The idea of an opening ceremony for something like the Olympics seems fairly straight forward. You welcome the contestants, spectators and referees/umpires, you declare the event to have begun and then you let everyone sit back and enjoy the spectacle to come. The thing about sport is that it is an incredible visual spectacle and… Continue reading Imagine: The Paris Olympics and how a song and a ceremony offered the only message they could
Tag: secularism
Happy holidays?
In the run up to Christmas, there’s usually a bit of social media debate about whether or not Christmas as a Christian festival is gradually being cancelled. In the US, that takes the form of grumbles about the use of “Happy Holidays” instead of “merry Christmas”. I recently saw the argument made that we should… Continue reading Happy holidays?
On banning teaching children about religion until they are 18
You see all kinds of fascinating insights into society’s thinking on social media. Recently I saw a post on Threads (the Meta/Facebook alternative to Twitter) which argued that children should not be taught religion until they are 18. Specifically, they were observing that this is something China seeks to enforce and identifying it as a… Continue reading On banning teaching children about religion until they are 18
Where is the hope in secularism?
In a New Statesman article, Justin Welby is quoted as saying that: “Secularism is a crisis because where do people find their hope and their trust?” Stephen Evans objects to this on two grounds. First he argues that Welby has confused his vocabulary. Evans insists that “secularism” is “a political idea” and that Welby should… Continue reading Where is the hope in secularism?
Kate Forbes, the SNP and should politicians keep their religion private?
Kate Forbes has for some time been talked of as a potential successor to Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland. However, she has a problem, something that might hinder her progress, either barrign her from leadership or losing her the next major election. What is the skeleton in her closet? Is it a sex-scandal or a dodgy… Continue reading Kate Forbes, the SNP and should politicians keep their religion private?
The census results – is Britain a Christian country?
According to recent census reports, Christianity is now a minority in the UK. Those identifying as Christian has fallen below 50%. “Christians” are still the largest grouping at 46.2% with 37.2% describing themselves as having no religion at all and the rest being split between other significant faiths such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.… Continue reading The census results – is Britain a Christian country?
Why you shouldn’t get upset when the celebrity professor tweets
I’m going to make a prediction. At some point over this weekend a minor celebrity secularist, probably someone holding a professorship in the public communication of science or suchlike will tweet something mildly offensive and ignorant about Christians and the Gospel’s claims about Jesus’ death and resurrection. This will be followed by several responses from… Continue reading Why you shouldn’t get upset when the celebrity professor tweets
Are you ticking “not religious”?
Humanists UK are launching their every decade campaign for people to tick on the Census that they are not religious. The argument is that people tick to say they are Christian or whatever because they associate it with a cultural identity or their parents. The recognition that one is not born a Christian and cannot… Continue reading Are you ticking “not religious”?
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