John Benton says, “If anyone is unclear about the interactive nature… basically we’ll be drinking beer, talking about science, and browsing the web :)”

Free – all the family welcome.

A discussion on BBC Radio Essex about the monarchy and religion. Contributors are Margaret Nelson from Suffolk Humanists & Secularists and the Bishop of Chelmsford, Stephen Cottrell. If you’re not in Essex or South Suffolk, you can listen via the BBC Essex website or listen again on iPlayer.

The British Humanist Association‘s Head of Public Affairs, Pavan Dhaliwal, signed [a letter to the Observer](The proposed Fullfledge school - Steiner, or not? “Letter to the Observer”) on behalf of the association opposing Maharishi and Steiner free schools. The letter was also signed by Melanie Byng, campaigner against Steiner free schools, who wrote a post about them on this website. The letter begins: Since the formation of the coalition, a lot of public concern has been expressed over the potential establishment of creationist Free Schools.

I was invited by BBC Radio Essex to comment on [an opinion poll commissioned by the BBC on “the Monarchy’s role in faith today”](http://www.suffolkhands.org.uk/files/1/BBC Defender of Faith public poll 16April2012 topline findings.pdf “BBC poll on the monarchy’s role in faith today”) (pdf), that appears to show that the Queen should retain “a faith role”. The other contributor to this item was the Bishop of Chelmsford, Stephen Cottrell. The BBC’s press release says,

After what I said on the radio today about disestablishment (see previous post), I find that Norway has set an example. I read, In an unprecedented move, the Norwegian Parliament has voted to abolish the state-sponsored Church of Norway with a constitutional amendment. If they can do it, why can’t we?

Our guest speaker will be John Minns from the Woodland Trust. We’ll be in the Inter-Faith Centre, West Building, UCS. [Click here for detailed directions](http://www.suffolkhands.org.uk/files/1/UCS map & directions.pdf “Meeting directions”) (pdf).

Here’s some stuff I read on the Internet, to save you the bother of looking for it – just click on the links for more. If you’ve read anything you’d like to share, you could tweet us. You don’t tweet? Well, there’s Facebook (see link right), or just contact us via this website. In the latest edition of Humanist News, Alom Shaha writes about his book, and how some publishers rejected it because it was about a rejection of Islam.