FIRST PERSON: DIVERSITY HAS ENRICHED CITY AND I'M PROUD TO LIVE HERE

Allan Hayes has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Diversity has enriched city and I'm proud to live here

Allan Hayes on the different religions in Leicester and why education is so important

It's time to tell people that we in Leicester, religious and non-religious, are one in humanity and that we are enriched by our diversity. We are fortunate in being able to say this from experience, from living together, from walking around, from travelling on the bus – we know what we are talking about.

I vividly remember arriving back from the United States to be greeted at Leicester station by a tall turbaned Sikh taxi driver with a "hello my friend, how do you like my new taxi?" and suddenly thinking, "I'm home".

A great deal is going into building this feeling of belonging.

Others will be able to add much more, but let me look back a little.

An Imam telling a group of us what Islam means to him and expressing his concern that Muslims should not isolate themselves; the launch of a book by a Jewish Quaker, proud of his Jewish heritage, and at the same time critical of Israeli policy towards Palestinians and seeking a just peace; a talk on the influence of Indian thoughts on Western thinking; an inside line, via my wife, to a campaign to stop the deportation of an asylum seeker mounted by Leicester City of Sanctuary (a great example of cooperation); an e-mail from a Sikh friend telling me that the Pope had said atheists like me might earn salvation through good works.

At the top of my concerns, however, is education: it can do so much to bring us together but it can also promote division.

Please, let us bring up our children together, let us bring them up knowing one another; learning to appreciate the long journey that we humans have taken together and that the human family includes us all: Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, humanist, atheist, whatever.

There is increasing realisation of the importance of this issue.

I have been pursuing it for a long time, recently at meetings in London and in Birmingham and on the web.

It will be taking up a lot of my time and effort in the coming year.

Recently, I told a humanist group in rural Dorset about how we do things in Leicester – I spoke with pride.

Allan Hayes is a board member of Leicester Secular Society

FIRST PERSON: FAITH SCHOOLS HELP REINFORCE SOCIAL DIVISIONS

Harry Perry has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Faith schools help reinforce social divisions

State education must not be allowed to discriminate by religion, says Harry Perry of Leicester Secular Society

All state-funded schools should be open to all children regardless of their parents' religion. Seems obvious when stated like that, doesn't it? Taxpayers from across the belief spectrum pay for our state schools yet there is in our country a Government-promoted policy for large numbers of publicly funded schools to be allowed to discriminate on the basis of parents' beliefs.

Why should that be? We also pay for the NHS, police and armed forces, for roads and social services and for the criminal justice system, yet nobody would dream of arguing aspects of these should be managed differently for people with different beliefs. So it should be for schools.

Even where faith schools have made pledges to ensure a mixed intake, we find admissions are skewed towards children of their own religion.

A national campaign has been launched to oppose religiously selective school admissions policies. It is called the Fair Admissions Campaign and you can easily find it on the web.

This campaign is particularly relevant in Leicester, where diversity of beliefs and communal harmony are trumpeted as our unique selling point in a world where religious conflict is a growing threat to international peace.

Elsewhere, we hear of children from families with the "wrong" beliefs being forced to travel far to find a non-discriminatory school.

There is a growing trend for parents to lie about their religious beliefs and even to attend services as part of the deception, in order to get their kids into a favoured school. How can that be a good example?

The most dramatically segregated schooling system in the UK is in Northern Ireland, but even there, after decades of civil strife, politicians are now pressing for integration.

Why is it important? It must be clear – especially from recent events – that so many of the tensions and conflicts in the UK and elsewhere are based on faith and ethnic divisions. Our communities remain riven by the differences which we should be learning to set aside.

Religiously selective schools cannot, of course, be held solely responsible for these problems, but they do underpin a system in which children learn they are different. They do not build friendships with others and the separation of children within schools reinforces wider divisions, as parents do not meet at the school gate.

It is vital individuals throughout the education system recognise and adhere to an inter-cultural approach that seeks at every opportunity to get people to mix rather than living with a constant emphasis on difference.

FREE SPEECH, YES, BUT MUST IT BE SO LOUD?

Harry Perry has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Free speech, yes, but must it be so loud?

Harry Perry, of Leicester Secular Society, has his own say on the city's modern speakers' corner

A reprint of a 1958 article in the Mercury referred to a Sunday morning Speakers' Corner, in the Market Place. Orators from different persuasions would regale onlookers with their particular truth – even some from Leicester Secular Society. And all without artificial amplification.

Speakers' Corner has long since ended, but I ventured into the city centre on a sunny Saturday to see how free speech is faring today.

The first encounter was by the Haymarket – seven Christians singing in Chinese to the accompaniment of a chap on a fiddle.

