Services funded by public money should be open to all, without alienating anyone.
The recent drive to contract out public services to faith groups risks undermining equal access.
Help us keep public services free from discrimination and evangelism.
The government is increasingly pushing for more publicly-funded services to be provided by religious organisations.
Many faith-based groups have carried out social service without imposing their beliefs. But religious groups taking over public service provision raises concerns regarding proselytising and discrimination.
65% of people have no confidence in church groups running crucial social provisions such as healthcare with only 2% of people expressing a lot of confidence.
Any organisations involved in delivering public services should be bound by equality law and restrictions on proselytisation.
Those advocating for faith organisations to take over more public services risk undermining these restrictions, which exist to protect both the public and third sector.
"We have concerns that some religious groups that seek to take over public services, particularly at local level, could pursue policies and practices that result in increased discrimination against marginalised groups, particularly in service provision and the employment of staff. Non-religious people and those not seen to confirm to the dominant ethos of a religious body, such as being in an unmarried relationship or divorced and being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered, could find themselves subject to discrimination."
Unitarian Church (Submission to the Parliamentary Public Administration Select Committee about the Big Society agenda)
There are also concerns about faith-based mental health and pastoral care in public institutions, including chaplaincy programmes in the NHS and the armed forces. Where such services are funded by the state, they should not be organised around religion or belief.
Religious commentators are often keen to document the contribution of religious organisations to the third sector and social activism. But they fail to demonstrate why it should be the state's role to build this capacity or why local authorities shouldn't have legitimate concerns about religious groups running services.
Take Action!
1. Write to your MP
Ask your MP to protect secular public services.
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 the National Secular Society
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
Christian debt advice expands as CAB contracts
Posted: Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:18
A Christian debt counselling organisation that offers prayers with its advice is spreading rapidly throughout the country.
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has opened up 21 new debt counselling centres in churches across the UK – bringing its total up to 218. New centres have been established in Glasgow, Magherafelt in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Wight and Chester.
Last year, CAP "parted company" with Advice UK, the umbrella organisation that provides support to community groups offering free advice, after it was discovered CAP was offering prayers with the counselling it provided.
Christians Against Poverty was told that its membership of Advice UK was incompatible with the constitution that states that advice should be impartial and offered with no strings attached.
At the time, Christians Against Poverty said in a statement: "Whilst CAP is committed to provide impartial help and advice to all members of society, as an expression of our care for clients we do offer to pray with people. We also have the furtherance of the Christian faith as a charitable objective. In order to protect the integrity of both organisations it was amicably agreed that CAP would not continue to be an Advice UK member."
As CAP expands, the Citizens' Advice Bureau — which offers its services on a neutral basis — is closing branches after local authorities have run out of money to subsidise them.
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: "This is another example of the Big Society in action. If you want services, then you may have to pray to get them. I don't suppose CAP would turn people away on the basis that they refused to participate in prayers, but no doubt there are other organisations that would. And adding the world 'Christian' to the title would immediately discourage some members of the community from approaching them – perhaps very vulnerable people who really need debt advice."
Mr Sanderson said it was essential that the Government provide some sort of framework for service-providers — at least those using public money — to ensure that services were free from discrimination and religious demands.
Charity Commission is “anti-religious”, claims Tory MP
Posted: Thu, 1 Nov 2012 10:02
The Civil Society website reports:
Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke (right) has accused the Charity Commission of trying to suppress religion and predicted that the Plymouth Brethren case, where the organisation has been refused charity status, will be the first of many.
Elphicke, a member of the Public Administration Select Committee, made the comments at a PASC hearing on public benefit and charitable status on Wednesday.
Elders from the Plymouth Brethren, an exclusive and evangelical Christian sect, had been giving evidence about the Charity Commission's refusal to continue their charitable status when Elphicke asked them if they thought the Commission was "actively trying to suppress religion in theUK, particularly the Christian religion".
Elder Garth Christie responded: "I think we would share those concerns."
Asked by Elphicke whether the elders thought the Charity Commission's actions amounted to incompetence, or deliberate wickedness, Christie said: "It does seem very odd."
Labour MP Paul Flynn said it was ridiculous to suggest Christians are discriminated against in this country, given the immense position and privilege enjoyed by the Church of England.
But Elphicke told the elders: "I think they [the Commission] are committed to the suppression of religion and you are the little guys being picked on to start off a whole series of other churches who will follow you there."
