School visits

We are happy to provide speakers for schools - free of charge.

All young people have the right to make a free and informed choice about what to believe - without undue pressure and with full knowledge of the alternatives.

We hope faith schools will welcome us just as we are welcomed into non-faith schools.

Lost faith?

We are contacted frequently by people who have "lost their faith." This can range from:

"I woke up and realised that everything I had been told since a child was nonsense."

to:

"I have become so angry at what is done in the name of religion."

This is frequently heard in the context of non-Christian Christians in the USA and murderous religious extremists in Israel as well as religious attitudes towards sexuality and the right of women to control their fertility. A concern voiced by many is how religion is disproportionally represented in parliament so religious MPs and lords continue to deny us, and others, the right to a dignified death at a time of our choosing.

The USA is blind to the link between mass ownership of guns and mass killings. "It's not the gun, it's the person who uses it". The world is equally blind to the link between religions and murderous violence: "It's not religion, it's certain people doing things in the name of religion."

Mass ownership of guns is a problem. Religion is a problem.

We are very happy to help those who have lost their faith. We have tried to answer most questions on this site but we are always happy to have a chat by email or face-to-face. We show that you can be a good person with a strong moral framework and a sense of personal and social responsibility, without gods, religions and all that goes with them.

We can't provide the social support structures and networks that many people value in religion - because we don't need to! Atheists and Humanists are independent freethinkers and they become involved in all sorts of "good works". Those who want to change society on the grand scale join local political groups, like the Greens, to try to make society fairer for us all.

So, if you have lost your faith, read through this web site and contact us if you have any outstanding questions.

Looking for a celebrant?

Louise is a Humanist celebrant who loves her job - and she is local - based in lovely Derbados (as she says!)

So, for a fun and enjoyable wedding please visit her web site at kickassgatherings.com

Our deep concern

We are deeply concerned about the rise of religious nationalism throughout the world. In particular Christian Nationalism, "christofascism", is growing in strength in the USA, South America and Europe. In the Middle East Judaism is used as justification for the murderous actions of the Israeli government. The American government is dominated by Christian Nationalists funded by Judaist Nationalists through AIPAC and others.

Of course there are millions of good, well-meaning and tolerant religious people but there is a level of blindness, a lack of empathy, a lack of questioning and even a lack of intelligence that seriously concerns us about many religious groups.

This is scary stuff.

The symptoms are clear for all to see:

• The belief that religious groups (Christians, Judaists, Muslims, Hindus) have a god-given right to control society, culture and government.
• Belief in a strong authoritarian religious government and "if you are not for us, you are against us".
• A harking back to some fantasy non-existent past when society was happy because it blindly followed religious leaders and their teachings. Those who disobeyed were expelled or killed.
• The blaming of "the other" for any ills in society. This can be immigrants, those who are not white or those who do not share religious beliefs. This makes it very easy for politicians to use scapegoating and divide and rule.
• For Christians, a failure to read, learn and behave according to what it says in the Gospels - the Sermon On The Mount and the Golden Rule. Instead they prefer to stick to the teachings of Judaism as contained in the Old Testament.
• The relegation of women as second class citizens with no right of control over their own bodies or their own fertility.
• Hatred towards those whose sexuality does match some fantasy "Christian Ideal" of the perfect happy family. Cynical right wing politicians, included those who in reality have no personal religious beliefs (Trump, Farage, etc.), are happy to pretend that religion and "family values" (whatever they are) should be at the heart of society.
• A complete inability to understand that humans are complicated and imperfect and that the best way for society to prosper is for us all to get along with one another with no group trying to force it beliefs down the throats of others.
• Only a secular society can guarantee true freedom of belief - for religious and non-religious people.

Freedom of belief

All freedoms are constrained in one way or another, that's why societies have rules to help us live harmoniously together. Our constraints are:

• Cause no harm.
• Don't call for harm to be caused.
• Don't discriminate based on skin colour, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, disability.

  We have left "religion or belief" out of this list because the law allows religions to discriminate. For example, atheists find it hard to get jobs in religious schools which make up over one third of all schools in the UK.

  Also, unlike all the others, religion is an intellectual choice - or should be - and people are responsible for their choices in life.

• Don't force your beliefs onto others, particularly children - allow them to make a free and informed choice.
• Allow people the freedom to change their beliefs.
• Support the Liberal Tradition of freedom of belief, thought and speech.
• Don't expect not to be offended - none of us has the right not to be offended.
• Don't expect "respect" for your beliefs - after all, there are many beliefs (fascism, white supremacy, etc.) that don't deserve respect.

This is covered in more depth in our article on "Moral and ethical values".