It was easy on the ear so I stopped to listen for a minute. This brought me to the attention of the choir and a chorister broke away to offer me … eternal salvation. I explained I was an atheist and way beyond redemption.

Next stop was a Muslim stall near the Clock Tower. The African chap here was keen to debate. I struggled to hear, being hampered by the PA system blaring out behind me.

I think he explained he didn't belong to a mosque, believing them all to be wrong in their telling of Mohammed's message. We soon got to the inevitable, "how did the universe start?"

For the sake of argument I said "The Big Bang". He said: "Yes, and that's what Allah told Mohammed, too"!

My eyebrows rose of their own accord. Pulling out his well-thumbed Koran he flicked to the relevant verse… which refers to the Earth appearing in a puff of smoke.

"There, he said, the Big Bang."

"A puff of smoke is hardly the Big Bang," I replied, and left to give my undivided attention to the Christians with the PA system.

I was offered another leaflet promising forgiveness and was told the group was made up of "Charismatics and Pentecostals". My new friend was unfazed by my declaration of atheism and invited me to a meeting. I declined, and dreaded to think what their PA system must be like within the confines of a closed room.

As I passed the Big TV on my way home I thought its manager could take a leaf out of the evangelists' book. It can be heard for only about 40 yards, while the evangelical sound waves travel far down High Street. Indeed, if loudness was any guide to truth they'd have a head start on the skyway to Heaven for sure.

What a wonderful thing free speech is – but guys, there is no correlation between volume and veracity, so why not turn the amp down – or dump it altogether?

Harry Perry is president of Leicester Secular Society

LEICESTER SECULAR SOCIETY IN PLEA TO CELEBRITY ATHEISTS TO HELP RAISE £40,000

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicester Secular Society in plea to cleebrity atheists to help raise £40,000

by Peter Warzynski

Celebrity atheists are being asked to help pay for the renovation of a society's headquarters.

Members of Leicester Secular Society are writing to 40 well-known people, including Richard Dawkins and Ricky Gervais, in a bid to raise £40,000 for the project.

The society is also appealing to local secularists to support the scheme to improve the Victorian building in Humberstone Gate.

Work will involve installing an accessible toilet, new kitchen, hearing loop, second fire exit and internal renovation.

The total cost is about £65,000, but the organisation has £25,000 in its reserves which it will use.

Harry Perry, president of the branch, said: "There are certain pressing problems on the ground floor where we have our meetings.

"We've appealed to about 40 celebrity atheists but I don't want to rely solely on them – we'll need our members to help us, too.

"The last census also identified that 24 per cent of the city are non-religious, so we're reaching out to them for help as well."

He said a number of attempts to secure funding had been unsuccessful and the organisation needed the full amount by the end of July.

"We approached the Heritage Lottery Fund, but it said there wasn't enough of a heritage aspect," said Mr Perry.

"The Big Lottery Fund turned us down, too, because it's too much about the building and not enough about the community.

"In fact, 95 per cent of sources of funding require we are a charity or a religious organisation and we're neither."

Leicester Secular Society has about 150 members and has used the grade-II-listed building for 130 years.

It hosts a variety of events, including talks, lectures and meetings by a number of organisations.

Leicester City Council has offered to look at ways of supporting the society with some of the renovation work.

Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "We'll help where we can with the project. In particular, we'd like it to include some work to the front of the building.

"The Secular Hall is a very important building in Leicester and unique one in the country.

"It has a proud history and is a place where people such as William Morris came to talk about not just secularism but society more generally."

Donate via their website at: www.leicestersecular society.org.uk

KORAN CASE SHOWS FLAW IN THE LEGISLATION

Harry Perry has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury (which is not on the website):

 

Koran case shows flaw in the legislation

Secularist Harry Perry calls for the removal of the word "insulting" from part of the Public Order Act

Tearing up a holy book is not an effective way to take issue with religion but the right to free expression valued by jury members is so fundamental to our way of life that it must be protected even when its exercise involves bad taste or insult.

A criminal prosecution was recently brought by Leicester’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) against a man who publicly demonstrated his opposition to religion by ripping up a Koran in public and throwing it to the ground.The case ended with a hung jury and a decision by the CPS not to pursue it further. The failure of the jury to reach a verdict reveals a problem with the law.

Many religions take it on themselves to seek to persuade people of other religions or of no religion to convert. Dire consequences of failing to believe in this or that god are often cited in these attempts. Likewise, atheists sometimes seek to expose the fallacies in religion, hoping to persuade people to give it up. They can all do this because what they are seeking to change is a matter of personal conviction. With race, gender, sexual orientation or disability the position is completely different. You cannot persuade someone to change these characteristics.

