Newsline


www.secularism.org.uk

Have you renewed your subscription yet? Please remember that the NSS is completely dependent on the support of its members to continue working towards a secular society. This is a crucial moment in the battle and we hope you will stay with us in order to push back the encroaching influence of religion into all aspects of our lives. You can renew online at www.secularism.org.uk or send a cheque to NSS, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. We hope you'll stick with us ��� and encourage others to join, too. If you joined after September last year, your subscription will be good until next January. 

12 February 2010

 

 

 

In this week's Newsline
Quotes of the week
Essays of the week
STOP PRESS: BA cross woman loses appeal
Government says it will fund "elements" of the Pope's visit ��� but how much?
Self-serving hospital chaplains seek to save their own skins in hospital cuts
Muslim police? Christian doctors? Sikh judges? What happened to neutrality in the delivery of public services?
School becomes a religious battleground
Atheism doesn't have the disadvantages that religious groups claim
Keith challenges caste discrimination
Imam who didn't know it was wrong to beat up kids is jailed
Pope's half-hearted apology upsets child abuse support groups
Let the Vatican know the you don't appreciate its political interference
Malta's Labour party promises a secular state if elected
Help promote secularism ��� join our Stop Council Prayers campaign
Anglicanism all but extinct in Canada
Take the Moral Sense Test
NSS Speaks Out
Letters to Newsline
Events

Quotes of the week 
"The Pope and the Archbishop have every right to voice their political views. You might say it's part of their contract. On the other hand, politics has no obligation to regard them."
(E. Jane Dickson, Independent)

"Where [Cherie Blair] is mistaken is to assume that religious people necessarily follow the teaching of their particular faith. She need look no further than her husband and fellow Catholic Tony to see someone who appears to have no awareness of all that he has done wrong and announced that he would do it all again if he had the chance."
(Richard Ingrams, Independent)

"The days are gone when the church could expect unquestioning obedience. Its Irish members now are educated and sceptical, as well as devastated by the sex abuse disclosures."
(Editorial, Irish Independent)

Essays of the Week 
Every prime minister since the sixties has been a professed Christian. Why?
(Antonio Weiss, Guardian)

Should religion be an excuse for carrying daggers?
(Rebecca Roache, BBC)

A religious but not a righteous judge: Cherie Blair
(AC Grayling, Richard Dawkins.net)

STOP PRESS: BA cross woman loses appeal
Nadia Eweida, the woman who sued British Airways for not allowing her to wear a cross over her uniform, has lost her appeal in the High Court. Ms Eweida had taken the airline to an Employment Tribunal claiming religious discrimination, but lost that case. She has lost each subsequent appeal, the latest of which was supported by the human rights group Liberty. Liberty is now considering appealing the case to the Supreme Court.

Carla Revere, a barrister and vice president of the National Secular Society, said: ���At the moment employers are walking on eggshells in many areas which involve religion at work. We hope that this judgment will help them feel more confident in setting their employment policies in relation to dress codes and other religious requirements.���
More information

Government says it will fund "elements" of the Pope's visit ��� but how much?
In response to a parliamentary question about whether the Pope's trip to Britain will be regarded as a state visit and how much the taxpayer will be expected to pay, the Government replied: "The forthcoming visit of the Pope to the UK will be a Papal visit. As a Papal visit it will have status equivalent to a State Visit. The costs of the visit have not yet been determined; as with State Visits, certain elements will be borne by public funds."

Meanwhile, the NSS's "Make the Pope Pay" petition has now attracted more than 20,000 signatures and is still rising. Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said: "The tremendous success of the petition indicates the large reservoir of resentment in this country at the prospect of spending millions of pounds on a "state visit" that will be entirely religious or pastoral in character. This visit will consist in the main of masses and the beatification of Cardinal Newman. A state visit usually has some benefit for the host country in the way of trade or better relations. There are no such benefits for Britain from this visit, and therefore the Catholic Church should pick up the tab."

A five-day visit by the Pope to Australia in 2008 cost the country over A$200 million (��114 million). Other state visits within Europe have also cost eye-popping sums .

If you haven't signed the petition yet, please do so now .

Self-serving hospital chaplains seek to save their own skins in hospital cuts
In an effort to save themselves from imminent hospital cuts, health service chaplains are being told to demonstrate their worth.

The president of the College of Health Care Chaplains, Mark Stobart, told the Church Times: "We are preparing to send advice to members next week. Sound advice would be to ensure record-keeping in a professional context so there is evidence of what we do as chaplains. We will then be able to show that we are an essential component of health care. In that way, chaplains may be able to save themselves... there will be cuts across the board and chaplains can often be seen as a soft target. But in times of deep anxiety, you need chaplains even more."

One major NHS hospital trust recently estimated that it would have to find the equivalent of 12 per cent cuts in spending.

Dennis Penaluna, the NSS member who co-ordinated the research last year that revealed hospital chaplains cost the National Health Service in the region of ��42 million a year, said: "The arrogance of this NHS closed-shop is way beyond breathtaking. According to one survey, hospital chaplains spend 80% of their time, 'talking', so record keeping shouldn't be too much of a problem for them. I just hope that they will keep very accurate records to make their case ��� and make them available for public scrutiny. In any case, I'd like them to tell the rest of us which NHS service they think should be slashed instead of chaplains. No doubt it'll be something useful and productive, like, cleaners, nurses or radiographers." 

Muslim police? Christian doctors? Sikh judges? What happened to neutrality in the delivery of public services?
Editorial by Terry Sanderson
Last week we took exception to Cherie Blair apparently treating a defendant in her court differently because he was "a religious man". That was bad enough, but as far we know, Mrs Blair does not refer to herself as a "Christian judge" or even a "Catholic judge" but just "a judge" ��� which is a point in her favour.

Last week there was a controversy over the Sikh ceremonial dagger, the Kirpan, which a retired judge had argued should be permitted in schools and other buildings with high security.

Sir Mota Singh QC was referred to repeatedly in the media as a "retired Sikh judge". But surely he was a retired judge who was a Sikh? This new convention of putting a religious adjective before occupations that should be neutral is worrying.

Now we have "Hindu police" and "Christian doctors" and "Muslim scouts" and "Catholic teachers". In all these instances, surely the religion of the person being referred to should be of secondary importance. Instead it appears to be the primary definer. Doesn't anyone see the danger of encouraging "Muslim police officers" rather than simply "police officers"? How, for instance, will people in the Jewish community react to officers who want to define themselves as "Muslim police" and vice versa? See here for an instance of it. How will "Sikh police officers" deal with Hindus when we know there is a history of conflict between their communities?

Last week also saw the formation of the first "Muslim scout troop" in Bradford. There were celebrations among the local mosque community, but to us it is not something to be cheered, it's really quite tragic. Not only are children from Muslim backgrounds being encouraged by the Government to go to separatist schools, they are now being kept away from the majority population in "Muslim" scout troops. How on earth are they ever going to feel part of this country when they are kept almost entirely apart from it? Segregation is bad enough as it is.

Similarly, "Christian doctors" are now demanding that they be given the right to treat their patients differently on the basis of religion. "Christian pharmacists" don't want to dispense contraception; "Muslim check out" persons don't want to handle pork or alcohol; "Christian registrars" don't want to carry out civil partnerships for gay people.

It is time this was stopped. If people who work in a public service are to provide that service without fear or favour, it must be made clear to them that, when carrying out their professional duties, their religion must be secondary. And if they say it can't be, then they should find another job.

All sectarian organisations set up within public services, whether it is Muslim Police or Christian Doctors or Sikh judges or Quaker civil servants should be dismantled immediately. Hospitals, courts, schools, the police, local authorities and Government and its departments, should be secular for all our sakes. 

School becomes a religious battleground
An employment tribunal case being heard this week illustrated just how serious an issue religious bigotry is becoming in schools.

Nicholas Kafouris, who claims he was forced out of his job at Bigland Green Primary School in east London, was accused by one parent of believing that "Christianity is better than Islam". She said he had made an "insulting" remark about her daughter wearing a headscarf in class. 

According to Betsan Criddle, representing the school and Tower Hamlets local education authority, a parent had complained that Mr Kafouris told her daughter "she was wearing a headscarf for no reason" during a lesson.

The parent said Mr Kafouris claimed her daughter had misbehaved in class.

When the woman asked her daughter about it, the girl seemed upset and was initially reluctant to talk but later said Mr Kafouris had made the remark about her headscarf. A statement from the parent said she believed Mr Kafouris promoted "Christianity as better than Islam" and she complained to the school.

Mr Kafouris denied making the remark about the headscarf and added it would make "no sense" for him to have said it. He claims the school failed to back him when he reprimanded Muslim pupils who made offensive remarks about other races and religions.

In his witness statement, Mr Kafouris claimed that Muslim children had made remarks like "we hate the Jews", "we hate the Christians" and had spoken of the September 11 bombers as "heroes and martyrs". Some had spoken of wanting to be "Islamic bombers when we grow up", he said.

Mr Kafouris today said complaints against him were made after he reported racist incidents to the school authorities.

But Ms Criddle said Mr Kafouris's employment records showed his teaching had been criticised from as early as 2001 when assessments spoke of poor management of his classes. 

Mr Kafouris sought medical help for work-related stress and anxiety in February 2007 and remained off work due to illness until he was dismissed in April last year. He claims the school's handling of his case contributed to the stress-related illness which led to his dismissal. Mr Kafouris submitted several letters from former pupils to the hearing which spoke of his respect for other religions, including Islam.

The teacher, who said he came from a Greek Orthodox background, is claiming he was the victim of racial and religious discrimination. His complaint names the school's headteacher Jill Hankey and assistant headteacher Margaret Coleman, who he said condoned and upheld the discrimination by failing to tackle the children who made offensive remarks. "If they don't challenge it, of course they are liable," he said.

Mr Kafouris was asked if he thought remarks made by a child should be treated the same way as those made by a 53-year-old teacher. "This nine-year-old should know right from wrong," he said.

Mr Kafouris said Ms Coleman had undermined him in front of a class when he tackled a child who made offensive remarks about Jewish people during a lesson she observed.

Ms Criddle said Ms Coleman was also a Christian and showed her faith by wearing a cross but Mr Kafouris said her behaviour was not that of a Christian. Ms Criddle quoted from a medical assessment of Mr Kafouris which in November 2008 said he had "paranoid thoughts" about the school. Mr Kafouris denied he was paranoid and added: "They are obviously out to get me."

An Ofsted inspection of Bigland Green Primary School last year said it had around 465 pupils and "almost all" were from minority ethnic groups and spoke English as an additional language. The school, which was assessed as "good", was praised for promoting community cohesion although inspectors said pupils did not have sufficient opportunities to work with pupils from different ethnic and faith backgrounds.

See also:
School ignored racist pupils, former teacher claims
Oxford Islamic students shout "Slaughter the Jews" at Union speaker
Why college authorities daren't displease their Islamist students
"Faith schools" and their marvellous ethical values

Atheism doesn't have the disadvantages that religious groups claim
There has been a swathe of dubious reports recently about the supposed benefits of religion ��� how it makes you healthier, happier, less anti-social and ensures that you grow better tomatoes.

Now we are seeing the opposite claims beginning to emerge. A new study published in Trends in Cognitive Science finds that religion may have evolved as a by-product of non-religious, cognitive processes, dispelling a competing theory that religion served as an adaptation to help unrelated individuals cooperate.

The findings, published on Monday, suggests that people's gut instinct for what is right and wrong operates independently of religious upbringing.

Harvard psychology professor, Marc D. Hauser, who co-authored the study, argues that from an evolutionary perspective, cognitive mechanisms involved in moral decision-making precede organised religion. "Morality is far more ancient than religion," Hauser said. "Most, if not all, of the psychological ingredients that enter into religion originally evolved to solve more general problems of social interaction."

Hauser claimed the findings help explain recent studies indicating that people's moral intuitions vary little across different religions.

To illustrate the universality of certain moral intuitions, Hauser presented two hypothetical options for saving a group of seven people in a closed room ��� pressing a button to divert poisonous gas from the room or pushing a person into a ventilation shaft to stop the gas from reaching the room. "Far fewer people would say [the latter] is permissible, regardless of religious background," Hauser said.

In cases of moral judgment that fall outside the norm ��� martyrdom, for instance ��� Hauser and co-author Ilkka Pyysi��inen of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies propose that religion, much like legal institutions, exerts its own pressure on people's moral judgments after it emerged from natural cognitive processes.

Though Hauser said he anticipates negative reactions to his apparent down-playing of religion's significance, the study's purpose was not to cheapen religion. "To those who find meaning in religious experience, I have nothing either positive or negative to say," he said.

Hauser and Pyysi��inen add that their findings are not meant to explain religion, but to deny the claim that "all aspects of religion emerged at once at some point in history."

Another study, published in Society and Ageing from the Cambridge University Press, looks at whether religion helps people cope better with ageing and was carried out by Peter J. Wilkinson and Peter G. Coleman.

