Oxford students last night voted 272 to 47 against the motion that ‘This House Believes that a World Without Religion is a World Without Meaning’. BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson, along with two BHA Distinguished Supporters – psychologist and broadcaster Dr Susan Blackmore and philosopher and best-selling author Dr Julian Baggini – opposed the motion. The speakers in favour were Tim Stephens, the Bishop of Leicester and leader of the Bishops in the House of Lords, Anil Bhanot, Director of the Hindu Council UK, and former Daily Telegraph Social and Religious Affairs Correspondent Martin Beckford.
The opposition argued against the idea that meaning was something ‘ultimate’ tied to the purpose of the universe, and argued instead that the universe was without discernible direction, purpose or meaning. But, they argued, this fact is irrelevant to the things that make life worthwhile and give us a sense of purpose – family, friends, relationships, work, hobbies, curiosity, love, social action, and all the other diverse ways in which people make meaning in their real lives. Reducing human beings to the faint after-image of some omnipotent deity, or trying to give human life meaning by postponing real fulfilment to some post-mortem paradise, they argued, can actually threaten to rob real life of its meaningfulness.
In his speech, Andrew Copson said, ‘Meaning is not something written into the universe like some cosmic knitting pattern or recipe for living. It is something we make in the here and now, for ourselves and in community with others.’
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The British Humanist Association is the national charity representing and supporting the interests of ethically concerned, non-religious people in the UK. It is the largest organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief, and for a secular state.