The legislation that rightly protects people in these categories from being harassed and abused or put in fear of their life on account of their characteristics has been developed over recent decades. But the addition of protection on grounds of religion more recently has brought with it a threat to the right of free speech because the police and the CPS have not got clear in their minds the qualitative difference involved. It is because of this that a broad coalition, including religious opinion, is currently trying to get Parliament to remove the word “insulting” from Section 5 of the Public Order Act as it has been used by the police in several instances to silence critics of one or other persuasion.

There is no special protection from insult or abuse on matters like politics, vegetarianism, astrology, homeopathy, and so on, beyond that which ordinary citizens expect purely in virtue of being a citizen. 

The same should apply to religious belief and non-belief.

Leicester Secular Society is a “Freethought” organisation dedicated to the idea that the best way to change people’s convictions is through the rational debate of available evidence. People in Leicester who wish to show their disagreement with others’ beliefs should normally do so in a calm and reasoned way, showing respect for persons even when condemning or lampooning their ideas or station. This is common courtesy and politeness, after all, and exemplifies the kind of city and country that most of us would like our children and grandchildren to inherit from us.

But by the same token, those whose beliefs are challenged, even when done discourteously, would be best advised to ‘turn the other cheek’ rather than calling for prosecutions. 

Harry Perry, Leicester Secular Society

CENSUS SHOWS THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'

Harry Perry's First Person column appears in today's Leicester Mercury (but not on the website):

Census shows the times they are a-changin'

Harry Perry, president of the Leicester Secular Society, gives his view on lessons from the census

As the new President of Leicester Secular Society, my particular interest in the 2011 Census has been data relating to religion and belief in Leicester. These stats are quite different from the national averages, revealing a city that is more diverse than most other places and, notably, where the four main belief categories (Christian; Non-religious; Muslim and Hind) are relatively evenly balanced, with a sizeable number of Sikhs too.

The new figures show that the number of Christians (of ALL denominations) is now down to only 32% of Leicester's population. Those without religion (atheists) are the second largest group with almost 23%, while Muslims check in at nearly 19% and Hindus at just over 15%, Sikhs are at about 4.5%. In other words, no single belief group is anywhere near dominant.

I believe this means that no spokesman for any single religion can be seen as a moral spokesman for the city. Each belief community has something to offer in this respect.

The key objective of Leicester Secular Society is to achieve a "separation of religion from the state". We have no desire to ban religion, worship of gods or religious rituals. These are matters of personal conscience and we will do as much as anybody to protect those fundamental rights.

Indeed in a world where religion often seeks to impose its dogmas on to society as a whole it is increasingly obvious that only a secular state can guarantee freedom of religion and belief for all.

We believe strongly that religion can divide people against each other, especially when national or local government gives favoured status to one belief over the rest.

This is why we have campaigned against the creation of ever-more publicly funded "faith" schools and have called for the ending of religious rituals in public bodies, like prayers in council meetings and the religious ceremony to welcome a new lord mayor.

This is why we believe that national and local celebrations of events like Remembrance Day for those killed in war should not be based on a specific religious ritual but on secular respect, reflecting that those who died had many different beliefs.

This is why we must question the financial privileges given to religious bodies, such as publicly funded chaplains in hospitals, prisons and armed forces. If the religious want them, then it is obvious who should pay.

In terms of policy making it is time that those who live good lives without religion were given proper respect with consultation alongside religious bodies.

We must stand by "one law for all". The new Census statistics must give all the city's policy-makers and opinion formers pause for thought.

Harry Perry, Leicester Secular Society

INTER FAITH WEEK 2012, DAY 2: HIGHCROSS EXHIBITION

Today is the first day of our week-long exhibition in Highcross for Inter Faith Week. First volunteers are Barbara Butler (of Christians Aware) and Allan Hayes (from Leicester Secular Society). There they are in the photo above, either side of me. For the first time, we have literature from both Christians Aware and Leicester Secular Society on display.

The photo was taken by John Coster of Citizens' Eye. He and Tina Barton (of Somewhere_To) are early visitors. I should have tucked my shirt in - but I'd just finished putting the exhibition together and was a wee bit more dishevelled than I would have liked.

Our very first visitors, though, are a couple who want to know why Pagans aren't represented in the exhibition. I give them a flier and ask them to put their query in writing so that the Council of Faiths can respond properly.

This is the fourth year running that we’ve been asked to put on this display in Highcross. After we’d been bumped up to First Class last year in terms of location and space, we’re pretty much back where we were in 2009 and 2010. That’s fine though – if it felt a bit more special last year, that's because it was our 25th anniversary. We couldn’t have that space this year anyway because it's being used for a special promotion:  let’s face it, nothing says “Christmas” like a Mini Cooper dressed up as Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Anne Fishenden (member of Leicester Quakers and Chair of Leicester SACRE - Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) and Narendra Waghela (from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir) volunteer on the display in the early afternoon.