Although a variety of research projects have been conducted on the benefits of religious coping in older adults, no direct comparison between atheism and religious faith has been published. The study reported in this paper tackled this issue by interviewing two matched groups of people aged over 60 years living in southern England, one of 11 informants with strong atheistic beliefs, and the other of eight informants with strong religious beliefs. Five paired comparisons were undertaken to examine the role of the content of the belief system itself in coping with different negative stresses and losses commonly associated with ageing and old age. The pairs were matched for the nature of the loss or stress that the two people had experienced, but the two individuals had opposed atheistic and religious beliefs. 

The analyses showed that all the study participants ��� regardless of their beliefs ��� were coping well, and suggested that a strong atheistic belief system can fulfil the same role as a strong religious belief system in providing support, explanation, consolation and inspiration. It is postulated that the strength of people's beliefs and how those beliefs are used might have more influence on the efficacy of coping than the specific nature of the beliefs.

The authors say further research into the strength of belief systems, "including atheism", is required to test and elaborate this hypothesis. 

Keith challenges caste discrimination
The UK Government appears to be edging closer to outlawing discrimination on the grounds of caste. It is hoped this can be included in an Equality Bill currently under consideration by Parliament. Caste discrimination provisions were not in the original draft of the bill, and Hindu leaders had claimed that caste discrimination was not a problem in Britain despite substantial evidence to the contrary. But government ministers have indicated an openness to consider the matter as a result of some powerful lobbying.

It would be particularly fitting for the UK to change its law because the UK has so many citizens with Indian background as a result of former imperial links. Also, London was the venue of the first international conference on untouchables, organized by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) in June 2009.

Keith Porteous Wood, working in his capacity as IHEU International Representative, has been working with Dalit groups in the UK uncovering research about the extent of the problems in the UK, and with academics who provided invaluable legal and legislative help. He also approached potential speakers for what turned out to be an influential debate in the House of Lords. Soon after the debate, Baroness Thornton, one of the government ministers responsible for the Equality Bill, offered to meet those involved to hear their views.

Read a fuller report on this

Imam who didn't know it was wrong to beat up kids is jailed
An imam at a London mosque has been jailed for 12 weeks after he was convicted of assaulting a nine year old boy. Gulam Hussain punched and kicked the boy and beat him with a bamboo stick.

Walthamstow Magistrates Court heard that Hussain, who was an Imam at The Jamia Mosque in Leyton, had previously been cautioned in 2005 for a charge of actual bodily harm (ABH) against an 11-year-old. The Chair of the magistrates, Dr Paul Davis, told Hussain through an Urdu interpreter that he was being jailed, "for the protection of the public".

Hussain's mitigation was that "cultural differences" meant he had not realised the beating was wrong. Rosalind Fox, prosecuting, told the court that Hussain punished the child because he had been misbehaving. She said: "The defendant punched the boy on the shoulder and kicked him on the leg with the flat of his foot. The victim said he cried to get the defendant to stop."

In relation to the second incident, she told the court: "The defendant took a bamboo stick and told him to sit on the floor, then he hit his bare feet several times causing reddening on the feet, which made it painful to walk."

The court heard that the boy did not sustain any serious injury, but was embarrassed in front of his friends. Victoria Burgess, defending, told the magistrates that the parents of the victim had given the defendant permission to punish their son in this way, so he didn't know it was wrong.

She said: "He believed that by having his father's permission made it acceptable. Clearly it doesn't and he realises that now. The offence originated out of cultural difference ��� a misunderstanding of what he could do with the permission of a parent."

Spokesman for the Waltham Forest Islamic Association which runs the mosque, Tariq Mohammed, said the Imam was suspended when police launched an investigation into the assault, and he will no longer work at the mosque. Mr Mohammed said: "We condemned his actions from day one. This man has done wrong and the law has taken its course of action, and we support the law. He will not be part of our association now, or in the future." 

Pope's half-hearted apology upsets child abuse support groups
Survivors of clerical sexual abuse have written an open letter to Pope Benedict as Irish bishops prepare to meet the Pontiff at the Vatican next week.

They say survivors find it incomprehensible that the Vatican and the Papal Nuncio saw fit to hide behind diplomatic protocols to avoid co-operating with the Murphy Commission of Inquiry into the abuse of children in Dublin.

Yesterday, representatives of the bishops met leaders of four survivors' groups as part of ongoing consultations and said they would relay the survivors' concerns to the Pope.

The letter calls for Pope Benedict to instruct Irish bishops to comply fully with child protection guidelines, including the mandatory reporting of all concerns or complaints to authorities.

