The BHA has briefed MPs ahead of a debate on Wednesday 11th March, when MPs will debate ‘Christianity in Public Life’.
Naomi Phillips, BHA Public Affairs Officer, said, ‘This debate in Parliament provides an excellent opportunity for MPs to look critically at the continuing influence of Christianity on our public institutions, which affect all of us. What will be vitally important for MPs to highlight is that we live in an increasingly diverse society where, according to respected surveys, anywhere between 45% and 65% of the population are non-religious, making us one of the most secular societies, demographically, in the world. Also important to bring to the fore is how largely unshared Christian beliefs and unrepresentative Christian institutions continue to have a stranglehold over many of the fundamental aspects of public life in Britain.’
In its briefing to MPs ahead of the debate, the BHA has highlighted some critical areas of continuing Christian privilege in the UK which lead to discrimination, disadvantage, inequality and policies which are not reflective of public morality. These include:
A third of all state-funded schools are ‘faith schools’, the vast majority of which are Anglican. The Church of England and the Catholic Church have consistently opposed measures which would prevent or even reduce discrimination on religious grounds in admissions and employment in those schools, leading to huge problems for social cohesion now and in the future. Many qualified teachers are simply barred from applying to both senior and other teaching positions in many state schools as they are of the ‘wrong’ or no religion.
Collective worship, of a mainly or wholly Christian nature, is still compulsory in all schools. This is a policy which is widely considered, including by the Joint Committee on Human Rights, as incompatible with the UK’s human rights obligations.
Religious groups are in the front of the queue to take on public services on behalf of the state, retaining their significant exemptions from law to allow them to discriminate in their employment practices on grounds of religion and on sexual orientation, even when working under contract.
We still have an established Church with 26 seats in the House of Lords reserved for Church of England Bishops – and many more have been awarded life peerages. The UK is the only democratic country to give seats in its legislature to religious representatives as of right. The presence of Church of England in the House of Lords entrenches a privileged position for one particular branch of one particular religion that cannot be justified in today’s society.
There are many other areas where Christianity exerts an undue and unrepresentative influence in British public life today, including: broadcasting, public ethical matters, marriage law, free speech issues, charity law, education, communities strategies, constitutional reform, chaplaincy and human rights law and practice.
Ms Phillips continued, ‘Where Christian influence on public life in the UK is declining, we should see that as a victory for the continuing fight for equality, individual rights, progressive politics and a reflection of an increasingly secular society. But while we have an established Church, religion and Christianity in particular will continue to have an entrenched, privileged and hugely disproportionate influence on all of our lives.’
Notes
Read the BHA’s briefing here.
For more information, contact Naomi Phillips on 020 7079 3585.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing the interests of the large and growing population of ethically concerned, non-religious people living in the UK. It is committed to human rights and democracy, and has a long history of active engagement in work for an open and inclusive society and for a rational approach to public ethical issues. The BHA’s policies are informed by its members, who include eminent authorities in many fields, and by other specialists and experts who share humanist values and concerns.