I have to stand in for a couple of unscheduled hours in the afternoon when both volunteers for one slot cancel on account of illness. I should be at St Paul's Catholic School in Evington for their Sixth Form Philosophy Panel, but they'll have enough participants to go round. I phone the school with my apologies of course.

During these two hours I have interesting chats with a Christian couple who had seen a couple of lines about it being Inter Faith Week in the parish notes at church yesterday and had set out today to find evidence of it and with a pair of Iraqi fellows who recommended some adjustments to Highcross's Faith Room.

Deirdre O'Sullivan, Stephen Foster and Clare Carr (photo below) help out on the display, late afternoon and early evening. Deirdre is Lecturer in Archaeology the University of Leicester School's of Archaeology and Ancient History, which produced the Mapping Faith and Place in Leicester and the Leicester Faith Trail, the banners and booklets for which we have here this week; Stephen is Co-ordinating Chaplain at the University of Leicester Chaplaincy; Clare was of great help to the Council of Faiths for years when she was Schools Worker with Global Education Leicester-Shire.

One innovation on the exhibition this year is our little white tree, on which visitors and volunteers are invited to hang their hopes, dreams, prayers and wishes for themselves, for friends and family, for Leicester or for the wider world. Clare has spent several hours making labels with ribbon and I've put out a nice multi-coloured collection of Sharpies. Here's a selection of what some people write on the labels and hung on the tree:

Things can only get better! *lol*

Living in Leicester is a global experience! I am part of the world family of Faiths ... it's a good thing!

Love Leicester: United Nations in Leicester

In loving memory of Paul. Friend and husband of Denise. Sleep well xxx

I hope all religions have a good relation and peace

"Beyond our ideas of right and wrong, being is a field - I will meet you there" - Rumi

A hope and a prayer - that the children of the world will be healthy, happy and loved

I pray that one day soon there will be peace amongst all nations and faiths

SECULAR BELIEF MASKS A STEELY INTOLERANCE

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Secular belief masks a steely intolerance

I am sure I am not the only person who found the letter from Michael Gerard, president of Leicester Secular Society, with its anti-Catholic diatribe, particularly offensive ("Speech stirs up hatred of secularists, Mailbox, June 7).

It shows, as we have seen many times before, that beneath a facade of tolerance, there lurks a steely intolerance of any religious belief far exceeding that shown to secularists by people of faith.

I was not fortunate enough to be present when Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor gave his recent speech in Leicester, but if he stated that "secular values" are permeating insidiously every aspect of western life, he was absolutely correct.

The letter quotes him as stating that "no-one should be forced to live according to the new secular religion as if it alone were definitive and obligatory for all mankind".

We see evidence of this around us when we read of intolerance of people wearing crosses to work, or councils stating that there should be no prayers before meetings.

Michael criticises Franco in Spain, no doubt with some justification, but his regime also had merits. Remember that Christians are not perfect, and are in need of salvation.

It is simply not true to say that the Catholic Church connived with the Nazis regarding Jewish slaughter. Pope Pius XII did much behind the scenes to protect Jews, although some of it was not visible at the time for obvious reasons.

The so-called intransigent attitude of the Church to birth control and abortion are not there to annoy people: they are simply stating God's moral law.

The former denies the act of creation its natural outcome, the latter is murder, pure and simple.

Michael, please do not talk about stirring up hatred against secularists, (which nobody sensible wants to see) for that is exactly what you are trying to do against Christians.

Mark W Jacques OP, Quorn

SPEECH STIRS UP HATRED OF SECULARISTS

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Speech stirs up hatred of secularists

As president of Leicester Secular Society, I was surprised by the reports about the address by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor that appeared to suggest we are achieving world domination (May 17).

The former leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, speaking at Leicester's Anglican Cathedral, is reported to have said that "Secular values" were behind the violence carried out in totalitarian states and some of the 20th century conflicts that have killed millions.

"Our danger in Britain today is that so-called Western Reason has recognised what is right and thus claims reality – reality that is inimical to freedom," he said.

"No one is forced to be a Christian. But no one should be forced to live according to the new secular religion as if it alone were definitive and obligatory for all humankind."

We need to remind him, gently, when he states "no one is forced to be a Christian", that until the death of dictator General Franco, of Spain, the Catholic church worked hand in glove with the fascist dictator's government; burying its dead in church, while Republicans were usually shot and flung into unmarked ditches.

His Church was essentially compulsory and to dissent was to risk death.Perhaps he should remember how the Catholic Church connived with the Nazis in the slaughter of Jewish people.

Further, our own Queen "Bloody" Mary Tudor had non-Catholics executed in large numbers.

He confuses what he calls "secular religion" with consumer capitalism. This, as he may know, had its origins in the late Middle Ages – in Catholic Florence and Venice.

