Campaigns

Campaign to end the discriminatory practice of having prayers at Council meetings

Devon Humanists and the British Humanist Association have launched a national campaign to end prayers at Council meetings.

This has led to a lively discussion in the Western Morning News.

Read more

Darwin Day 2009

The year 2009 sees two major anniversaries relating to Charles Darwin, one of the greatest scientists that ever lived – his work on evolution through natural selection provided the foundation of much of modern biology. His 200th birthday falls on 12 February and on 24 November it will be 150 years since the publication of his book On the Origin of Species. The 12 February is celebrated throughout the world as Darwin Day

• Darwin 200 in Devon – a Devon Humanists website
• Darwin200 at the Natural History Museum
• Darwin200 at Plymouth and Torquay
• International Darwin Day
• The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

We encourage you to join us in celebrating Darwin's bicentenary and the 150th anniverary of the publication of one of the most influential books ever written.

Read more

Secularism

Devon Humanists advocate secularism in education and civil affairs. The case for secularism has been eloquently made by the Humanist Philosopher's Group in booklets available from The British Humanist Association:

• The Case for Secularism: a neutral state in an open society (BHA 2007)
• Religious Schools: the case against (BHA 2001)

A number of organisations campaign against the government's policy of encouraging the establishment of publicly funded religious schools:

• Education: addressing the real problem National Secular Society briefing (1.6MB pdf file)
• Briefing about faith schools Campaign for State Education (146kB pdf file).
• Accord, a new coalition to campaign for inclusive schools and an end to special arrangements for state funded religious schools. Members include The British Humanist Association, The Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Ekklesia, Hindu Academy, The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, The Socialist Education Association, and Women Against Fundamentalism.
• Uganda Humanist Schools Trust, supporting secular-humanist education in Uganda.

The Creation of a Just and Equitable Secular Society in Britain

The Council of the National Secular Society has adopted this secular charter (1.2MB pdf file, p16):

The National Secular Society seeks a society in which religion and the State are distinctly separated, and where Human Rights always take precedence over religious demands. We would like to see the following ten objectives incorporated into a written, secular constitution:

1. There should be no established state religion.
2. The state should not fund religious activities.
3. The state should not fund religious proselytising in any form and the provision of all services using public money should be religiously neutral.
4. The state should not prescribe, proscribe, or amend religious doctrine.
5. The state should not interfere in religious hierarchies, nor interfere in issues strictly related to membership.
6. No action by the state should have the primary effect of engaging in religious practice.
7. No state action should have the primary effect of restricting religious practice.
8. The state should not express any religious beliefs in any publication, speech or implement of state power such as currency, sworn testimony, oath of fealty to the state, or endorsements of national pride. The state should not imply any derivation of authority from any religious authority, nor should it express temporal supremacy in relation to religious belief or practice.
9. Political leaders should not express religious preferences in the course of their duties.
10. No religion or denomination should have the power to prescribe, proscribe, or amend civil or common law.

One Law for All

The One Law for All campaign, which is seeking legislation to curb the influence of sharia law in Britain, was launched at the House of Lords on International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2008. The campaign is supported by the National Secular Society, International Humanist and Ethical Union, British Humanist Association, the Councils of Ex-Muslims of many European countries, and by many individuals.