They have also urged the Pope to remove Bishop Martin Drennan who, they say, still refuses to accept any responsibility for his part in supporting a culture of cover-up during his time in the Dublin archdiocese.

Meanwhile, it is being reported that survivors will also ask the Pope for a ���1bn compensation package, and request a meeting during his visit to England in September.

See also: Inside Germany's Catholic sex abuse scandal

Let the Vatican know the you don't appreciate its political interference
A demonstration is being organised this Sunday by the "London for a Secular Europe" group to protest at the Vatican's interference in politics and its opposition to human rights all around Europe. The march is held in conjunction with a similar event in Rome ("NO VAT", i.e. "No Vatican"), where secular Italians are protesting against the political power and influence of the Vatican, and its anti-human rights agenda in Italy, Europe and worldwide. Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, will be one of the speakers.

Make sure you are there to swell the numbers. Assemble: Sunday 14 February 2010 at 1pm outside Westminster Cathedral (not Westminster Abbey), Victoria Street, London SW1 (near the corner with Ambrosden Avenue).
More information

An example of what the group is complaining about is happening right now in Spain. Catholic theologians there are trying to prompt a constitutional crisis in the country by pressuring King Juan Carlos not to sign legislation that will make abortion on demand legal in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.

Article 91 of the Spanish Constitution requires the king to sign any law that has been approved by the Spanish Parliament within 15 days. However, no mechanism exists to force the king to do so. He has never refused before, despite the present Government bringing in laws that have been strongly opposed by the Catholic Church.

Juan Jose Valero Alvarez, Director of the Monte Corban Theological Institute and Rector of the Diocesan Seminary of Santander, told the Religion en Libertad press agency that "the King cannot sign the Abortion Law in good conscience, because it is against all morality and the limits of the natural law."

Jose Mar��a Pardo, a theologian at the University of Navarra, says that "in my opinion, to ratify a law is to give is consent and support. He should object."

Pablo Cervera, theologian and Coordinator of the organization Magnificat, addressed himself directly to the king: "Majesty, in virtue of your right to objection of conscience (I want to believe that you would put that first that when faced with any decision), do not sign this evil and perverse law."

The new abortion law was recently passed by the Spanish Congress, the nation's lower legislative body, following more than a year of pressure from the Church for them to abandon it. The law is currently being examined by the Senate, which is expected to pass it. King Juan Carlos, a professed Catholic, is required to sign the law to give it legal effect.

See also: Protests against the pope to hit London
Wave goodbye to this papal pontification

Malta's Labour party promises a secular state if elected
A new political movement in Malta promises ��� if Labour is elected ��� to separate church and state and legalise divorce and second marriages as well as to give rights to homosexuals.

The proposals were made at a ten-day Labour conference, which promised to bring radical changes to the social life of this deeply Catholic island. The Party's leader Joseph Muscat said the movement was also committing itself to allow freedom of expression. "Democracy also means the right to speak out without the fear of intimidation."

He reiterated his pledge to introduce a Bill on divorce and give Labour MPs a free vote if elected to power, because he believed that everyone should have the right to a second chance if their first marriage did not work out. There was no place in the movement, he said, for people who were prejudiced against gays or against those who wanted to form a family after their first marriage had broken down. 

Help promote secularism ��� join our Stop Council Prayers campaign
Our council prayer campaign has got off to a good start ��� but we still need your help. We've been asking Newsline readers to find out for us whether their local council starts its meetings with prayers. Our legal adviser says that such practices are illegal under human rights legislation and we want to challenge as many as possible.

Many others feel the same way, and this is your opportunity to do something about it. Please spend a few minutes seeking to help the campaign. First of all please find out from here whether your own Borough, District or Town Council has already been checked out, and if not please do your best to find out what is happening in your council and let us know what you discover. You also could try research on Councils not listed.

Please do not report Councils as "no prayers" unless you have contacted officials to confirm this (and say this in your email) as the absence of prayers from agendas or minutes is not conclusive.

Anglicanism all but extinct in Canada
A report prepared for the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia has found that Anglicanism in Canada is "one generation away from extinction." Between 1961 and 2001, the ecclesial community lost 53% of its members.

43% of Canada's 33.5 million residents are now titular Catholics, while 23% are supposedly Protestant (including Anglican). An increasing number of Canadians profess no religion.

"The unchurched are not coming to us," the report moaned. "Lapsed Anglicans are not coming back in sufficient numbers." 

