Apologies for the lack of blogging to the people that missed me. Apologies for starting again to the people who didn't.
I have somewhere a letter asking me to renew my membership of the National Secular Society. The reasons I'm in two minds about doing so are nicely summed up over at Pickled Politics.
What is the point of involving the NSS in a debate about keeping religion out of state control if what they really want is something else? Terry Sanderson and the NSS not only misunderstand religion, they hate it. They should call themselves the National Atheists Society instead of getting confused and annoying those who want to bring about real change.
For me, the only type of secularism worth supporting is that which is synonymous with freedom of religion - the idea that the government has no right to interfere with the freedom of religious organisations, except where those organisations interfere with the freedom of the individual.
The NSS has done a lot of good in this direction, campaigning against compulsory worship in schools and against the EU declaring itself a Christian organisation. But, until it accepts the right of the individual to their religious beliefs and abandons its anti-theist tone, it's hard to see any real progress being made in the long run.
4 comments:
There is no religion which does not interfere - or attempt to - with the freedom of the individual. And not just their own flock: unbelievers are their prime targets.
...against the EU declaring itself a Christian organisation...
That's not hard, Matt, seeing as how they work for the other side.
unbelievers are their prime targets.
You can say that again. ;-)
Muwha ha ha ha!!! MUWAA HA HA HA!!!
Matt,
The secularist argues for equal legal status for all faiths and none. Accepting the right to express beliefs is absolutely not an acceptance that these beliefs are right.
Don't flipflop. Send in your membership fee and a donation to the NSS.
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