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
Church’s future as charity in doubt after ‘plague protection kits’ row
Posted: Fri, 5 Mar 2021 18:10
The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to a church following concerns raised by the National Secular Society about 'plague protection kits' sold by its bishop.
England and Wales's charity regulator announced today that it appointed an interim manager to The Kingdom Church GB in February, who will "consider the charity's future operation and viability".
The commission opened an inquiry into the south London-based charity in August after the NSS raised concerns about 'plague protection kits' made of oil and string sold by bishop Irugu Wiseman during the coronavirus outbreak.
The commission said it had "serious ongoing concerns" about the charity's administration and the financial relationship with its two subsidiary companies.
It found the charity does not have a bank account and charity funds have instead been deposited into the charity's subsidiaries' bank accounts. It is investigating the legality of this relationship.
The commission only appoints interim managers to charities "after very careful consideration" if there is misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of a charity, or if it is necessary or desirable to protect the charity's property.
Sale of 'protection kits'
In March 2020 a post on the Bishop Climate Ministries website promoted the protective power of "the Divine Plague Protection Oil" and "Scarlet Yarn".
The post originally included claims that "every coronavirus and any other deadly thing" would "pass over" those using the oil and yarn.
It was later edited to remove some specific references to coronavirus, but continued to claim people could "be saved from every pandemic" by using the oil and string.
Kingdom Church's website linked to an online shop, which carried the same post.
Local paper Southwark News reported that the kits were originally on sale for £91.
A disclaimer was later added to the posts to say they were "solely under Bishop Climate Ministries and Not the Kingdom Church" (sic).
NSS response
NSS head of policy and research Megan Manson welcomed the intervention from the Charity Commission.
"This church's future as a registered charity is now being questioned, and rightly so.
"All charities, including religious charities, must be held to account when they engage in unethical and harmful behaviour."
The NSS's campaign for charity law reform
- The Charities Act of 2011 outlines 13 purposes which charities can pursue to ensure they provide a public benefit. One of those is 'the advancement of religion'.
- In 2019 the NSS published a major report making the case for 'the advancement of religion' to be removed from the list. Under the NSS's proposals religious charities which benefit the public would retain their status, but all charities would be required to pass a secular public benefit test.
The Kingdom Church's charitable purpose
- The Kingdom Church is registered as a charity with the purpose of advancing the Christian faith and "other such charitable purposes as are beneficial to the community".
Image via Bishop Climate Ministries.
New Islamic charity’s website says same-sex attraction is a ‘disease’
Posted: Fri, 29 Jan 2021 11:58
The National Secular Society has questioned why an organisation whose website says same-sex attraction is "a disease" that "needs to be cured" was recently registered as a charity.
The NSS has contacted the Charity Commission for England and Wales over the registration of the Ghamidi Centre of Islamic Communication.
The centre, which registered as a charity in December, carries deeply homophobic and misogynistic lectures on its website.
Content of lectures
One lecture published on the Ghamidi Centre's website is entitled "'Is there room for gays and lesbian (sic) in Islam?".
During the lecture Islamic scholar Khalid Zaheer says homosexuality "cannot be allowed" because "there are people who lose their senses and are inclined to killing others" and that "we're not going to allow killing because of the reason that there is somebody who has a problem in his mind or is mentally ill".
He says homosexuality "needs to be stopped, it needs to be curbed" and if there are "people who are suffering from diseases which are causing them to be inclined to do things which are illegitimate, we need to cure such patients".
Another lecture on the website entitled "The Right to Beat Wives" does not condemn violence against women and says it is acceptable for a husband to "punish" his wife if she challenges his authority, provided it does not "leave any sign of wound" on her.
NSS raises the issue
The NSS contacted the charity about the issue earlier this month, and the charity removed the video versions of the lectures. But the audio versions were left online.
The NSS also wrote to the Charity Commission on the subject.
The society asked if the commission has "made an assessment of this charity's compliance with the public benefit requirement" and if it is "permissible for a charity to promote the messages" in these lectures.
The Ghamidi Centre states its charitable objects as "the advancement of the religion of Islam for the benefit of the public, primarily but not exclusively through the provision of online information, learning and study".
NSS comment
NSS head of policy and research Megan Manson said: "The Charity Commission should quickly review the status of the Ghamidi Centre and consider whether the material on its website is compatible with the expectation that charities provide a public benefit.
"And this should prompt questions over the status of 'the advancement of religion' as a charitable purpose in law."
NSS campaigning over charity law
- In a report on the relationship between religion and charity law in 2019, the NSS found that over 12,000 registered charities list "religious activities" as their sole purpose.
- The society argues that 'the advancement of religion' should be removed as a charitable purpose, to make it easier to prevent the registration of religious charities which promote harmful activities.
Relevant ongoing government action
- In July 2020, the prime minister said he would bring forward plans to ban 'gay conversion therapy' once the government had completed a study on the issue.
- The government launched a call for evidence on violence against women and girls in December.
UPDATE (4 February 2021):
The Charity Commission has responded to the NSS today.
The commission has said it's currently considering the concerns raised and will "assess the information provided in order to determine what regulatory action, if any, is required".
Photo by Glodi Miessi on Unsplash (cropped to fit).
