The unintended consequences of asking for more religion in schools

American comic creator Jennie Breeden of the Devil’s Panties webcomic (actually just an autobiographical comic, not as alarming as it sounds) makes some interesting observations about the consequences of asking for more religion in schools.

 

 

Don’t forget to vote this Thursday!

Democracy is not something to believe in or a place to hang your hat, but it’s something you do. You participate. If you stop doing it, democracy crumbles.
Abbie Hoffman, (1936-1989), American activist

The UK General Elections take place this Thursday, so if you’re registered to vote don’t forget to make time to do so.

You probably don’t need me to tell you why voting is important and why it is essential that you make sure that your opinion gets heard and that you have your say in how you want society to be run, but I do want to mention a few reasons why this election is significant for me as a woman.

• It is less than one hundred years since women were first entitled to vote. In 1918, the Representation of the People Act enfranchised all women over the age of 30 years to vote. In 1928, a renewed Representation of the People Act entitled women to suffrage on the same terms as men (at that time from aged 21 years).
• Women have been able to stand for election in the UK Parliament since 1918, but ninety-two years later women MPs are still a minority in Parliament. Before Parliament was dissolved on April 12th, only 19.5% of the MPs sitting in Westminster were women. This is far from representative of the UK population as a whole. There still needs to be a much greater increase of women’s participation in politics.
• Furthermore, as a female voter I am often targeted by politicians in a Kinder, Kirche and Küche paradigm, i.e. children, church and kitchen. This has been called ‘the Mumsnet election’ by some newspapers, but I resent being defined by biological and traditional roles. Parents can be people of any gender and women participate in all levels of society. Instead of talking down to me, why not simply show me your policies and I can make my own mind up?

With this in mind, I call upon all eligible voters to empower yourself and your society, and make sure you vote this Thursday. If you are still trying to decide who to vote for, there’s still time to look at the policies on offer.

• The British Humanist Society have produced an overview of the parties’ stances on various BHA policies as well as questions to ask your local candidates. Many other charities have produced similar documents.
• There are numerous websites which offer to match your views to the parties on offer after completing an online questionnaire. Such sites include Vote Match, Vote for Policies, Party Picker and Who should you vote for?
• You could choose to watch the Leaders’ Debates online. The last one on the economy is still available on iPlayer.
• Or you can read the party websites.
• I also recommend reading Christian blogger Cath’s account of why she won’t be voting for the Christian Party. An excellent reminder of why one should read the policies and think about how these apply to your views, rather than opting for token tribal allegiance.

Whichever way you decide to vote, make sure that you have your say in how you want society to be run and how you want to change the world for the better.

It’s that time of year again…

Before you berate me for hopeless romanticism or being a sucker for the marketing message, let me just clarify: it’s time for the London demonstration for a Secular Europe! For those unfamiliar with the event, I should explain that it isn’t an anti-religious march but a demonstration against the privileged access of religious groups to political institutions in Europe. It’s held in solidarity with demonstrators in Italy who protest each year against the undemocratic influence of the Vatican in Italian politics. I attended the demonstration last year and I shall be there again today. If you are interested in finding out more or coming along, a letter from the organisers is included below:

Humanist Symposium 47

Welcome to this almost solstice edition of the Humanist Symposium blog carnival! (Dec 21st is the Southern Solstice)

As this is the last symposium of this year, I thought I might take a brief look back. And what a year it has been! In January, the first buses took to the streets of London, UK, bearing the adverts that launched a worldwide movement. Atheist advertising campaigns sprang up all over the globe: the USA, Australia, Italy, Spain, Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland and New Zealand. In February, people across the world celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal work On the Origin of Species which presented his arguments for the theory of evolution by natural selection. In May, the world was introduced to Darwinius masillae, a.k.a. Ida, amidst a whirlwind of publicity. This 47 million year old fossil is thought to be a transitional form between the prosimian and simian primates, although this is still being debated. Finally, a recent NASA mission has found significant amounts of water on the moon. This raises the likelihood that bases could be built on the moon, facilitating future exploration of the solar system.

If all this isn’t enough excitement for you, then we have a bumper edition of the Humanist Symposium to keep entertained and informed over the holiday season.

A life well lived?

The film Synecdoche, New York has been released on DVD recently and I highly recommend it. I managed to catch the film while it was still on at cinemas and I was very impressed. Written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, who wrote Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, it is characteristically innovative and unusual. The film has polarised audiences and this doesn’t surprise me. Synecdoche, New York has a difficult theme and no clear resolution. Running throughout the tale of one man’s attempt to create his lifetime masterpiece is the context of death and the threat of obsolescence. It is a very powerful tale of human struggle and mortal frailty with the underlying questions: What has he done with his life? Was it a life worth living?