I suppose he cares to ignore his Church's intransigent attitudes to abortion and birth control, which are helping to imperil the world by forcing yet more hungry mouths into existence, leading to resource degradation.

I consider that stirring up religious hatred against secularists is equally as bad as stirring it up against other denominations.

Michael Gerard, president, Leicester Secular Society

CALLS TO ORDER: ENGLAND'S ANARCHIC AUGUST REVISITED

At Secular Hall, Humberstone Gate, this evening, for the regular weekly public meeting hosted by Leicester Secular Society. There are 30 people here: good turnout for a Bank Holiday weekend (and on the first day of decent weather we've had in weeks) and considering the fact that Humberstone Gate is something of an obstacle course right now, with all the redevelopment going on there.

Guest speaker tonight is Dr Stuart Price, Reader in Media Discourse; Senior Lecturer in Media, Film and Journalism at De Montfort University. His title: "Calls to Order: England's Anarchic August Revisited."

In this illustrated talk, Dr Price examines media coverage of the riots that took place in several English cities in August 2011, concentrating on front pages and opinion columns from print media. he asks us to consider, if disorder is portrayed in a certain way, then what kind of order is it that needs to be defended and preserved?

COMPULSORY WORSHIP IS WHAT WE ARE OPPOSED TO

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Compulsory worship is what we are opposed to

The Bishop of Leicester writes that "No-one is forced to worship against their own conscience" ("This is not the time to build a secular state", First Person, February 18).

He appears to overlook the fact that the Church of England lobbied for (and continues to oppose any changes to) the current law requiring acts of collective worship in state schools, the majority of which, in any given school term, should be "wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character".

The law gives parents the right to have a child excused from worship, but no such rights are recognised for school pupils, even those above school-leaving age.

Leicester Secular Society has been campaigning against this meaningless concept of "compulsory worship" for decades, but to date the Bishop, and his colleagues in the House of Lords, have strongly opposed allowing children to follow their conscience. I hope the Bishop's words mark a change of policy by the Church of England.At present the requirement for Christian worship is divisive, making it more difficult for schools to promote a cohesive community.

As to "it raises the question, what would a secular culture look like?", I would suggest that he looks at a the secular government of the USA where all forms of religion are much stronger than in the UK.

Secularists can be of all faiths and none, and some work to help preserve local churches. Secularists don't want to demolish places of worship any more than they would want to demolish golf club houses.

Secularists want to protect the freedom to practise religion (or not) and to pray, including in public. What we do object to is prayer being involved with the process of government, which should be completely agnostic with regard to religion.

John Catt, Loughborough

TAKE THE TRAIN, BISHOP!

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Take the train, Bishop!

I refer to the article by the Bishop of Leicester, "This is not the time to build a secular state" (First Person, February 18) in which he asks, "what would a secular state look like?"

In fact, if he takes the train from St Pancras to Paris he will be in one, for France is a secular state. Otherwise he can travel to Mexico or Turkey, which are both countries with serious problems, but in the latter case are partly caused by a religious party trying to get its hands on the reins of government.

However, instead of taking a trip on Eurostar, he paints a fantasy-picture of what he thinks life would be like.

In fact, his statement that there would be "no great public services" really is nonsense.

The churches can have their services as much as they wish, except that they should stand on their own two feet and not expect the rest of us to support their bishops in the House of Lords, their subsidised chaplains in the armed forces and in hospitals (costing the taxpayer nearly £30 million a year).

He sees cathedrals, churches, gurdwaras and mosques being razed to the ground.

Perhaps he is thinking of the period of the formation of his own schismatic church, which destroyed and plundered the great monastery buildings, such as Leicester Abbey at the time of the Reformation.

He falls back on the statement that the CofE has shaped and coloured our national life; however that is not an unqualified good. Can he not see that the non CofE members of Bideford Council may find it insulting to have their time wasted by having to kowtow to prayers from a religion to which they do not subscribe? He should take the Eurostar.

Michael Gerard, president, Leicester Secular Society

BBC RADIO LEICESTER: DISCUSSING FORGIVENESS WITH MONICA WINFIELD

On BBC Radio Leicester this morning with Monica Winfield, talking about forgiveness. John Florance phoned me last Wednesday morning to ask if I'd take part in the show, speaking to the topic from a Bahá'í point of view.

I walk down to St Nicholas Place from home in Stoneygate (my 11-year old son Harry comes along to keep me company - and to continue our ongoing conversation about DC comics' new 52). That little stroll takes us about 45 minutes at this time of the morning. It's cold, of course, but pleasant enough.

I'm the last of the three guests to arrive, just after 0800. Already there and ready to roll are Allan Hayes, Trustee of the British Humanist Association and past President of Leicester Secular Society and Daud Sameja, Chairman of the Leicester Christian-Muslim Dialogue Group at St Philip's Centre for Study and Engagement in a Multi-Faith Society (in the photo above with Rebecca Bryers, the show's producer).

