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
NSS refers Christadelphian charities to regulator
Posted: Tue, 26 Nov 2019 13:54
The National Secular Society has referred 10 Christadelphian charities to the Charity Commission over concerns that they promote deeply intolerant messages, despite their legal requirement to provide a public benefit.
Material posted on some of the charities' websites condones the death penalty for LGBT people and Wiccans, associates being LGBT with child abuse and rape, and promotes female subservience.
In response to the NSS's concerns the commission, which regulates charities in England and Wales, has said it "will now look to open cases" into each of the charities.
The NSS's concerns included that content:
- Implicitly condoned the death penalty for homosexuals and Wiccans
- Associated being LGBT with child abuse, rape, bestiality, disease and Nazis
- Advocated physical punishment of children
- Stated that women should be subservient to men
- Demonstrated intolerance of people with Asperger's Syndrome.
The organisations reported all list 'religious activities' as a charitable object.
One of them (York Christadelphian Ecclesia) was registered in September 2019. This is one of six charities which list the website ThisIsYourBible.com as their official website on the Charity Commission's register.
ThisIsYourBible.com appears to condone the death penalty for gay people and Wiccans and physical punishment for children.
Another charity (Christadelphian Sunday School Union) is registered for educational purposes, with its materials aimed at children. Its website promotes intolerance of LGBT people and female subjugation.
Christadelphians are a Christian sect who tend to advocate strict adherence to Biblical scripture.
In its referral the NSS highlighted Charity Commission guidance on protecting charities from abuse for extremist purposes. This says charities have a "legal duty" to "carry out your charity's purposes for the public benefit".
It adds that "views or activities that incite hatred on the grounds of race, religion or sexual orientation cannot be for the public benefit".
In response to the findings, NSS spokesperson Megan Manson said:
"Registered charities are supposed to provide a public benefit, to justify the tax breaks they are given and the public recognition that comes with charitable status.
"After the election the next government should consider reforming the law so religious organisations that push such harmful messages cannot become charities."
The reported charities
The 10 charities referred by the NSS are:
- Amersham Christadelphian Ecclesia
- Bradford Christadelphians
- Christadelphian Advancement Trust
- Christadelphian Bible Mission
- Erith Christadelphian Ecclesia Charitable Incorporated Organisation
- Morpeth Christadelphian Ecclesia
- Teignmouth Christadelphian Ecclesia
- The Christadelphian Sunday School Union
- The Testimony (Christadelphian)
- York Christadelphian Ecclesia
The NSS has published a dossier which outlines its concerns over these 10 charities in full on its website.
The NSS and charity law
- In a report published earlier this year, the NSS called for 'the advancement of religion' to be removed as a charitable purpose.
- On two other occasions earlier this year the NSS also referred several Islamic charities to the Charity Commission over concerns that they were pushing intolerant messages:
- In April the commission said it would investigate three charities which linked to extremist content after an NSS referral.
- In June the NSS referred four Islamic charities for promoting material which suggested 'apostates' should be killed, women should be subordinate to men including by accepting marital rape and homosexuality is not innate. The commission said it would open "assessment cases" into the charities in response.
Regulator can’t reject ‘controversial’ religious charities, says CEO
Posted: Tue, 8 Oct 2019 12:20
The National Secular Society has reiterated its call for reforms to charity law after a regulator said it was unable to refuse to register 'controversial' religious charities.
The chief executive of the Charity Commission for England and Wales said the regulator is "not able to refuse registration" to organisations recognised as "legally charitable".
At the Charity Commission's annual public meeting on Thursday, Helen Stephenson said: "If something is legally charitable, we have to put it on the register."
Stephenson made the statement in response to a question about whether "controversial" charities operating in the areas of religion or alternative medicine could be removed from the charity register.
She also suggested the commission should consider whether it needs more powers to allow it to refuse to register 'controversial' organisations as charities.
The NSS published a report making the case for removing 'the advancement of religion' as a charitable purpose in March. It is currently listed as one of 13 charitable purposes in the Charities Act 2011.
The NSS's report highlighted the harm done by charities which exist solely to advance religion, including those dedicated to infant genital cutting, non-stun slaughter of animals and gay 'conversion therapy'.
In response to Stephenson's remarks, NSS campaigns officer Megan Manson said: "It hasn't escaped public notice that many religious organisations most people wouldn't consider beneficial are registered charities.
"But the Charity Commission is crippled by the fact the advancement of religion is recognised as a charitable purpose in law. This has meant organisations which provide no public benefit, or which are actively harmful, have acquired charitable status because their purpose is religious.
"Removing the advancement of religion from the list of charitable purposes would be a significant step towards solving this issue. It would mean only those religious organisations that provide a genuine public benefit, such as fighting poverty or helping the homeless, would have the right to register as a charity, with all the tax breaks and other benefits this status confers."
In her remarks Stephenson also said the commission is also "not able to take charities off the register as a form of sanction".
But in 2015 the commission removed the Steadfast Trust from the register after a TV documentary revealed its members promoting white nationalism and far-right politics. The commission said the trust was "registered in error".
Two religious charities also featured in the same documentary, Islamic Education and Research Academy and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, were both revealed to be promoting extremist ideology but remain registered charities.
Recent NSS lobbying of Charity Commission
- The NSS wrote to the Charity Commission earlier this year to highlight its report calling for reform of charity law.
- In 2018 the NSS wrote to the commission to question the charitable status of the Islamic Research Foundation International (IRFI). IRFI funds Islamic TV channel Peace TV, which has been subject of six Ofcom investigations for potential breaches of broadcasting rules designed to protect audiences from "hate speech, offence and the incitement of crime".
- In June the NSS reported four Islamic charities to the commission for signposting extremist material on their websites.
Commission's handling of religion vs alternative medicine
- Charities registered under "the advancement of religion" do not have to demonstrate tangible public benefits. In contrast, in 2018 the commission released guidance stating alternative medicine charities must provide "robust medical evidence" that their treatments provide a benefit.
