Face to Faith: Christians and Humanists in Conversation

***Please note the change of venue from the one published in our programme***

Wednesday 25^th April 7.30pm
Elstead Hotel,  12-14 Knyveton Road, Bournemouth, BH1 3QP

With David Warden and John Macdiarmid

David Warden, chair of Dorset Humanists, will be talking with John Macdiamid, pastor of Poole Christian Fellowship about their different worldviews and how they came to hold diametrically opposed conclusions about God and the meaning of life.

John Macdiarmid was brought up a Catholic. He went through a brief phase of being an atheist and then converted to evangelical Christianity as a student. David Warden was an evangelical Christian in his teens and studied theology at university with a view to becoming a priest, but he graduated and left as a confirmed atheist. John and David are friends and have much in common, but on the biggest question of all they remain firmly in opposite camps. Tonight we bring them together with compère Dean Robertson to discuss their respective worldviews in front of a live audience.

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites: 

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

***Please note the change of venue from the one published in our programme***

Faith to Faithless

Saturday 14^th October 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

With Co-founder of Faith to Faithless Imtiaz Shams

Although non-religious people account for around one-fifth of the world’s population, those of us who do not believe are treated poorly in many communities. Discrimination and ill treatment can occur in many areas of life including within families, institutions, societies, and states. For those who are minorities within minorities, such as apostates or those having different faiths within majority faith communities, such discrimination is often much worse and can include rejection, victimisation and even violence. ‘Faith to faithless’ was founded in 2015 by Aliyah Saleem and Imtiaz Shams to support people facing religious discrimination and to draw attention in particular to the discrimination faced by minorities within minorities. It also offers a platform to the faithless to come out in public and speak out against this discrimination. Faith to Faithless is now a part of Humanists UK (formerly the British Humanist Association).

“Join us for a review of the activities of ‘faith to faithless’, and an insider’s view of life as an apostate within a religious community”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome! 

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Is Humanism a Religion?

Wednesday 23^rd August 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

with John Coss from Greater Manchester Humanists

Humanism is a worldview that rejects belief in gods and the supernatural, and relies instead on reason, science, empathy and compassion to both guide our morality and inform our understanding of the world around us.

Most humanists have long sought to disentangle ourselves from any hint of religiosity but have we thereby lost something of value? John Coss believes we have and he will explain that there is an important distinction between ‘Religion1’ (the standard dictionary sense involving supernatural beliefs) and ‘Religion2’ (a wider sense that also encompasses non-supernatural belief systems). Controversially, John will be proposing that Humanism is a religion in this wider sense, and he will suggest how this perspective has implications for what Humanism should be in the future.

John Coss is a former Secretary of Greater Manchester Humanists.

“Join us to discover whether our understanding of Humanism and its future may need an update”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Atheism UK

Saturday 12^th August 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

with President of Atheism UK Chris Street

The principles of Atheism UK affirm that humans have fabricated religion, that God and gods do not exist, that morality develops independently of religion, and, perhaps most controversially, that religion inhibits rational thought. The group promotes an atheistic worldview and questions the whole validity of the concept of religious faith. Atheism UK supports the right of all non-religious people to have the same freedom of expression as their religious counterparts, and the organisation has assisted UK-based atheist ex-Muslims who have been threatened with deportation.

In this presentation, President of Atheism UK Chris Street will explain why we need to promote atheism as a worldview, and he will discuss the group’s principles and activities. Atheism UK is the nation’s only democratic, member-led, campaigning organisation advancing atheism. Its distinguished supporters include Susan Blackmore, Maryam Namazie and PZ Myers.

Chris Street is a life-long atheist (despite attending a Catholic secondary school!) and has been an active humanist since 2006. He has been an Atheism UK Council Member since January 2011 and became the organisation’s President in June 2014. He is also a committee member of Dorset Humanists.

“Join us to discover why our nation needs more outspoken atheists”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

A Sceptic's Guide to the Origins of Christianity

Wednesday 22^nd March 7.30pm

The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

With Historian Peter Marchant
Many scholars have realised that the Gospels were largely re-imaginings of earlier Hebrew scriptural stories that were believed to be prophetic, but it is less well understood that the Gospel authors also borrowed from Greek literature such as the epics of Homer. Peter Marchant will show how Persian religion influenced and merged with brands of Judaism to produce the first Christian sects, and he will challenge the early dates traditionally given to the New Testament writings, arguing that critical scholarship is now moving their composition into the second century. He will also offer a surprising alternative explanation for the Anno Domini dating system. Throughout the presentation, Peter will be providing evidence demonstrating that Christ is a ‘composite construction’ combining supernatural elements with both legendary and genuine historical persons.