I haven't met Monica (photo above) before. She keeps us going for a quarter of an hour or so, asking two questions, which all three of us get to answer in turn. Then she allows us each a final thought. It's all very agreeable and matey and a genuinely enjoyable experience.

As well as putting across some of the ways in which I'd say the Bahá'í principle and practice of forgiveness converges and diverges from how it's seen and done in other traditions, I get to use one of my favourite quotations: "Resentment is like taking poison and hoping the other person dies." This is attributed to Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE) - although personally, I heard it for the first time uttered by Tim Bayliss an unusually spiritually-centred detective (played by Kyle Secor) in the classic police procedural Homicide: Life on the Street. The quotation came up in connection with our agreement that an important aspect of forgiveness is how it allows us to draw a line under the past and make personal and collective progress.

This is the third time that Allan Hayes and I have sat together in this studio. He remarks (off-air) that he and I will have to put our minds to engineering a public spat of some sort before long, since most people expect the two of us to disagree with each other and we're constantly surprising them that we agree on so much. Thankfully, Monica is not of that opinion and is glad to promote harmony and cooperation on this slot. The programme can be heard on BBC Radio Leicester's Listen Again facility till midnight, Saturday 3 March (our chat begins just after 0810).

IT'S A MISTAKE TO SHOW RESPECT FOR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

This letter is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

It's a mistake to show respect for religious beliefs

The First Person column (Mercury, January 5) is mistaken in calling for respect for religious beliefs.

This is not a view shared by all secularists.

The aim of secularism is to separate Church and state, not give respect to beliefs that don't deserve it.

Giving respect to religious beliefs is a recipe for the relativism we already have too much of in Leicester, where children are divided into groups by the religion of their parents, and never allowed to decide for themselves.

The parents are then allowed/encouraged to impose any customs, or unfairness, however cruel or unjust, especially on girls, that their "good" book dictates.

Religion should be a personal choice, and remain in the personal lives of those who choose it, not imposed on society as a whole.

Pandering to the religious as the First Person column does, only encourages them in their delusions.

What is needed are universal human rights for everyone, and one law for all.

Lyn Hurst, member of Leicester Secular Society, writing in a personal capacity

KNOWING AND RESPECTING THE BELIEFS OF OTHERS

Allan Hayes's First Person column appears in today's  Leiceester Mercury:

Knowing and respecting the beliefs of others

Allan Hayes, of Leicester Secular Society, looks forward positively to 2012

The New Year looks hopeful for the improvement of relations between religions and beliefs. In the past year much more effort has been put into trying to understand one another, into working together and creating an idea of humanity that we can all share and contribute to – what Giles Fraser in this week's Sunday programme called a "big story". This does not mean that serious differences will not be discussed robustly and frankly – they must be – what it does mean is that they will be discussed more in a spirit of co-operation, contribution and accommodation rather than combat and confrontation.

At bottom it means that we will meet one another as people to be respected and listened to. I find that some of the people I now most look forward to meeting again are ones with beliefs different from mine – there is a deep pleasure in sharing humanity.

Here are some recent personal highlights:

A "Challenging RE!" day, with 200 secondary school pupils at Holy Trinity Church was a revelation – young people from a all backgrounds sharing views about what mattered to them; a visit to Gateway school organised by St Philip's Centre during which I was vigorously challenged about my beliefs by pupils; exchanges of views at the Leicestershire Interfaith Forum at County Hall; several events organised by Muslim groups; talking to St Philip's Christian-Muslim discussion group and their subsequent visit to the Secular Hall; the continuing and rewarding involvement with Christians Aware; a very pleasant visit to the Gujarat centre in Preston. Probably the most demanding work, but in many ways the most useful and rewarding, was the preparation of a display on humanism at the invitation of a local primary school.

Two books should be mentioned as looking for understanding and mutual benefit: the first one, out in a few weeks, Religion for Atheists, by Alain de Botton (himself an atheist), tells us that religions are good at some things to do with life and, rather cheekily, that atheists should steal from them. It goes some way to meeting my criticism that humanism needs to be more human – a view that came home to me very much in designing the humanist display referred to above.

The second one by the Vicar of the University Church, Oxford, Canon Brian Mountford is entitled Christian Atheist: it is very sympathetically dealt with in a Westminster Abbey sermon by the Rev Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence; it is of great interest to me as a trustee of the Sea of Faith Network, many members of which might accept the description "Christian Atheist".

Some people may find these developments disturbing. I suggest that they need not: for the more we know and respect one another as people the more we can respect one another's choices of belief. So, things are looking up – but do please think about the effect of faith schools.

