This reminded me of a woman who came to visit a few years ago, in search of info about Humanism. She was one of those try-a-new-weird–belief-a-month brigade, who can sometimes subscribe to two or more contradictory sets of beliefs at the same time. She seemed to think that Humanism was a new agey thing, with everyone sending each other healing energies, only not religious (she said). When she mentioned the healing power of crystals, I said I thought they had as much healing power as clutching your favourite pair of wellies would do.

We wouldn’t argue that puppies can be “unclean”, what with the puddles and all, but offensive? This is Rebel, the black German Shepherd puppy whom Tayside Police chose to feature in their postcard (above) advertising a new non-emergency telephone number. It was printed and distributed in the Spring, but according to reports today some Muslims in the Dundee area allegedly find this image of the six-month old puppy “offensive” and “ritually unclean”.

Like many local authorities, Babergh District Council has Christian prayers at the beginning of full council meetings. It’s assumed that all the members will participate. Together with humanists and secularists in other parts of the country, we regard this practice as archaic and discriminatory. We have no problem with prayers before meetings, provided they are optional. If they’re held 10 minutes before meetings start, say, and it’s made clear that members are under no obligation to attend, we feel that non-Christians or members of other faiths would feel much happier about getting involved with the democratic process.

An article about the British education system, and the “Academies”. For Blair, the two classes of school that really mattered were the voluntary-aided schools, now usually called ‘faith’ schools, and a new type of school, the city academy. Of the two, Gordon Brown’s government is clearly putting its money on the academies. The faith schools were a particular enthusiasm of Blair’s but are viewed with suspicion by the Labour Party as a whole.

A new feature on BBC Radio Suffolk’s website by Andrew Woodger includes references to Humanism. More people have been going to church in Suffolk, but the diocese has concerns that it may be a blip in the face of long-term decline. However, Muslims say they’re buoyant in the county, as do the humanists who don’t have any faith in a god. We’re constantly hearing that religion, particularly the Christian Church of England, is in decline with fewer bums-on-pews.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) and the religious thinktank Ekklesia are amongst those who have today criticised as ‘misguided’ a report published today by the Centre for Policy Studies, written by Christina Odone, which seeks to portray the UK’s state-funded faith schools as inclusive and ‘under attack’ from hostile secularists. The Church of England and those running other faith schools have previously tried to champion them as having a good track record of inclusion.

Many of you will have seen the coverage in today’s press (30 June) of a new pamphlet on ‘faith schools’, published by the Centre for Policy Studies, written by Christina Odone, which seeks to portray the UK’s state-funded faith schools as inclusive and under attack from hostile secularists. The BHA’s Andrew Copson responded to the pamphlet today on The Guardian’s ‘Comment is Free’ website. You can read the blog and post a comment at http://tinyurl.

Labour MP Tom Harris caused a row … when he said people should stop being so “bloody miserable” and appreciate what they have. Philosopher Julian Baggini considers whether we are a nation of whingers and asks if that is such a bad thing anyway. BBC NEWS | Magazine | What’s wrong with whinging?. I’ll whinge if I want to, such as complaining about people who don’t know when they’re well off, or when people are inconsiderate.

A curious postscript to the blog on the US Religious Landscape survey – one in five of the atheists questioned by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life’s survey of the religious beliefs of 35,000 American adults said they believe in God or a universal spirit. That’s 21 per cent of the atheists who took part in the survey. And of those, six per cent of admitted they believed in a personal God.

The latest news from our webmaster, Nathan, based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, who’s spent a few days in Borneo and met orang-utans, ants and assorted tourists. Travel misconception number 316 shattered – I got off the plane in Borneo and there weren’t bowl-cutted natives blowing darts at me, my luggage wasn’t stolen by a wasp the size of a poodle, my transportation to the guesthouse wasn’t a dugout canoe but a five-door Proton, and I didn’t have to hunt my own dinner.