Take the Moral Sense Test
Harvard University is conducting research into where morality originates. They have an on-line "Moral Sense Test" to try to find out. If you'd like to participate, it only takes a few minutes.

NSS Speaks Out
Keith Porteous Wood was on BBC Radio Ulster's prestigious Sunday Sequence current affairs show debating the Equality Bill with a representative of the Catholic Bishops' Conference. Terry Sanderson was on BBC Radio Stoke talking about the Cherie Blair incident and he was also on Radio Wales (twice) talking about a demand from Sikhs that they should be able to carry their ceremonial dagger in schools and through security checks.

The NSS's resistance to the taxpayer funding the Pope's visit continued to generate comment such as this in the Sunday Times and on Spanish TV .

The NSS was quoted in this story about discrimination against teachers in "faith schools" in the Times Educational Supplement .

Terry Sanderson was on the premiere current affairs programme on Russian TV's English-language channel talking about the place of religion in society.

Terry was also on Radio Five Live's Breakfast Show discussing the amount of religion shown on TV and was quoted on the BBC website and Keith Porteous Wood was on the BBC News Channel. The story was also covered in the Guardian, Independent, Digital Journal and Digital Spy .  

Letters to Newsline
Please send your letters for publication to [address removed] We want to publish as many letters as possible, so please keep them brief: no more than 250 words . We reserve the right to edit. Opinions expressed in letters are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the NSS.

From Cheryl Dennison:
I don't agree that the planned Pope's visit to the UK is just wrong because taxpayers are paying for it; it is wrong because of all that the Vatican stands for. The Vatican Council II was just a public relations stunt, e.g. changes that Protestants should be called 'separated brethren' as opposed to 'heretics' even though canons banning 'heretics' still exist. A 'heretic' is anyone who opposes Roman Catholic dogmas, etc. (The Vatican hates Protestants because they do not 'accept' the Pope as the head of the Church). These and other 'changes' occurred in the hope that people would somehow miraculously forget about the Pope's support for Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, and all the other dictators the Vatican has supported.

The Pope regards himself as having temporal and apostolic authority. (After all, the word 'catholic' means 'universal'). Temporal is power over all the peoples of the physical earth and apostolic power is the idea that the Vatican gets its authority because Peter was the first Pope (when in fact the first Pope was actually Constantine). It was only when Europe started to break free from the Vatican's grip (and people became Protestants, atheists, etc.) that science and learning started to flourish. But more importantly, the insidious inquisition (created by the Roman Church to stop all opposition, especially protestors' opposition) stopped and in time people started to be treated with some respect.

The Vatican is said to be the richest organisation on earth, with billions and billions of pounds at its disposal. It is full of greed. With that sum of money, they could feed a very large amount of the starving third world human population, but, no, you have the Pope going around hypocritically telling relatively poor people to donate money. Think of the Haiti disaster. I wonder how much of his riches the Pope is willing to give up for that. There again, many of these poor countries have dictators running them that might be supported by the Vatican. I certainly know that Fidel Castro was trained by Jesuits. Also, Robert Mugabe is a Roman Catholic.

Although it appears to be secular on the outside, the European Union (EU) is based on Catholic Social Policy. The Vatican runs the EU puppet show (hence the need for Concordat Watch, NO VAT, etc). The EU's regionalisation of the UK is nearly exactly the same as that planned by the Nazis had they won the war. Moreover, the Nazis planned to call it the EEC ��� the European Economic Community! The EU flag has a pantone blue background with 12 pantone yellow stars in a circle in the centre of the flag. The stars are based on the 'Queen of Heaven' (who is supposed to be the Virgin Mary), who has 12 yellow stars around her head. After all, the undemocratic EU was conceived in the hearts of Catholic men with an inquisitorial mindset: The EU plans to replace 'trial by jury' and 'innocent until proven guilty' with 'guilty until proven innocent' (Corpus Juris)! It is quite frightening when you consider how all-pervasive the Vatican really is. This is the real basis on which the National Secular Society (NSS) and any other organisation, whether religious or not, should be campaigning against the Pope's visit to the UK.

From Mark Francis:
Perhaps the Pope should read what the Bible has to say about removing the log from your own eye before taking out the mote from someone else's. An organisation that is prepared to tolerate and cover-up widespread sexual abuse of children within its own ranks cannot expect a serious hearing on any subject concerning sexual morality ��� or anything else. I have signed the petition against public funding of the Pope's visit, but it does say that we accept the right of him to come here. I am not sure about that. We have excluded other rabble rousers and hate-mongers. I do not think he is even a European citizen.