CAN THE BISHOP PRODUCE EVIDENCE FOR HIS VIEW?

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Can the Bishop produce evidence for his view?

I was somewhat surprised to read the assertions in Bishop Tim Stevens' article "No scientific equation will explain God" (First Person, December 17).

Of course, in a way, he is correct because it is an almighty task to try to explain something for which there is no credible evidence of its existence. He was writing of the recent experiments with the atomic particle collider machine at CERN.

He was being dismissive of the idea that the experiments had discovered a "God particle".

He need not worry – as I understand it, the scientists have discovered some new sub-atomic particles of whose existence they had only guessed in the past.

According to him it is not so much scientists making discoveries, but his God kindly gradually revealing the "mysteries of the universe".

There is no evidence at all for this version of events, or if there is I hope he can produce it.

Michael Gerard, President: Leicester Secular Society

BIBLE, CULTURE AND IDENTITY

This letter is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Bible, culture and identity 

Allan Hayes, of the Leicester Secular Society, expresses his concern that Mr Cameron's speech about Christianity allegedly misrepresents the past and "shows no understanding of the present" (Mailbox, December 26). 

He states that "it is all 'spin' in pursuance of a personal fantasy". He fears it might be to the detriment of those who "promote the shared values and sense of community". 

He criticises the Church for opposing democracy, extension of voting rights, election of MPs of other faiths, introduction of state education, access of women to universities and birth control. He seeks reassurance from members of the Church that "we are being dealt with fairly" and "we can move on". 

He objects to "a privileged" religion as promoter of values. He feels these should be based on "our common humanity". He criticises Mr Cameron for implying that only "Christianity will save us". 

He claims we are not a Christian country, but a country "that belongs to all who live here". 

And this is the problem. Many people living here do not regard it as such. I venture to suggest that this country belongs to all those who accept its culture. 

VS Naipaul, the Nobel prize winning author (born in Trinidad to Indian Parents) said: "A person can't say, 'I want the country. I want the laws and the protection, but I want to live in my own way.' I think if a man picks himself up and comes to another country he must meet it halfway. If he does not, it's wrong." 

A country can remain cohesive only if there is at least a residual sense of togetherness, in other words, patriotism. 

Olympic Games are an outward sign of patriotism but sometimes it is sad to see that sports people do not sing the National Anthem when representing their country. Ethnicity is not a bar to this idea. It should be noted that Soviet Union and Yugoslavia were truly multicultural societies. 

If one has a different view on multiculturalism one is immediately branded a racist so it thwarts reasoned discussion and results in discontent festering beneath the surface. That is counter productive. Mr Cameron's speech was marking the end of the 400th anniversary year for the King James Bible. He said he was not on a mission to convert the world. He said: "This book is important to understand the past and to shape the future of this country." He said that we should not be frightened to recognise this. 

We should note that: Firstly it "permeates every aspect of our culture (a high point of the English language) and heritage from everyday phrases to our greatest works of literature, music and art". It is noteworthy that many references to the Bible, in literature, culture or music, are not understood by young people. 

Secondly, the Bible has been a spur to action for people of faith throughout history in "politics, human rights, equality, constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy". 

Thirdly, "we are a Christian country and should not be afraid to say so whilst respecting other people's right to have or not have a religion". 

For the many shortcomings in British history Mr Cameron pointed out that debates in 1647 in the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Putney saw the first call for "One man and one vote" and demand for vesting of authority in Parliament rather than King. 

The Church built hospitals, created charities, fed the hungry, nursed the sick and looked after the poor to whom they gave shelter. 

Humanitarian crises are mainly supported by the Church charities.Mr Cameron stated that the Bible has helped to give Britain a set of values and morals which we should stand up for and defend. Moral neutrality was not an option. 

St Thomas Aquinas wrote: "It is through culture that man lives a truly human life." The words were repeated by John Paul II at the Unesco headquarters in 1980. No country should abandon its own culture or heritage since doing so eventually leads to its loss of identity. 

Michael Myers, Leicester 

LEICESTER SPEAKS 2011: THE BIG LAUNCH!

Today we kick off the second annual celebration of Local Democracy Week or, as it's been dubbed here, "Leicester Speaks".

Today's display is quite a step-up from the one-hour event with which we launched the first Leicester Speaks a year ago. In October 2010 we had a stage in Humberstone Gate for 60 minutes onto which John Coster and I (as Co-Chairs) sought to usher unsuspecting folk to take the microphone so that they could have 60 seconds in which to speak about something important to them. Just about everyone involved thought the event successful, so it makes sense to have it bigger and longer this year.

We also had a Pre-Launch Event in Gallowtree Gate at the beginning of August, which did a lot to raise awareness of Leicester Speaks and encourage more organisations to get involved this time. 

