Christianity should play no part in public life

The views of secular humanists is that Christian belief is personal and should play no part in public life, including:

• Education and schools
• Government and the state Secular humanism describes all those who believe that humans can live good and noble lives according to reason, without the need for religion.

Both Freud and Dawkins are secular humanists.

The Amsterdam Declaration states that the main views of modern humanism are:

• Humanism is ethical: all humans have dignity and worth
• Humanism is rational: science should be used creatively as a basis for solving human problems
• Humanism supports democracy and human rights: these are the best ways for humans to develop their potential
• Humanism insists that personal liberty must be combined with social responsibility
• Humanism is a response to the widespread demand for an alternative to dogmatic religion: reliable knowledge of the world comes from observation, evaluation, and revision
• Humanism values altruistic creativity and imagination: the arts transform and enhance human existence
• Humanism is a lifestyle aiming at maximum possible fulfillment. Ultimately, secular humanists are clear that ethical and spiritual values are not derived from any higher spiritual power but express human values and aspirations.

Education and schools

In England, churches are by far the biggest sponsors of schools.

More than 1.8 million children are educated in CoE and Catholic schools in England.

Some organisations, such as the British Humanist Association campaign against schools with a religious character.

Dawkins is a vocal and outspoken critic of the provision of faith schools in a secular society claiming that they are "diversity gone mad" (note above that he took particular offense to those faith schools that do not teach evolution).

Arguments against faith schools

• Faith schools create isolated communities and fail to integrate pupils into the wider society
• Many faith schools fail to teach science properly, especially those that have conservative beliefs
• Faith schools leave students open to radicalization
• The state has no responsibility to teach faith since it is a private matter and should be carried out by local faith communities
• RE should be part of the school curriculum along with other subjects so long as this includes the teachings of all major world religions and non-religious belief systems. Children should be taught that there are diverse faith claims that the Bible is one of many books of sacred literature and that some religious truth claims are no different from non-religious truth claims e.g. treat people how you want to be treated.

Arguments in favour of faith schools

• There are no value-neutral schools. Faith schools and non-faith schools operate according to their religious or secular values which together reflect the diversity of British culture.
• Faith schools offer a distinctive education based on moral and spiritual values which enhance the curriculum as opposed to distracting from it
• Faith schools aid social cohesion because they support and value the culture of local religious communities
• They are popular with parents
• Many faith schools do not make religious faith a requirement for entry but are better able to foster religious and non-religious beliefs because they have a better understanding of faith than secular schools which can sometimes be suspicious of faith of any kind.

Government and the state

• Some humanists believe in the total separation of church and state. In France, secularity (Laïcité) laws mean the absence of church (or religion) in government and state and prohibit any government involvement in religion.
• An alternative to the separation of the Church and state would be some form of theocracy. This is simply the belief that religion should play a role in public life and the governance of society.
• In the UK, religion is institutionalized in public life. The British monarch is also the head of the Church of England and by ancient tradition, Defender of Faith. 26 bishops of the Church of England automatically sit in the House of Lords as 'Lords Spiritual'. Despite this, debates persist on how far people have a right to express religious beliefs in businesses (e.g. the case of Ashers bakery in Northern Ireland).
• Rowan Williams argues that the Church has a key role to play in resisting the fundamentalist elements of religion that see secularism as a threat. He holds that the challenge of secularism is not necessarily a threat to Christianity. It is right that it should give a reasonable account of itself and justify its place in society where there are many different belief systems that in a democracy seek to live harmoniously together.

Arguments for separation of government and state

• In a multi-faith/secular society, it's no longer appropriate to prioritize Christianity e.g. having Bishops in the House of Lords
• Heterosexuals just got the right to have a Civil Partnership, as some do not want the religious connotations of marriage.

Arguments against the separation of government and state

• Other faiths not excluded from House of Lords e.g. the Chief Rabbi has a seat.
• Prince Charles wants to become a 'Defender of Faith' rather than a 'Defender of the Faith' when he becomes King, thereby recognizing other religions.
• Many people are concerned that the enforcement of laïcité in France has been intolerant and abusive, e.g. forcing a Muslim woman to remove her burqini on a French beach was seen by many as an expression of anti-Muslim sentiment/prejudice.

Freud

• As a reductionist, Freud wanted to explain everything in material and mechanical terms.
• Keith Ward highlights that this does not provide an adequate explanation for the millions of religious experiences that people have experienced
• Although Freud might be right that some aspects of religion are the result of neurotic and obsessional behavior, this does not in itself disprove religion
• Freud argues that religion is an obsessional, infantile illusion that is disabling. Jo Marchant finds the opposite and that people of faith live longer, happier lives
• Freud could be right in his claim that religion causes guilt, but, that does not mean that all religions are controlling
• The Forer effect: Freud's view on religion is a validation of his worldview
• Stephen Jay Gould argues that the supernatural world is different from the material world and therefore cannot be subject to scientific rational enquiry
• The Forer effect: Dawkins' view on religion is a validation of his worldview The alternative to God of the gaps is not necessarily atheism. The fact that the universe is intelligible and can be understood scientifically may point towards a higher power, God, not away from one.

Dawkins gives examples of physical and mental harm caused by religion – these things are not conditions of religion. Christianity, through the example of Jesus, teaches exactly the opposite.