OUR COMMON HUMANITY CAN UNIFY OUR CITY

Our letter published in the Leicester Mercury (Mon 2 Aug) has elicited an interesting response from Dr Allan Hayes, Secular Huamnist Chaplain to the Lord Mayor and President of the Leicester Secular Society. This is published as the "First Person" column in today's paper, quoted in full below:

Our common humanity can unify our city

Humanist Allan Hayes looks at an area of hope – and where improvement is needed

Last Saturday I received a blessing from an Anglican priest in an Anglo-Catholic service; I sang those of the hymns that I knew from my choirboy days; I shook hands with those around me as we exchanged greetings of "peace be with you"; I enjoyed food and wine, music, meeting friends, and speeches; I was moved by the exchange of vows (it was a wedding).

On Sunday I took part in a Hindu festival. Along with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, I helped pull a chariot from Humberstone Gate to a local park, where I enjoyed more hospitality and friendship, an explanation of the religion – and more food.

These were significant religious events, but I have no belief in the supernatural basis of the religions, so how could I take part? I might reply that I was at the second event as chaplain to the Lord Mayor and at the first as a friend, but there is more: as a humanist I start from a regard for humanity. The offering and receiving of goodwill is important, and religions are important to me because they are important to people. We do not need to share beliefs to share humanity, but we must certainly share humanity – we must get on together.

How can the sharing of humanity be encouraged? Mutual recognition is surely needed, and, here I have to say that we are still lacking. Councillor Sood has referred to the good work that the Council of Faiths has been doing in bringing religions together. She describes it as "fostering a climate of respect in which debate can flourish among those who are able to speak – and to listen – on behalf of their communities. Members of the Council of Faiths... respect and learn from each other's beliefs, cultures, practices and traditions. We try to find ways for all to move forward together and we aim to uphold the rights and dignity of all".

This is certainly valuable work, but those who are not in the principal religions need recognition too. An opportunity for this will come in November with the third [sic] National Interfaith Week. If humanists and secularists are to take part as they did last year then they must be more fully provided for – we had no representation or display facilities at the main public and civic events. I look forward to a reply from the Council of Faiths, which seems to have played a major part in setting things up last year.

We also need an event that brings us together as One Leicester. A celebration of the city for all to enjoy on the occasion of the election of the Lord Mayor would be a splendid combination of tradition, achievement and vision for the future – we should start planning it now.