There are a couple of dozen displays from different organisations in a street market layout, along both sides of Humberstone Gate. The photo above shows (from left to right) Harry Perry of Leicester Secular Society (our neighbours under canvass here today), that guy who's always hanging around with his big camera and whose name no one seems to know; Fari Wyman (the first Mrs Ballentyne) and our son, Alastair.

There are a number of fixed slots throughout the day when we encourage people to get up and speak, but this proves a lot harder than it was last year. On reflection, I think that when people see this much bigger, more professional staging, they expect to be entertained rather than get up on stage and do something themselves.

It was good to have Fari on hand this afternoon, as a chap from Leicester's small and rarely noticed Zoroastrian community came to the stall and they two of them were able to converse in Farsi.

The day proves exhausting, particularly trying to to marshall reluctant speakers onto the stage. By the end of it all, John Coster and I agree that, after two years of co-chairing Leicester Speaks, someone else should have that privilege next year.

RELIGION UNDER ATTACK

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Religion under attack

Mr Allan Hayes (Mailbox, September 10), member of the Leicester Secular Society and the humanist movement, again tiresomely calls for religious influence to be abandoned.

Some of his views I can find favour with. The need to co-exist, the need for all of us to respect one another's views, the need for understanding.

There he should leave it, but, no, he insists on picking a fight with us of faith, all faiths.

He reminds me of the story of two tribes, the "Haves" and the "Have-nots" that lived on either side of the wide densely covered jungle valley. They each survived and lived in peace for many generations unaware of the other's presence.

One day, they discovered each other's existence, and although they lived only several miles apart, they had developed quite separately. The "Haves" had religion, the "Have Nots" had not.

Most of the tribe members were prepared to continue their way of life undisturbed and trade with the new tribe, except one person in the "Have Nots", who felt their way was the supreme way and continually harassed the other tribe to change their ways until the "Haves" patience was exhausted. Readers can finish the story themselves...

It was well over a year ago the Leicester Secular Society and the UK Humanist tribe set out to harass us religious people, even though we had co-existed for years. I cannot claim the Church has a clean record – recent reports would prove me to be deluded if I tried – but the actions of a few selfish, arrogant and perverted individuals in positions of trust should not condemn the millions who do charitable work day in, day out in centres, churches, streets and schools.

If a small minority's actions forecast the fate of millions, atheists would suffer, whatever My [sic] Hayes and his colleagues would claim against religion.

If atheism is so good, and for some it may be, why do committed atheists harass faith followers rather than centre on atheism's merits for recruitment?

Stephen A Warden, Wigston

RE: WE SHOULD TAKE A BROADER VIEW OF BELIEF

Allan Hayes has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:  

RE: We should take a broader view of belief

Allan Hayes calls for change in the position of religion in our schools' curriculum.

Thank you for your Opinion column, "Compulsory religion is out of date" (Mercury, September 7). It is time that we faced up to these issues. I write in a personal capacity, but with a long involvement with religion and its role in society: I am a director of Leicester Secular Society, a trustee of the British Humanist Association and Humanist representative on the Leicester Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE).

The requirement of compulsory acts of worship could be simply dealt with – it could, and I think should, be removed. That not just because it is widely ignored and the majority of the population is in favour of its removal; compulsion in religion is morally offensive.

Of course, morning assemblies are a valuable part of the school day.

One of the most inspiring experiences during my year as chaplain to the Lord Mayor, was a visit to morning assembly at one of the city's infant schools.

It was a joyous and happy affair with children singing and reading, and reflecting on life and caring. It set the feeling for the school as a caring community – it was good.

Religious Education is a more difficult matter.

In spite of the efforts of teachers and advisers, the subject still gives the impression to many people of the state pushing religious views on to children.

And consider the make-up of SACREs, the local bodies responsible for what is taught: four groups, one for Church of England, one for other approved religions, one for teachers' representatives, one for representatives of the local council. What about other beliefs and the great number who just want to get on with their lives without reference to religion? Millions of people are essentially humanist in their outlook, but Government guidance is that humanists should most definitely not be full members.

In addition to these issues of principle, there are real worries among teachers of RE at the reduction in the subject's status and the resources available, and its not being included in the English Baccalaureate.

What might be done? Can the subject evolve and widen into one in which our humanity is nourished and celebrated, including our religions – a subject where we learn to value one another directly as people and where respecting someone's religion is a consequence of a wider respect for people?

I would like to think that it can, but I don't know. Perhaps, here in Leicester, we have the possibility of bringing this about.

Our schools should bring us together, and it is on this point that, while I welcome your opening up of the discussion, I have to say that I think that your suggestion of simply leaving RE and worship to individual schools would push us in quite the wrong direction. It would lead to division – it could also result in schools rather than the state exercising compulsion.