From Garry Otton:
I am deeply concerned about the quality of reporting we can expect from the BBC surrounding the Pope's visit after pious Director General Mark Thompson has met senior Vatican officials in the capacity of BBC editor-in-chief and enjoyed a weekly audience with the Pope in a place normally reserved for visiting dignitaries. Here, in Scotland, Scotland on Sunday and The Scotsman have censored any blogs following news stories about the Pope's visit on their websites and my contribution to the prominent Catholic coordinating the Pope's visit to the UK, Scottish Secretary of State, Jim Murphy's blog, expressing my concerns about the visit, was removed within hours. 

Quite apart from the estimated ��20m cost to the taxpayer for this visit, this meddling Pontiff wants the Catholic Church to be exempt from equality and anti-discrimination laws that apply to everyone else. The Pope has played a key role in the cover up of abuse by Catholic clerics, many of which occurred in Scotland. He plans to make Pope Pius XII a saint, even though he failed to speak out against the Holocaust, has watched the decimation of populations through HIV while forbidding the use of condoms and fills the Vatican coffers with donations from the world's poorest people. Far from coming here to express remorse, his intention is to meddle in our political affairs, as he tried to do in Spain, and proselytise while this unelected cleric oversees a Church that invests in protection against claimants, delays paying out to its victims and stands accused of money laundering. (Some ��160m through the accounts of Italy's UniCredit Bank). The silencing of those voices most hurt by the Catholic Church in Scotland by our Parliament and media is a shameful act.

But there is even one more reason that Scotland's sexual minorities should feel disquiet about this visit. In the year 2000, the Catholic Church spearheaded a vile campaign funded by an evangelical Christian multi-millionaire that attacked the gay community. Newspapers detailed our distinguishing features; posters were erected across Scotland denouncing our practices while the media spread rumours of cliques and warned of an international conspiracy. Intellectuals were discredited, windows smashed, gay media closed down. This wasn't Germany in 1935; it was Scotland in 2000. Many of these stories were not published south of the border. (My book on the subject, 'Badge of Shame' is currently being serialised on my website .)

From John Turner:
At least the UK is paying a lot less than Australia did for a papal visit. The World Youth Day (Week) in Sydney cost New South Wales and Australian taxpayers about ��60 million. At one stage the state government attempted to make 'annoying' the visitors an offence. Street protests by individuals may be more effective than police controlled group protests. I stood on the outside corner of a Sydney street, where the pilgrim march changed course, with a sandwich board reading, "Gullibility annoys me" and "Think for yourselves" and received plenty of attention from pilgrims and plenty of supportive comments from people in the street. I have recently used a modification of a Huxley aphorism to some effect. "Scepticism is the highest of duties and blind faith and indoctrination of children are two unpardonable sins."

From Peter Williams:
As an Australian reader of Newsline (thank you for that) I sympathize with the many expressions of outrage at the financial arrangements re the forthcoming visit of the Pope to your country.

However, England is still better off than we are in this regard. The recent 'World Catholic Propaganda Day' (sorry, that should read 'World Youth Day' ��� complete with Papal visit and mock crucifixion) cost the state of New South Wales ��� together with some commonwealth contribution ��� even more than your projected costs. I can't provide an exact figure because that has never been published, but it was substantially more than forty million dollars.

From Jean Berkley:
Barbara Smoker is confusing Doctors Without Borders (Medicins Sans Frontieres ��� MSF) with the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.

In Wikipedia MSF is described as 'a secular humanitarian non-governmental organisation best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases." It is working in Haiti and has a worldwide reputation for its invaluable work in very difficult situations.

From Eddy Layzelle:
Just to reiterate on my letter (Newsline 29January) and further reference to the letter of Graham Davis (22 January) about giving donations to Non Believers Giving Aid: a religion-free way to help disaster.

Graham Davis states in his letter: "To restrict donations to those charities that are without religious connects is repugnant." As atheists we really have to think before we speak; we have a certain responsibility to point out that religious groups do not help people on the ground without ulterior motives. 

This week I was shocked to learn that U.S. missionaries were kidnapping children and placing them in orphanages in the Dominican Republic, these children aged between two and twelve years old were taken from their parents without proper authorization or paperwork. Who knows where those children could have ended up, and worse, what kind of abuse they could have suffered! Now that's repugnant!

