Author Archives: Cornwall Humanists

Equal Pastoral Care

New NHS obligation to provide equal pastoral care to non-religious in England

March 6th, 2015

With the publication today of new national guidance, NHS bodies in England will be obliged for the first time to provide pastoral support and care to non-religious people on the same basis as chaplaincy is provided to the religious.

Promoting Excellence in Pastoral, Spiritual & Religious Care marks a significant departure from previous guidance, which focussed solely on religious chaplaincy and the needs of the religious. It makes clear that NHS bodies in England must deliver appropriate pastoral care to the non-religious; it mandates the equal treatment of those with a religion and those without a religion in the receipt of pastoral care; and it makes clear that managers must ensure that a comprehensive service must be in place that meets the needs of the non-religious.

Read whole item from the British Humanist Association

State Funding Favours Religions

From the British Humanist Association

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has announced a £400,000 programme to ‘strengthen faith institutions’. The fund will be available only to bid-winning charities to support the growth of ‘places of worship’ in Britain. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has criticised the project as a poor use of public money and discriminatory.

Justifying its decision, the DCLG stated that ‘Faith communities make a vital contribution to national life: they guide the moral outlook of many, inspire great numbers of people to public service and provide help to those in need.’ Fitting with previous comments made by senior Government ministers, including the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles, the impetus for this enormous spending drive appears to be an unsupported belief that religious organisations and people do more good for local communities than non-religious ones, and so are more deserving of public funds. Continue reading →

Humanism a Religion?

John Langford

John Langford added this to Cornwall Humanists’  Facebook page on 1st December.

In a landmark decision last week, a federal judge in Oregon declared ‘secular humanism’ to be a religion, opining that those who profess to be atheists and secular humanists should be afforded equal protection rights under the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution and be allowed to enjoy the same liberties to practice religion that religious groups are able to enjoy.

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Remembrance Day

John LangfordREMEMBRANCE DAY – another perspective

This is the basis of an address I gave at a public meeting, hosted by the Penzance branch of the Society of Friends, at St John’s Hall, Penzance, on 11th November. It was severely cut back to fit into the five minutes allocated.

Before I start I must point out that I speak as a Humanist – not for Humanists.
And you will see I wear a red poppy out of respect for the past – a white poppy in of hope for the future.

In Australia, on the 25th April, they commemorate ANZAC day, The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps., suffered a tremendous loss of life in Gallipoli during the 1st WW. Eric Bogle, a Scotsman, who has spent most of his life in Australia, wrote a song called ‘And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda’. I challenge you to find it, listen to it, shed a tear, and reflect on the tragedy of war.

Tomorrow there will be a parade to the cenotaph. Men marching in uniform with all the pomp and ceremony they can muster. The atmosphere will be charged with ‘proud patriotism’. I find that inappropriate. Pride and Patriotism are two words that I have difficulty with. According to Aesop, I was brought up on Aesop, “Pride comes before a fall”. Continue reading →