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
Review status of charity promoting ‘conversion therapy’, NSS says
Posted: Wed, 13 May 2020 13:04
The National Secular Society has urged Northern Ireland's charity regulator to review the charitable status of Core Issues Trust, a Christian organisation which promotes "change oriented therapy" for gay people.
In a letter to NI's chief charity commissioner Nicole Lappin, the NSS said promoting such therapy was not in line with charities' requirement to serve a public benefit.
The NSS has also written to Northern Ireland's communities minister Deirdre Hargey and health minister Robin Swann over the issue.
The letters come after Swann made a commitment to put the issue of LGBT conversion therapy "in our work scope" in the Northern Ireland Assembly in February.
The harm caused by conversion therapy has been widely acknowledged by leading psychotherapy bodies and the UK government.
Core Issues Trust and "change orientated therapy"
Core Issues Trust advocates what it calls "change orientated therapies" for people "seeking to leave homosexual behaviours and feelings".
The trust says the therapies it promotes "support client goals to prioritize (sic) conservative religious values over their same-sex attractions in identity development".
The trust is registered as a charity in NI, with one of its charitable purposes being to advance religion.
Under its objects of association, it encourages "lifestyle choices consistent with Christian living" and upholds the view that sexual relationships outside heterosexual marriage are "inconsistent with" the Bible.
Contents of NSS letters
In its letter to Lappin the NSS wrote: "Given that this practice can cause individuals significant mental health issues and harms society by reinforcing stigmas against LGBT+ people, we believe a clear tension exists between the public benefit requirement and the promotion of 'conversion therapy'.
"Organisations that serve no clear public benefit – or worse, cause harm by, for example, actively promoting 'conversion therapy' – risk fundamentally undermining public confidence in the charitable sector."
In its other letters the NSS asked the ministers to work with the commission to ensure "no charity" could "promote or facilitate this harmful and ineffective pseudoscientific practice".
The society added that the legal provision which makes 'the advancement of religion' a charitable purpose should be re-evaluated.
NSS comment and Charity Commission response
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: "Bogus therapies which encourage people to change or suppress their sexuality are harmful and widely discredited. Those promoting them shouldn't enjoy the tax breaks and public recognition that charitable status brings.
"Northern Ireland's executive and Charity Commission should review the status of organisations which promote these so called therapies and remove their charitable privileges if they keep pushing them."
In a statement to the Belfast Telegraph, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland said the NSS's letter would be considered in detail.
A spokesperson added that a charity's purpose "must be beneficial, not harmful".
Charities and public benefit
- Organisations which register as charities are required to serve a public benefit. The Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 outlines a series 'charitable purposes' which charities can register under. One of these purposes is 'the advancement of religion'.
- In a 2019 report the NSS argued that 'the advancement of religion' should be removed as a charitable purpose.
Conversion therapy: the harm caused
- In 2018 the UK government said it would "fully consider all legislative and non-legislative options to prohibit promoting, offering or conducting conversion therapy".
- A 2014 consensus statement from the UK Council for Psychotherapy concluded that 'conversion therapy' was harmful. In 2017 major counselling and psychotherapy bodies from across the UK committed to ending 'conversion therapy'.
- According to the Ozanne Foundation's 2018 National Faith & Sexuality Survey, well over half of respondents who had attempted to change their sexual orientation had suffered from mental health issues as a result. Around 40% of those who had suffered mental health issues had self-harmed.
- Last week Germany became latest country to pass legislation restricting 'conversion therapy'.
Further note
- A recent petition against the trust's charitable status, from the advocacy group All Out, secured more than 10,000 signatures.
Charity regulator to look into sale of coronavirus ‘protection kits’
Posted: Thu, 2 Apr 2020 08:31
The charity regulator is to scrutinise a church over its bishop's sale of "plague protection kits" made of oil and string during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Charity Commission, which regulates charities in England and Wales, has opened a regulatory compliance case into The Kingdom Church after the National Secular Society raised concerns.
The south London-based church is a registered charity whose bishop Irugu Wiseman, also known as Bishop Climate, runs a group called Bishop Climate Ministries. The bishop is a trustee of the church.
A post on the Bishop Climate Ministries website, published on 20 March, promotes the protective power of "the Divine Plague Protection Oil" and "Scarlet Yarn".
The post originally read: "By faith you can be saved from the Coronavirus pandemic by covering yourself with the Divine Plague Protection Oil and wearing the Scarlet Yarn on your body."
"As you use this oil, along with a special scarlet yarn, every coronavirus and any other deadly thing will pass over you."
It has since been edited to remove direct claims that it cures the coronavirus specifically. It now says "you can be saved from every pandemic" by using the oil and string and "every plague and any other deadly thing will pass over you".
The post still contains a specific reference to "the reality of the coronavirus pandemic" earlier on.
It says the oil has been "mixed with cedar wood, hyssop and prayer" and claims cedarwood, hyssop and scarlet yarn, when used together, "act like an invisible barrier to the powers of darkness".
The church's website links to an online shop, which carries the same post. Wiseman has reportedly told the PA news agency that the church had sold more than 1,000 of the kits.
According to local newspaper Southwark News the kit was originally on sale for £91, although the link to buy it has since reportedly been deactivated.
A disclaimer has since been added to the posts to say they are "solely under Bishop Climate Ministries and Not the Kingdom Church".
Charity Commission response
After the NSS raised the issue, a Charity Commission spokesperson said: "We are looking into the serious concern about Kingdom Church GB's alleged sale of false COVID-19 protection devices, as a matter of urgency.
"We have opened a regulatory compliance case to assess the matter, and will be liaising as appropriate with other agencies. Charity can and should lead the way in taking public expectations seriously and charity leaders should demonstrate high standards of conduct and behaviour."
The commission said its step was designed to establish facts and to ensure trustees "understand and comply with their legal duties".
It added: "Any charity found to be exploiting people's anxiety during this time of national emergency can expect to face serious sanction by the commission."
NSS reaction
An NSS spokesperson welcomed the commission's response and said the episode highlighted the need for reform of charity law, which recognises 'the advancement of religion' as a charitable purpose.
"Selling bogus protection kits during the current crisis is worse than useless; it's exploitative and potentially harmful. The Kingdom Church, and particularly its trustee, appear to have significant questions to answer over their role in this episode.
"We must also question the current legal assumption that advancing religion is inherently beneficial. In this case, the very opposite appears to be true."
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'.
- Last year 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".
Local response
- Victoria Mills, a councillor on Southwark Council, said the issue was "already under investigation by our teams" and encouraged people to report similar issues to London Trading Standards.
Image via Bishop Climate Ministries.
