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David Warden
Jan 31, 20242 min read
Editor’s Welcome
Our main theme this month is religion – principally whether it's a force for good or evil – and our contributors have approached this in...
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Maggie Hall
Jan 31, 20241 min read
YouGov: one in three religious people in the UK think religion does more harm than good
A survey conducted by the University of Birmingham and YouGov explores the beliefs of religious, spiritual and non-religious people in...
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Emails to the Editor
Jan 31, 20242 min read
Readers’ Responses
From Barry Newman: A humanist response to Revd Richard Warden's article Not a Trojan Horse: the case for compulsory religious education...
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Mohit Palagiri
Jan 31, 20248 min read
Is religion an opiate?
By Mohit Palagiri Mohit is a keen student of global humanist history and democratic politics. In this article, he looks at the likely...
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Anthony Lewis
Jan 31, 20249 min read
When worldviews collide and make us do terrible things
All of us build a set of beliefs about reality based on our own personal lived experience which are deeply embedded and hugely consequential
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Maggie Hall
Jan 31, 20248 min read
If they all worship the same God, why don’t they get along?
By Maggie Hall Maggie is a former Chair of Brighton Humanists, a member of the Humanists UK Dialogue Network, and a Humanists UK School...
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John Coss
Jan 31, 20245 min read
John Shelby Spong – a humanistic bishop?
By John Coss John is Vice chair of Stockport Humanists. In this article, he reviews the life and work of Bishop Spong and how his ideas...
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Baluku Shafik Siriwayo
Jan 31, 20242 min read
The adverse effects of religion in Africa
By Baluku Shafik Siriwayo Shafik is a sixteen-year-old student at Isaac Newton High School, a humanist school in Kateera, near Masaka,...
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Alessia Ianucci
Jan 31, 20244 min read
Is religion the root of all evil?
By Alessia Iannucci The assertion that “religion is the root of all evil” is a stark and contentious claim. This essay aims to delve...
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David Warden
Jan 31, 20249 min read
Why are LGBTQ+ people struggling to survive in a UNHCR refugee camp?
By David Warden The image on the left is of 27-year old Campos Gambino – known as Bobby to his friends. He had to flee Uganda when he was...
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Barry Newman
Jan 31, 20245 min read
The Enkephalin Effect: how can humanism mimic the best bits of religion?
By Dr Barry Newman Barry, a retired intensive care consultant, is the humanist representative on the Dorset Standing Advisory Council for...
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Aaron the Humanist
Jan 31, 20242 min read
How come the internet has not yet killed religion?
By Aaron the Humanist Star Trek fan Aaron gazes heavenwards and wonders why, with the whole of human knowledge now widely accessible,...
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James Sharp
Jan 31, 20247 min read
View from a liberal Anglican vicar: the good, the bad and the ugly of religion
By Revd James Sharp James Sharp is an ordained Anglican priest in Bournemouth, UK. He regularly visits schools as a member of the Many...
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Penny Morgan
Jan 31, 20245 min read
Magic and ritual: why women are more superstitious than men
By Dr Penny Morgan As a scientist, Penny has dealt with empirical facts all her life. In this article she explores just what it is that...
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David Warden
Jan 31, 20247 min read
The dharmic religion of humanism
By David Warden David is Chair of Dorset Humanists and Humanist Advisor in the Bournemouth University and Arts University Bournemouth...
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John MacDiarmid
Jan 31, 20243 min read
Should atheists fear religion?
By John MacDiarmid John is a former Christian pastor and he lives in Poole on the south coast of England. In this article, he attempts to...
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Keith Hayward
Jan 31, 20247 min read
Freemasonry and humanism compared
By Keith Hayward Keith is a member of Farnham Humanists committee. He is a retired motor engineer and he currently runs a retail garden...
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Maggie Hall
Jan 31, 20244 min read
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water: What humanists can learn from Buddhism
By Dr Helen Skilton Helen is a Scientific Patent Advisor. She taught biomedical and health sciences for fifteen years. She is a...
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Jeremy Rodell
Jan 31, 20246 min read
Unprecedented times: why humanists engage in interfaith dialogue
By Jeremy Rodell Jeremy is Dialogue Officer at Humanists UK and Chair of South West London Humanists. In this article he argues that as...
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John Glazer
Jan 31, 20244 min read
Religion: the necessity of criticism
By John Glazer John is one of our regular guest writers and this month he explores the question of whether we are permitted to criticise...
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Aaron the Humanist
Jan 31, 20246 min read
When can children make their own decisions about religion and belief?
By Aaron the Humanist Aaron is our Layout Editor and a regular contributor. In this article, he asks at what age should a child be...
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George Askwith
Jan 31, 20244 min read
Faith to Faithless: the difficult process of leaving a high-control religion
By Dr George Askwith George is a member of Dorset Humanists committee and a volunteer for Faith to Faithless which is Humanists UK's...
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Stephen Evans
Jan 31, 20244 min read
Secularists do not wish to banish religion from the public square but they do insist on the separation of religion and state
By Stephen Evans Stephen Evans is Chief Executive of the National Secular Society in the UK and a regular media commentator on the role...
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