has worked regularly as a hospital volunteer. He visits people who are in hospital, to talk with them, adding to the religious pastoral service, for the growing number of people who do not hold a religious belief.

We hope that you both enjoy your new home, and do keep in touch!

Cornwall Humanists – Cornwall Pride 2018

Above you can see the stall run by Cornwall Humanists at the Cornwall Pride 2018 event.
It was held at Killacourt, Newquay, a grassy area above Towan Beach, on Saturday 25th August. The weather was perfect with sunshine and a gentle breeze, showing off the rainbow costumes to best advantage.

Carrie and Peter ran the stall and had many people coming up close to try to recognise the photographs of well known supporters of Humanist ideas.  There were free lapel badges with messages, and the “Good without God” badges were all taken.

Peter and Carrie chatted with many people as they came along and were happy to hear the positive views of Humanism expressed by most visitors to our stall.

The atmosphere was friendly and joyous, with some amazing combinations of rainbow clothing on display.

Well worth attending with our stall next year.

Richy Thompson talk in September

Richy Thompson, Director of Public Affairs and Policy for Humanists UK will come to speak to the Cornwall Humanists Group on Tuesday 18th September.

The talk will be in the Fal Building of Truro College, starting at 7.30pm – everyone welcome!

Richy Thompson is Humanists UK’s Campaigns Manager and works on issues from across Humanists UK’s public policy remit. From May 2011 to February 2015 he was the Faith Schools and Education Campaigns Officer, and before that he was the President of the National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies. Richy is a member of the advisory group of the Sex Education Forum, on the steering groups of Voice for Choice, the Accord Coalition for inclusive education and the Fair Admissions Campaign, and a representative of Humanists UK at the Religious Education Council for England and Wales.

Read more about Richy Thompson

Faith is Fading in Europe

Report in the Economist –  March 2018

A study of religious attitudes and practice among Europe’s young adults, published a few days ago, found that faith was shrinking almost to vanishing point in several countries, although there was huge variation across the continent. Europe’s secularisation, reflecting a break-up of traditional communities and more materialist attitudes, is familiar to sociologists. But its impact is highlighted in recent numbers.

Among people aged 16 to 29, the Czech Republic showed the lowest level of piety, with 91% of that age group saying they had no religion. Similarly high levels of indifference to religion were found in Estonia (80%), Sweden (75%) and the Netherlands (72%). Majorities of young adults in Britain (70%) and France (64%) were equally untouched by organised faith.

Read the whole article

Moving on from Religion

Moving on from Religion

Clive West has started a Facebook group for people who want to move on from a religious view of life.

He says this group was created to support those who have left religious groups or are doubting if following a religion is for them anymore.

You can see the new Facebook Group here.

 

No Indoctrination – Head of OFSTED

Amanda Spielman
Amanda Spielman – Head of OFSTED

School leaders should promote “muscular liberalism”

The National Secular Society has welcomed a call from the head of education watchdog Ofsted for head teachers to confront religious extremists who “indoctrinate impressionable minds”.

In a speech at the Church of England Foundation for Education Leadership, Amanda Spielman told heads they had a responsibility to “tackle those who actively undermine fundamental British values or equalities law”.

Ms Spielman said school leaders should promote “a muscular liberalism” which “holds no truck for ideologies that want to close minds or narrow opportunity”. She contrasted this with “a passive liberalism that says ‘anything goes’ for fear of causing offence”.

Read More

New Survey on Religious Belief

Survey finds more than half UK population
has no religion –  Harriet Sherwood
Guardian – Monday 4th September 2017

British Social Attitudes survey shows generation gap on religious affiliation is widening with only 3% of adults under 24 describing themselves as Anglican

The survey found that 53% of all adults had no religious affiliation, up from 48% in 2015. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the

The Church of England is facing a catastrophic fall in the proportion of young adults who describe themselves as Anglican as data shows an acceleration towards a secular society.

For the first time, more than half the population say they have no religion, and the generation gap on religious affiliation is widening, according to the British Social Attitudes survey.

Only 3% of adults under 24 describe themselves as Anglican – fewer than the 5% who identify as Catholic. Almost three out of four 18- to 24-year-olds say they have no religion, a rise of nine percentage points since 2015.
Read the full article