In the current era, with smart-phones streaming news to pockets, TVs in cafes, gyms and waiting rooms everywhere, we are saturated with distressing words and images.  We are so used to seeing suffering beamed at us from glowing screens that the emotional impact...

The comments which the French Head of State made recently before a gathering of the national Roman Catholic hierarchy have caused something of a stir, both in France and further afield.  President Macron stated his view that relations between the Church and State have...

Last week, crowds assembled in protest outside Westminster, campaigning for Anti-Semitism to be acknowledged and dealt with in modern Britain. Much of the anger was directed towards the Labour leadership, who were accused of failing to adequately address Anti-Semitism...

It wouldn’t be Easter if there wasn’t a bun-fight (or possibly a hot-cross bun-fight) going on in relation to a mysterious chocolate delivering bunny.  There is a popular belief that hares were associated with the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre/Ostara, and that traditions...

Like many others around the world, we were deeply saddened to hear of the death of one of our interviewees in the ‘Balancing Beliefs’ project, Professor Sir John Sulston.  Remarkably, he made game-changing contributions to the field of Science, and after winning a...

Social and legal challenges arising from religious stereotyping, on the one hand, and issues around exorcism, on the other, might not a first glance appear to be natural bedfellows.  Nevertheless, the two frequently come together in an unholy alliance to breed...

Education, in a way clearly linked to religion and belief, is again hitting the headlines. Parents of a twelve-year-old actress who starred in the West End production of Matilda have announced that they are prepared to go to prison, rather than comply with the local...

The proposed ban on non-therapeutic male circumcision in Iceland has provoked strong reactions, both at home and further afield.  Jewish and Muslim religious groups have expressed their anger and dismay at the very real prospect of seeing a fundamental aspect of their...

The 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918 has ignited a fierce debate about whether or not suffragettes convicted of criminal offences should receive a pardon.  This statute gave the vote to women aged thirty and above, and although it did not...

Last week, Amanda Spielman, England’s Chief Inspector for Schools made headlines by accusing “religious extremists” of trying to “pervert education”, arguing that school leaders should be more willing to actively assert a liberal agenda, rather than passively...