Libby Purves writes in the Times Online: Interesting debate opened up by Theos – their research shows major cutbacks in hospital chaplain services. No cause, they say, for secularist triumphalism: chaplains do not primarily exist to offer prayers or communion but “to answer needs that are simply human: coping with the death of a loved one, the suffering of a child, the fear that comes with injury or sickness …”

This is from a book called “Primary teaching in Sunday schools (School of service series)” by Jean Heppell James, published by the Scripture Union & C.S.S.M in 1962. Click on the image to see a larger version. I imagine that quite a few Humanists were subjected to this sort of nonsense in their youth. Tags: Sunday+school, Indoctrination

The teaching of evolution is becoming increasingly difficult in UK schools because of the rise of creationism, a leading scientist is warning. Head of science at London’s Institute of Education Professor Michael Reiss says some teachers, fearful of entering the debate, avoid the subject totally. BBC NEWS | Education | Teachers ‘fear evolution lessons’. Tags: Creationism, Evolution, Science+teaching

Suffolk Coastal MP John Gummer came across the Humanist stand at the Conservative Party Conference and had a bit of a tantrum, as reported on the new website of Lancashire Secular Humanists: As John Gummer came upon the British Humanist Association’s campaign stand in the exhibitors gallery at the Winter Gardens this afternoon he was clearly heard to say to his companion “Do you know there is nothing I hate more than these Humanists”.

I recently emailed my MP, Tim Yeo, about the Governments plans to increase the number of faith schools. This was his reply: Thank you for your e-mail of 11th September about the expansion of state sector faith schools. I appreciate the concerns that you outline in your letter over the impact of faith schools on community cohesion. Clearly, there is a balance to be struck between the rights of parents to educate their children in a religious manner and the need to promote community cohesion.

TV to see, tonight (Monday 1 October), 9pm on BBC2. This World gains exclusive access to a Sharia court and its characteristic judge, Judge Isah, in the state of Zamfara in northern Nigeria. Some British Muslims want Sharia law implemented in the UK. Sharia law is already practised informally in parts of Britain to resolve Islamic divorce, inheritance and family disputes. Now some Muslims want their laws to work alongside the existing legal system.

It is like Daniel going into the lions’ den, though Professor Richard Dawkins might not appreciate the biblical comparison. Britain’s leading atheist is spearheading a campaign in America to challenge the dominance of religion in every day life and in politics, insisting that the millions of US godless deserve to be heard too. Atheists in the US “have been downtrodden for a very long time. So I think some sort of political organisation is what they need”, he said.

In mid-August, a few hundred people took to the streets in Burma’s capital, Rangoon. Since then, the world has watched an unfolding drama on its TV screens. At least, those that have TV are watching. Others are listening to their radios, or reading newspapers, leaflets, emails and blogs (or web logs). Over fifty years ago, when they wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, they didn’t anticipate the World Wide Web and its effect on international communications.

It can be done. There were so many problems associated with sectarian education in Newfoundland that all schools were taken under secular state control in the 1990s. Before then, animosity between different faith schools even resulted in savage ice hockey matches which weren’t about playing the game, but an all-out battle. It was a grim fact of life in that province under its historically sectarian education system in which the churches ran the schools with money from the public purse.

The religious activist Stephen Timms, who also happens to be the Labour Party’s vice-chair and Minister for Competitiveness (“with special responsibility for faith communities”), this week made the insulting claim that “people of faith” bring special qualities to social work that “are rare elsewhere”. Speaking at a conference of Traidcraft, the Christian-based fair trade organisation, Mr Timms said: “There is positive impact when people of faith are involved in the lives of their community, because these people bring valuable qualities in their service which are rare elsewhere and they are qualities modern Britain urgently needs.