Peter Marchant graduated in Ancient History from Manchester University and has been studying Christian origins for a quarter of a century.  He has worked for the Council for British Archaeology, and is the author of the book: ‘3 Peter: a Sceptic's Guide to the Origins of Christianity’. 

“Join us for some fascinating revelations about the real origins of the world’s most widely followed religion”
 

Hosted by Dorset Humanists (donations appreciated)

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:
http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Religion in Schools?

Wednesday 22^nd February 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

Whether religion has any place in schools is a controversial question engendering strong feelings both from those who see it as a good thing and those who do not.

For this evening’s event, we have assembled a panel of current and former school workers with a vested interest in this topic to present us with their differing views on the various forms of religious involvement in schools. Our panel members will be Hilary Bond who is a Schools and Children's worker for the Parish of Wareham, Cathy Silman who is a retired teacher and current member of Dorset Humanists Education Group, and Dave Pegg who is a Christian schools worker. Together they will discuss the controversial and contested domains of religious education, worship in schools, and faith schools.

Is there scope for Humanists, Christians, and people of other faiths to find common ground on the place of religion in our children’s education? Come along and join this lively discussion.

“Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the place of religion in our children’s education”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Is God Required for Morality?

Wednesday 24^th August 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

With Philosopher and Author Jonathan MS Pearce

While most religious believers agree that atheists are capable of living moral lives, many claim that questions of right and wrong ultimately collapse into relativism and subjectivity without a religious foundation. In this thought-provoking presentation, philosopher Jonathan Pearce will present a wide range of arguments challenging the claim that God is necessary for morality, and he will show that empathy, compassion, reason and science are all that are required to build a sound moral framework. More controversially, he will demonstrate that the theist’s God must himself be a consequentialist, and that Christians place themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to defend biblical genocides as good because they are commanded by God, while condemning secular genocides.

Jonathan Pearce is a Hampshire-based philosopher who has written and edited many books that will be of interest to humanists, including ‘Free Will?’ and ‘The Little Book of Unholy Questions’, and ‘The Nativity: A Critical Examination’, and ‘Filling The Void: A Selection Of Humanist And Atheist Poetry’. He also writes the popular ‘A Tippling Philosopher’ blog for the Patheos blog network.

“Join us for an entertaining and enlightening evening examining the foundations of our morality”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

The God Confusion

Saturday 11^th June 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

With Philosopher Dr Gary Cox

What is God? Does he exist? Can we know?

How we answer these questions has enormous implications for our understanding of the universe, our purpose in life, and our morality, but throughout history our best philosophers have failed to reach agreement.

In this presentation, Gary Cox will be exploring various conceptions of God, and the arguments for and against their existence, in an entertaining yet objective manner, and he will demonstrate why he believes it is logically impossible for us to move beyond speculation to proof.

If we must reject the idea of inner religious certainty, can living as though a moral God exists still be a worthwhile enterprise? You may be surprised by Gary’s answer!

Gary Cox is a philosopher and the author of several books on general philosophy, Sartre, and existentialism including ‘The God Confusion: Why Nobody Knows the Answer to the Ultimate Question’, and ‘The Existentialist’s Guide to Death, the Universe and Nothingness’. He is an honorary research fellow of The University of Birmingham, UK.

“Join us for an entertaining examination of the God Confusion”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Is Britain a Christian Nation?

Friday 06^th June 7.30 –9.30pm 
Custom House (top floor function room), The Quay, Poole BH15 1HP

Featuring former Mayor and Parliamentary Lib-Dem candidate Cllr Philip Eades, Bishop of Sherborne the Rt Revd Dr Graham Kings, and Chair of Dorset Humanists David Warden.

This topic has been prominent in the media recently following comments from David Cameron, with Justin Welby and some prominent secular philosophers also expressing their views.

No.34, a Christian based community café run by Poole Missional Communities, has invited Chair of Dorset Humanists David Warden to join the main speakers at their forthcoming event discussing ‘Is Britain a Christian Nation?’. This event is designed to offer an opportunity for people of all religious beliefs and none to engage with a live issue. After the main presentations the topic will be further discussed in groups and you are very welcome to participate in the conversations and discussions (We’re sure David would appreciate some like-minded support!). After these group discussions, each of the main speakers will offer a final reflection having heard some of your conversations around the tables.

No.34 is a Christian based community café run by Poole Missional Communities and their vision is to offer a place of welcome and hospitality and to offer events and activities that build community and help people live ‘life to the full’.

Free entry         Everyone welcome!

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

In 10 years 'No Religion' population increases from 15% to 25% in England & Wales

The British Humanist Association and National Secular Society comment on the data in England & Wales.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) comments on the Census 2011 data here & here with a 5 minute summary video here.

