Every morning, I get an email from the American Freedom From Religion Foundation, which in its own quiet way reminds me that the history of free thought is a long one. Today, it’s thrown together two names you don’t often see in the same sentence, Bjork… And Voltaire! You can find out more about the … Continue Reading
Archives
Please Don’t Label Me
Another great piece of work from the people who brought you the Atheist Bus Campaign. Read all about it in this article by Ariane Sherine
The Rise and Rise of the Humanist Wedding
I’m not a statistician, but at the end of July every year, I really enjoy reading the Annual Report from the Registrar General for Scotland that (among other things) gives the number of marriages conducted during the previous year. Humanist Weddings only became legal in Scotland on the 12th of June 2005, but since then … Continue Reading
The Rise and Rise of the Humanist Wedding
I’m not a statistician, but at the end of July every year, I really enjoy reading the Annual Report from the Registrar General for Scotland that (among other things) gives the number of marriages conducted during the previous year. Humanist Weddings only became legal in Scotland on the 12th of June 2005, but since then … Continue Reading
The Rise & Rise of the Humanist Wedding
Humanist wedding ceremonies have only been legal in Scotland since June 2005, but they’ve become so popular that people are often unaware of the long campaign conducted by the Humanist Society of Scotland to make them available. I wrote an article about this for the International Humanist & Ethical Union’s magazine which has just been … Continue Reading
Thought for the World
I haven’t been posting much about weddings recently because I’ve been very busy organising the Humanist Society of Scotland’s third series of alternative Thought for the Day podcasts, Thought for the World. It’s part of a long-running campaign to persuade the BBC to open up their Thought for the Day slot on Radio 4 to … Continue Reading
A Christmas Message from Ricky Gervais
New Humanist Magazine has come up with a great idea: an advent calendar of podcasts by well known commentators and comedians. Today’s comes from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant The devil may have the best tunes, but the humanists have the best jokes.
Love and Proposition 8: Keith Obermann’s moving plea
“If you voted for this proposition, I have some questions for you,” begins Keith Obermann on MSNBC and he goes on to say all that needs to be said about the right of gay people to marry in the USA: much of it applies here in the UK too. I recently interviewed former Bishop Richard … Continue Reading
Face to Faith – Making Everyone Feel Welcome
Humanist weddings are non-religious but they’re not anti-religious and I believe it’s important that everyone feels welcome. It’s a subject that comes up fairly often when I meet people for the first time and although many couples have no interest in religion themselves, I always ask them about their friends and relatives so if they … Continue Reading
Little touches
It’s been a busy – if rather wet – summer, but now that the swallows are leaving our shores (at a rate of 3,500 an hour, according to the bird observatory at Portland Bill) I’ve had time to look back over the wedding ceremonies I’ve conducted this year and I’m not entirely surprised to find … Continue Reading