So when you are giving money to charities consider what charities you are giving to and try to be cognisant of the groups that you are funding! At least you know where your money is going if you are giving it to Doctors without Borders or the International Red Cross. See the full story .

From Nick Harding:
Somehow criticising a bad programme makes me a bad neighbour. I am simply cheesed off (again) that someone who claims to be a non-believer is bashing the very thing he claims to support. You only have to read Howard Jacobson's newspaper columns to see this. 

My criticism lies with the fact that he and his producers wasted a lot of money on what was essentially a pointless programme about the creation myth. Television, as well as radio and film, is rife with religious propaganda (anyone with Sky can see that even the National Geographic channel is full of it) and as we all know programmes about non-belief/atheism/agnosticism are as rare as hen's teeth. Other than those presented by Dawkins (and look at the criticism he has to endure afterwards) it's usually to bash non-belief or further promote misunderstanding about what it is. Jacobson's programme was no different.

Rod Liddle's The Trouble with Atheism is another good case in point which, rather unsurprisingly was given 4 stars by the Daily Mail ��� or was that five? Once again here is a man who claims to be a non-believer spending all his time bashing atheism then later and somewhat paradoxically giving The God Delusion a big thumbs up. 

That's the point of my criticism. There's that awful term from Americans politics, flip-flopping, which is precisely what Jacobson and Liddle do. On top of that, my particular bug bear is the term 'militant atheism' used across the media ��� as if we atheists are setting off suicide bombs, or issuing fatwahs, murdering homosexuals and doctors or stoning people to death. It was a term used by Jacobson and this from a man who should know better. More importantly, an intelligent man should not be trapped by his upbringing whether that's Judaism, Christianity or Islam etc. 

From Richard Byrne:
I debaptised myself ages ago ��� it's easy, I just over-ruled a superstitious man-made ritual with another one made up by me which basically went: "With the power invested in me of free thought I hereby declare that from this day forward I no longer identify myself with any religious mystical or supernatural systems of belief." Easy!

From Clare Poyner:
Al Grandy says in Newsline last week: "On this Burka business, can we not just [start a] campaign for a ban on wearing masks in public���..job done."

Bit unfair on people with facial injuries, no? Incidentally, my friend who works with domestic violence victims says that some women use a face covering ��� niqab or burkha, to avoid detection and subsequent threats from their families. Can't really answer that one, other than saying that shouldn't be necessary; but that's not going to change anytime soon, sadly.

From Richard Winter:
Suffering mainly psychological Jesuit abuse throughout my developmental years, four decades of impact followed. May the following resonate, amuse and sting just a bit where that is needed and just. Here are Religion's (other) Ten Commandments :

Thou shalt not question us. Ever.

Thou shalt respect, obey and, for ye highest amongst us, dutifully facilitate depraved, child-abusing clerics who after all are god's appointed ones

Thou shalt, at our will, mutilate babies and children to appease our..ahem..child-loving god

Thou shalt only apply thy troublesome Earthly laws to us when we say so

Thou shalt not dare be born of a sexuality that will inhibit our congregation-building baby farming, nor protect thyself against spreading deadly disease should it have the same effect on our farming targets

Thou shalt ignore our own god's bizarre concept of all people being equal in his eyes. Ha!

Thou shalt prolong the agony of dying loved ones for as long as is inhumanly possible

Thou shalt not believe anything as inconvenient to us as that Jesus fellows so called 'Sermon on the Mount'. As if he'd have anything useful to inspire the likes of us!

Thou shalt fund our lovely, privileged lives whether you are one of our unthinking slaves or an eternally damned self-thinker

Thou shalt accept as unquestionable truth whatever inhuman, illogical, barbaric, divisive, discriminatory or plainly ludicrous pronouncements we happen to utter

See also: The atheist 10 Commandments

From Paul Stevenson:
A Canon at the CofE Synod has raised awareness of the "testosterone deficit" in CofE congregations (i.e. many more women than men).

It is my observation that the situation in the NSS membership is numerically reversed (i.e. many more men than women). Would readers like to like to suggest reasons why this might be so?

Events  
Oxford Think Week 22-28 February. Think Week is a series of high profile free events organised jointly by the Oxford Atheist Society, Oxford Secular Society, Oxford Humanists, Oxford Sea of Faith and Oxford Skeptics in the Pub. Talks include Dr Evan Harris MP ��� Skepticism and Secularism; Dr Julian Baggini ��� Freedom, Respect and Religion; Professor Peter Atkins ��� Science is King. Full details.