Other Census 2011 info from Dorset Humanists here.

Christians have declined in numbers across all age groups below 60 since 2011

Census 2011: Was the 'What is your Religion?' question fatally flawed?

Was the 'What is your Religion?' question fatally flawed?
Yes! Say British Humanist Association.
No! Say Office of National Statistics.

Is 'What is your Religion?' a loaded question?

... the data on religion produced by the 2011 Census gives a misleading picture of the religiosity of the UK, despite the rise in the percentage of non-religious. This is because of the flawed nature of the Census question on religion. ‘What is your religion?’, the question which was used in England and Wales in the 2001 and 2011 Censuses, is a loaded question, because it assumes that the respondent has a religion. In addition, many respondents who answer this question by ticking a religion only do so because their family brought them up in that faith, not because they still believe in it or actively practice it. The data on religious belief in the Census should therefore be viewed as indicative of culture rather than of religion. 

The figures were probably also distorted by the fact that the question on religion appeared immediately after a series of questions on ethnicity, which may well have encouraged people to respond more on the basis of culture than actual beliefs or religious affiliation.

... Someone who loosely identifies themselves as Christian in a cultural sense might not necessarily agree with the idea of Christian organisations taking over public services in their area. Read more.

The British Social Attitudes, 2011 asked whether they regarded themselves as belonging to any particular religion, 44% of adults replied in the negative. This was a lower proportion than in 2010 (50%) but much higher than when the question had first been put in 1983 (31%).

However ONS argue (see below) that the word 'belonging' is also a loaded question. 'Belonging' implies a strong affiliation to a religion (ie signing up for a religion or going to church regularly).

Andrew Copson, CEO BHA called the Census 2011 figures 'astounding'. ‘This is a really significant cultural shift. In spite of a biased question that positively encourages religious responses, to see such an increase in the non-religious and such a decrease in those reporting themselves as Christian is astounding. Of course these figures still exaggerate the number of Christians overall – the number of believing, practicing Christians is much lower than this and the number of those leading their lives with no reference to religion much higher. Religious practice, identity, belonging and belief are all in decline in this country, and non-religious identities are on the rise. It is time that public policy caught up with this mass turning away from religious identities and stopped privileging religious bodies with ever increasing numbers of state-funded religious schools and other faith-based initiatives. They are decreasingly relevant to British life and identity and governments should catch up and accept that fact.’

The British Social Attitudes Survey 2010 

Religion - page 173 asked "Do you consider yourself as belonging to a particular religion"

One in three (31%) in 1983 did not belong to a religion, compared with one in two (50%) now.

The largest decline has been in affiliation with the Church of England, which has halved since

1983 (from 40% to 20%). This change – which is likely to continue – can be explained by generational replacement, with older, more religious, generations dying out and being replaced by less religious generations. There is little evidence that substantial numbers find religion as they get older. (source: BSAS 2010)

Why are we less religious than we used to be? 

BSAS 2010 says 'How can we explain this decline in religiosity? Here, we focus on the decline in religious affiliation, which we have seen is strongly influenced by being brought up in a religion, and links to levels of religious attendance. Does the decline in religious affiliation result from a lifecycle effect (with each individual generation’s attitudes following a particular pattern throughout their lifecycle), a period effect (with a particular event or way of thinking affecting all or some of society at a particular point in time) or a generation or cohort effect (with more religious generations dying and being replaced by less religious ones)? source: BSAS 2010, pg 181

To explore these possibilities, we grouped respondents into nine ‘generations’ and considered their levels of religious affiliation at four points in time. This analysis is presented in Table 12.7. source: BSAS 2010, pg 181

The first point to note is that there is no evidence of a lifecycle effect – that is, as people grow older they become more or less religious. Non-affiliation remains relatively stable as each generation ages; for example, 30 per cent of those born between 1936–1945 did not follow a religion in 1983 (when they were aged 38–47 years), compared with 31 per cent in 2010 (when they were 65–74 years). source: BSAS 2010, pg 181

Could the decline in religious affiliation be attributed to a period effect? At a time of plummeting trust in politicians and banks, might public cynicism have extended to religious bodies, perhaps spurred on by scandals within the church, such as the sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland? There is some evidence of a decline in religious affiliation between 2000 and 2010, particularly for those generations currently aged in their mid-30s to mid-60s. This trend is likely to be very recent, as it has not been identified in previous work on this topic, and therefore merits further investigation. source: BSAS 2010, pg 181

However, by far the most marked differences occur between cohorts – indicating that the decline in religious affiliation in Britain has primarily been brought about by generational replacement. In 1983, for example, 55 per cent of those born between 1956 and 1965 (then aged 18–27) did not belong to a religion, compared with 12 per cent of those born before 1915 (then aged 68+). By 2010, 65 per cent of the youngest generation (born between 1986 and 1992 and then aged 18–24) did not belong to a religion, compared with 24 per cent of the oldest generation (born between 1926 and 1935 and then aged 75+6). The result of continual generational replacement is that, overall, the proportion of the population who does not belong to a religion continues to rise. source: BSAS 2010, pg 181

Graph by Chris Street

What do our findings mean for the future? We cannot, of course, rule out the possibility that a major event might affect people’s relationship with religion. But on the basis of our findings it seems likely that the ongoing decline in religious affiliation (and consequently religious attendance) will continue. This reflects the fact that each generation is less likely than its predecessor to be born into religious families, and that this lack of religiosity tends to remain with an individual as they get older. source: BSAS 2010, pg 181

Census 2001/2011 v British Social Attitudes - What is the difference in questions?

BSAS says in Note 1 'What is the difference between the proportions of the population identified as belonging to a religion by the 2001 census and British Social Attitudes can be partly explained by question wording: the census asks respondents “What is your religion?” – implying that the respondent has one – while the British Social Attitudes survey asks “Do you regard yourself as belonging to any particular religion?” The difference may also be due to the response options offered; with the census listing the major world religions, and British Social Attitudes listing specific denominations; respondents answering the former would be most likely to see this as a question concerned with ‘cultural classification’ rather than religion (Voas and Bruce, 2004). 

Finally, the context of the questions is significant, with the census question following one on ethnicity, arguably causing ‘contamination’ of responses (ibid.).' (source: BSAS 2010, note 1, pg 183)

Census 2011

NoelPlum99 

explains results of the Census 2011 and BSAS 2010 in his Youtube video (13m) which I recommend as a summary of Census 2011 and why the Census 2001 and 2011 question 'What is your religion', only looks at Religious Affiliation and NOT whether people believe in God.

I posted this in reply to his video:-

'@ 4.47
- Census 2011 'What is your religion?".What is it trying to find out? 59% Christians does NOT mean they believe in God!
@ 5.11
ONS say in their Youtube video 0-18secs "This is a short video looking at religion in England and Wales. Using these people we will look at the breakdown of Religious Affiliation; how we connect or identify with a religion, irrespective of actual practise or belief". On the ONS site they also say "Religion is a many sided concept and there are other aspects of religion such as religious belief, religious practice or belonging which are not covered in this analysis" (source: ONS)

Social connection is what interests them NOT whether you believe in god(s), or not.

@6.44
BNAS 2010 Religious Affiliation table 12.1 "Do you regard yourself as belonging to a particular religion? Result: 50% Irreligiosity.
@10.55s
Table 12.7 explains cohort reason. viz. as new generations come along, fewer of the cohort believe in God'

What options for the Religion question did ONS consider?

ONS published a 'Final recommended questions 2011 - Religion' a comprehensive 57 page pdf listed here.

ONS say there are a number of dimensions to the concept of religion, the key ones for survey and census questions being affiliation, practice and belief. Based on the evidence of a lengthy programme of research and consultation, ONS believes that the most appropriate question for the 2011 Census, that best meets user needs, is one that asks about religious affiliation.

Several different question wordings have been tested, including:
• What is your religion?
• What is your religion or belief?
• What is your religion, even if not currently practising?
• Do you regard yourself as belonging to a religion?
• Which of these best describes you?

Testing found that the question ‘what is your religion?’ best meets the requirement of collecting good quality data on religious affiliation within the space constraints of the census questionnaire. The question will also provide comparability between the 2001 and 2011 Censuses.

The question did not attempt to collect detailed information about the nature of their belief or the extent to which people practice their religion. Although questions on belief are asked in the British Social Attitudes Survey and the British Household Panel Survey, they are not seen as appropriate or acceptable for a census and nor would they meet the needs of most users of census data. (source: 'Final recommended questions 2011 - Religion', pg 9)

Do you regard yourself as belonging to a religion?

ONS chose not to use the BSAS question ('Final recommended questions 2011 - Religion', pg 25-27):- Do you regard yourself as belonging to a religion? The term ‘belonging’ is used in the literature to refer to both strong affiliation and regular churchgoing. It may be that this conflation occurs in the minds of respondents too. Differences in the proportion of religious affiliates between the census (‘what is your religion?’) and the BSA (‘Do you regard yourself as belonging to a particular religion?’) may be partly explained if people are more likely to understand the latter in terms of active belonging – that is, as requiring membership of a church or other practising religious group, reducing the number identifying as such (Voas and Bruce 2004).

What do BHA think about the 'What is your religion' question?

BHA - New survey evidence: census religion question ‘fatally flawed’.

click for large image