Opinion
The pope's empty words and meaningless gestures won't tackle clerical abuse
One of the pope's Christmas messages urged clerical abusers to hand themselves in. Keith Porteous Wood asks how effective... Read More »
Weaponised unreasonableness: father claims school standards violate his rights
After a father threatens the government with legal action over a requirement to teach about LGBT people in independent... Read More »
Relativism is undermining liberalism from within
In her book Identity, Islam and the Twilight of Liberal Values, Terri Murray explores attacks on liberalism from the... Read More »
Students should be free to excuse themselves from worship
After two students pushed the Welsh government for a response to a petition to remove schools' obligation to hold... Read More »
My children’s school has become Christian by default
Lee Harris didn't choose a faith school for his children. But when he challenged evangelism at his local school, he... Read More »
Unravelling the choice delusion
We often hear that faith schools improve choice. But an NSS report shows that choice centred narratives mischaracterise... Read More »
The gatekeepers of public debate can’t patronise away anti-Muslim bigotry
A parliamentary group's proposal that the government define 'Islamophobia' is a misguided power grab, says Chris Sloggett.... Read More »
Peterloo’s heroes represented the finest traditions of secular democracy
The film Peterloo is a reminder of the close links between the campaign for church-state separation and the push for... Read More »
Genital cutting and the laws of unintended consequences
This week's developments on ritual genital cutting in the US and Denmark highlight the need to adopt a consistent... Read More »
How secularism protects people who have religious faith
For Interfaith Week 2018, campaigns officer Megan Manson explains how the National Secular Society's work protects... Read More »
Time to end criminality and cover-up in the Catholic Church
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has turned its attention to abuse in the Catholic Church's archdiocese... Read More »
Review: The Children Act
Emma Park says Ian McEwan's book and the film it has inspired prompt the questions of what the state should do when... Read More »
European ruling that ‘religious feelings’ trump free speech is a dangerous development
Just as Irish citizens strike a blow for the right to freedom of expression, the European Court has fundamentally... Read More »
We must resist both religious hatred and its weaponisation
After a sharp rise in reported crimes in which religious hatred was a factor, Alastair Lichten says liberal democracies... Read More »
Why are harmful charities registered at all?
The revelation that Amazon funds extremist religious charities is the tip of the iceberg. Our charity system has deep... Read More »
The questionable ethics of evangelical debt advice
The good deeds of faith-based organisations shouldn't lead us to turn a blind eye to their more ethically dubious... Read More »
Don’t let mixed-sex civil partnerships distract from the need for marriage reform
Campaigners' elation at the arrival of opposite-sex civil partnerships is understandable, says Chris Sloggett. But... Read More »
Genital cutting: the search for ‘health benefits’ is disingenuous and inconsistent
The principle of bodily autonomy is enough reason to end genital cutting, says Brian D. Earp. Allowing 'health benefits'... Read More »
Stop reflexively saying yes to religious groups
As councils in north London, police in West Yorkshire and politicians in Westminster pander to religious groups' demands,... Read More »
China's religious persecution is a secularist issue
China may be the most godless country in the world, but it is far from being a secular one. Stephen Evans says the... Read More »
Why we must reclaim religious freedom
There is an urgent case for resisting those who claim the mantle of 'religious freedom' without regard for others'... Read More »
The Catholic Church’s record on abuse demands accountability, not more meaningless apologies
As the pope prepares to visit Ireland, NSS president Keith Porteous Wood says the international community must confront... Read More »
Religious power and privilege failed the victims in the Peter Ball affair
In this long read NSS president Keith Porteous Wood explains how all arms of the law co-operated to protect the now... Read More »
Child protection must come before the reputation of institutions like Ampleforth and Downside
Richard Scorer says a damning report on two leading Catholic schools' approach to safeguarding is a reminder of the... Read More »
Do burka bans do more harm than good?
As Denmark's ban on face coverings in public comes into force, Stephen Evans says standing up for fundamental rights... Read More »
