The British Humanist Association (BHA) has today responded to the Charity Commission’s draft guidance on ‘Public Benefit and the Advancement of Religion’. In its response, the BHA calls for Humanism and other non-religious beliefs to be treated equally to religions – in line with equality law and the Human Rights Act 1998 – and demands that the Commission take a more critical approach to the ‘public benefits’ of the advancement of religion.
Hanne Stinson, BHA Chief Executive, said ‘Until recent changes to the law, there had been a presumption that the advancement of religion was a public benefit. Now this presumption has been removed, we hoped that many of the undemonstrated and untested claims of the benefits of religions and their advancement would now need to be tested before religious organisations gained charitable status. However, it is clear from the Commission’s new draft guidance that this may not now be the case.’
‘In our response, we contest the Commission’s definition of religion, we suggest that the new guidance fails to carry over to religious charities the general law on public benefit and we highlight some of the many real – and provable – disbenefits of religion, the kinds of disbenefits that should rule out some religious organisations from gaining charitable status.’
Ms Stinson continued, ‘One of the key points iterated in our response is that the claims of religious groups, such as the public benefit of a belief in miracles or the public benefit of proselytising, must be subject to the same rigorous tests and evidence requirements as any other charity would be subject to – and that this must be done before a religious organisation gains charitable status.’
Notes
You can read the BHA’s response to the Charity Commission’s Consultation on Draft Supplementary Guidance on Public Benefit and the Advancement of Religion here [BHA Response Draft Guidance on PBReligion FINAL.pdf]
The appendices can be found here:
Appendix 1 [BHA Response PBR Appendix 201.pdf]
Appendix 2 [BHA Response PBR Appendix 202.pdf]
Appendix 3 [BHA Response PBR Appendix 203.pdf]
Appendix 4 [BHA Response PBR Appendix 204.pdf]
For more comment or information, please contact Hanne Stinson or on 020 7079 3583.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing the interests of the large and growing population of ethically concerned but non-religious people living in the UK. It exists to promote Humanism and to support and represent people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs.