Many religious charities do fantastic work.
But many others fail to provide a public benefit and some cause harm.
It's time to end religious privilege in charity law.
Charity work carried out by people of all faiths and none should be recognised and celebrated. Much of the work of religious charities, such as helping the poor, is secular in nature and beneficial to society.
But there are religious organisations which exploit the privileged status of religion in charity law to conduct activities that do not fulfil a genuine public benefit, and only serve to further religious ideology.
In the worst cases, religious charities may harm society and individuals.
Registered charities must serve a purpose recognised as "charitable". Charity laws specify a list of "charitable purposes," one of which is "the advancement of religion".
Charities must also demonstrate that they provide a genuine public benefit. But guidelines are vague on what constitutes a public benefit, particular in relation to religious activities. There is still an assumption in the charity system that religion is inherently beneficial. This view is not supported by evidence and implies those without a religion are somehow less moral or charitable.
The inclusion of the advancement of religion within charitable purposes gives religion a privileged position in the charity sector. It enables religious organisations to acquire all the benefits of charitable status, including tax relief, gift aid and public respectability, simply by "advancing religion".
It also includes religious organisations that cause harm to society. This includes charities which facilitate religious genital cutting, support the non-stun slaughter industry, and promote extremism, hatred and intolerance of other people.
The NSS believes all charities, religious or not, should be held to equally high standards. That's why we campaign for "the advancement of religion" to be removed from the list of charitable purposes, and for religious charities to be held to the same equality laws as all other charities.
Take action!
1. Write to your MP
Tell your MP it's time for "the advancement of religion" to be removed as a charitable purpose. Enter your postcode below to find your MP and send a letter to them.
2. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
3. Join us
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
Christian charity faces investigation over promotion of misogyny
Posted: Wed, 7 Jul 2021 10:18
England and Wales's charity regulator will investigate a newly-registered Christian charity which has promoted misogynistic messages, including by blaming women for rape, after the National Secular Society raised concerns.
The Charity Commission has told the NSS it will open a case into Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide Europe, also known as Horemow Europe, which registered at the end of May.
Horemow Europe's website has also featured lengthy rants against women who wear trousers.
Charities are required to serve a public benefit and not to promote extremist views. The NSS wrote to the commission last month and said material on Horemow Europe's website was incompatible with these requirements.
Misogynistic messages
A passage in one leaflet on Horemow Europe's website explicitly blamed women's fashion choices for contributing to rape, saying:
"What does it mean to look sexy anyway? It is simply to appeal for or suggest sex by the way you dress and apply make-up. No wonder there is increase in rape today and people are not addressing the real problem. You who dress like this is a strong contributor to the problem."
Blogs on the website also feature claims that trousers are "the uniform of a harlot" and wearing trousers helps women "to market her commodity to get the opposite sex aroused as they view the shape of her private part".
The commission has now said it will "open a case due to the issues raised" and "engage with the charity". Some of the material the NSS highlighted has now been removed from the website.
Comment
NSS head of policy and research Megan Manson welcomed the commission's investigation but said the charity should not have been registered in the first place.
"The Charity Commission should now move to ensure Horemow Europe doesn't enjoy the privileges of charitable status while pushing messages which fuel rape culture.
"Unfortunately we've come across a number of religious organisations enjoying charitable status - including the accompanying tax breaks and recognition that they are serving a public benefit - while promoting misogyny.
"This highlights the need to remove 'the advancement of religion' as a charitable purpose in its own right, so both religious and secular charities are required to serve a genuine public benefit."
Third Sector, which published a story on the commission's decision to investigate this week, said the charity hadn't responded to a request for comment before publication.
Other religious charities promoting misogyny
- Several other religious charities perpetuate deeply sexist stereotypes - including by encouraging women to stay at home and do what their husbands tell them.
- Several Islamic charities have also hosted or signposted material that endorsed or condoned violence against women. These have only been taken down after the NSS raised concerns with the commission.
- A recent blog by Megan Manson, Charity law shouldn't enable misogyny, outlined more details of the NSS's concerns around Horemow Europe and these charities.
NSS campaigning on charity law
- The NSS campaigns for the removal of 'the advancement of religion' as a charitable purpose, to ensure religious organisations don't exploit charity law to promote harmful activities.
- An NSS report, For the Public Benefit?, outlined the case for this reform of charity law in 2019.
Photo by Heitor Verdi from Pexels (cropped to fit).
‘Conversion therapy’ charity shows need for reform in NI, says NSS
Posted: Fri, 23 Apr 2021 12:55
The National Secular Society has called for reform of charity law and more power for a regulator to tackle religious charities which promote harmful activities in Northern Ireland.
The NSS called for the removal of 'the advancement of religion' as a charitable purpose in response to an independent review of charity regulation in NI.
The NSS also said the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland should be empowered to challenge charities where there is evidence they are promoting practices which don't serve a public benefit.
Core Issues Trust
The society's response highlighted the case of Core Issues Trust, a Christian charity which promotes "change orientated therapy" for gay people, to demonstrate concerns over the relationship between religion and charity law in NI.
NI's Charity Commission recently refused to take action against the trust after the NSS raised its case.
In a letter outlining its decision, the commission said it was not its role to "adopt a position on the charity's conduct in this matter".
It also noted that Core Issues Trust "contests the view that this practice is inherently harmful" and appeared to suggest it was not the commission's role to take a position on such therapy while it's legal.
The NSS's submission to the review said this example suggested the commission "lacks the power to sufficiently challenge charities that are not complying with the public benefit requirement or are causing harm".
It added that the bar for an activity to be classified as in the public benefit "should be higher than it simply being legal".
'Advancement of religion'
The NSS also raised concerns over the inclusion of 'the advancement of religion' as one of 12 purposes which charities can register under in Northern Ireland.
The purposes are used to judge whether organisations which seek to register as charities are serving a public benefit.
The NSS noted that Core Issues Trust has registered under 'the advancement of religion'. It also said many other charities registered for that purpose do not fulfill a demonstrable public benefit, and in some cases cause harm. It added that this erodes public confidence in the charity sector.
The society said the inclusion of 'the advancement of religion' allows religious charities to "register solely on the virtue of their ethos", whereas secular charities can't do the same.
In a report in 2019 the NSS argued that 'the advancement of religion' should be removed from the lists of charitable purposes across the UK, to ensure charities are providing a genuine public benefit regardless of their religious ethos.
NSS comment
NSS head of policy and research Megan Manson said: "Charities should serve a public benefit and should be consistently held to account, regardless of whether they have a religious ethos.
"This isn't currently happening in Northern Ireland and the example of Core Issues Trust, in particular, shows this.
"With that in mind the review of charitable regulation in Northern Ireland should recommend the removal of 'the advancement of religion' as a charitable purpose. It should also ensure the Charity Commission is empowered to tackle charities which cause harm or fail to serve a public benefit."
Note: conversion therapy's legal status
- The UK government has said it is "committed" to ending conversion therapy and will bring forward proposals shortly.
- The Northern Ireland assembly voted for a non-binding motion calling for a ban on gay conversion therapy "in all its forms" this week.
Photo by form PxHere.
