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Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins Talk Ethics in Oxford Keeping Public BHA news BHA news www.humanism.org.uk Issue 3 2011 Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles. What do we live for if not to make the world less difficult for each other? — Attributed to George Eliot Keeping public services fair, inclusive, and secular The BHA is at the forefront of the to provide those services through its campaign to keep public services ‘Poppy Project’. The Salvation Army, an shared, inclusive, and secular. Since we evangelical organisation, has previously published our report and policy paper declared to parliament that it would on public service reform, Quality and be ‘impossible’ for it to be ‘religiously Equality: Human Rights, Public Services neutral’ in the provision of public and Religious Organisations (http:// services. The Salvation Army’s position tinyurl.com/Q-EReport) in 2007, we have statement on homosexuality also details been working hard for legal and policy homosexual behaviour as ‘self evidently changes to ensure that religious groups abnormal’ and condemns gay people to a cannot discriminate when they provide life of celibacy. public services. We’ve also been trying We believe that it is deeply to publicise the issues at stake, which, ones. In fact, many religious groups which concerning that the government has in light of more public services being wish to take on the delivery of public considered it appropriate to stop contracted to religious organisations, are services may be particularly conservative, contracting with an organisation specialist getting evermore serious for employees, evangelical, unrepresentative, or in working with victims of sexual service users, and the public alike. internally discriminatory, causing trafficking, motivated solely with regard Fairly provided and fairly distributed particular problems with contracting to to the wellbeing of those women, and has public services of a good quality are an religious organisations that do not exist handed over control of those services to essential foundation of a healthy, happy, with secular ones. There is no evidence a church motivated by a clear mission to and good society. We believe that public to show religious organisations are evangelise. services can promote the wellbeing of better able to reach vulnerable people The BHA, which is a member of the individual citizens and enhance their in communities, in fact if they are End Violence Against Women coalition, social capital, that their full availability is discriminatory, such as having a men-only met with Eaves Housing to discuss how essential for full citizenship and equality board, or are homophobic, they may be we could work together in the context of for all and essential for greater social less accessible to the wider community. the BHA’s wider work on public service cohesion. The BHA makes no judgment So we reacted with deep concern reform. As we have already seen with the on the desirability of a mixed economy when the government awarded a divisive ‘faith’ schools system, without policy in the provision of public services. contract to provide vital services for measures in place to ensure equality of However, we are clear that trafficked women to the Salvation Army, all before services are contracted, there commissioners must not assume that withdrawing funding from pioneering is a real risk of permanently entrenching religious organisations will be better able women’s charity Eaves Housing, which religious division and discrimination in to serve the local community than secular had previously been commissioned public services. Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins talk ethics in Oxford On 12 April in Oxford the BHA, Richard religion can be counter to ‘avoiding the assumption that science has nothing to Dawkins Foundation, Oxford Univerity worst possible misery for everyone.’ say about right and wrong. Atheists, Humanists and Secularists, In this first joint public appearance, Audience members challenged doing Project Reason, and Blackwell Bookshops Harris and Dawkins went on to discuss the away with moral philosophy and the fact/ hosted a discussion with neuroscientist scientific tools and methods that may be value distinction, instead focussing on and philosopher Sam Harris about how used to determine moral values. In cool questions of principle which, perhaps, he locates morals and truth within the tones and clear language, Harris worked science can’t necessarily resolve alone. A context of science. The discussion was hard to undermine the conventional fascinating evening. chaired by CFI UK provost Stephen Law. Harris was joined on stage by BHA Vice President Richard Dawkins. Harris began by stating that without a universal moral framework humanity will lose its way. However, with reference to his latest publication The Moral Landscape, he argues that religion isn’t where we find universal morality, and that often Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins morality and behaviour dictated by Please find your 2011 BHA AGM papers enclosed BHAN-2011-issue3.indd 1 09/06/2011 10:28:36 Seeking equality in need to be replenished, and there are News in brief government policy also still areas where we need celebrants to set up new practices, so the training is In May we responded to a consultation a vital part of continuing our central aim BHA welcomes... concerning the government’s plans for the of reaching all those who wish to have From the Chief Executive ‘Community Right to Challenge’, a new a non-religious ceremony. The demand Sara Passmore initiative introduced under the Localism for such ceremonies will surely continue is our new Head Bill which seeks to open up innumerable to increase, and alongside this, so must Andrew Copson of Education and local services to ‘community groups’, the strength of the Humanist Celebrant Promotion. Sara including religious groups. We also shared network, which already numbers three Under the last government, we present government that these misguided how that goes in the next BHA News! studied Education and our work with the All Party Parliamentary hundred. repeatedly warned that the way was policies are now bearing their fruit, with I’m really pleased to be able to English Literature at Humanist Group (APPHG) and encouraged We are seeing an incredibly high being paved for the effective end of our the shocking award of the public contract welcome three new members of staff this the Victoria University its members to make their own responses. standard of intake of new celebrants this secular public services in this country for working with trafficked women to spring, about whom you can read more of Wellington, New The response formed part of the BHA’s year, with lively discussion of humanist through changes in the law to allow for the Salvation Army, the consequent de- on page 3. Sara Passmore and Andrew Zealand and has since led on multi-million wider campaign to keep public services issues to the fore during training sessions, the contracting out of public services funding of secular women’s charity Eaves, West take over from the work of Bob pound educational programmes across shared and secular. and a real passion for the work among to third parties, and government policy and with the awarding of a local contract Churchill, who has left after three years the UK as a projects manager at pfeg The ‘Community Right to Challenge’ new graduates. The range of ages which explicitly favoured religious for children’s services in Richmond with us to undertake voluntary work in (Personal Finance Education Group). — a key reform under the government’s and backgrounds represented is also groups for those contracts. One of the to the same Catholic agency which Africa. They are both excellent additions In her spare time Sara helps run SCI- ‘Big Society’ plans — gives ‘community encouragingly wide: 2011 looks set to first events that Polly Toynbee chaired refused to consider a same sex couple as to our small and dedicated staff team FI-LONDON, the London International organisations’ a ‘right’ to bid to run be a promising year for new Humanist for us when she became president in adoptive parents. With the rhetoric of and their vital work will ensure that we Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastical public services in local areas, on behalf Ceremonies celebrants. 2007 was the Westminster launch of our the ‘Big Society’ all of a piece with these have the members, money, and technical Film. She has responsibility for promoting of the state. We emphasised that the If you’re interested, you can find out report on public service reform, ‘Quality developments, we can expect to see more infrastructure to face the challenges understanding of Humanism, including issue at stake is not one of wishing to more about training on the BHA website, and Equality’. That report highlighted of the same. Our excellent public affairs ahead. I’m also happy to welcome Richy through an educational setting, and for discriminate against religious groups, including information about the key areas the ways in which, through exemptions team is working on these issues as they Thompson as our new campaigner on promoting the BHA to diverse audiences. rather it is one of ensuring that all where we really need new recruits. from employment law, from equality law emerge and I’m pleased to say that our ‘faith’ schools and other education issues. providers are required to work to the and from the Human Rights Act itself, strong policy work in this area has been He has interned with us for over a year same high equality standards, to ensure Why dying matters by BHA the seeds were being sown for a system recognised, and I will be giving evidence and is well placed to take these important Richy Thompson that all public service employees are trustee Alice Fuller that could plunge us back to a time of to the House of Commons committee campaigns forward.
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