Separate church and state

As featured today by the lovely Henry over at Barbarella's Galaxy, when Our Glorious Leader Queen Madge was asked (by the slobbering hordes of fans on some social network that escapes me completely, Reddit):

"What should religion and politics do to help World Peace?"

Madonna answered:

"Not get involved with one another. Separate church and state!"



By coincidence (was she there?!), this was one of the slogans I and a couple of hundred others were chanting last Saturday as I joined the lovely people of GALHA (Gay & Lesbian Humanist Association) to traverse through London in the wind and drizzle - for the protest march and rally for the Secular Europe Campaign...

Secular Europe Campaign march and rally September 2013, part 2 of 3

The camaraderie among the marchers was brilliant - we chanted, we waved our makeshift placards (mine said "Should Governments do God?") at passing tourist buses, and we congregated in our designated spot opposite Downing Street (we had to oust a protest against Britain's support for the repressive Bahraini regime that had overrun...) to hear a selection of excellent speakers - including philosopher and senior lecturer in the University of London Stephen Law, the ever-inspiring Sue Cox of Survivors Voice, Nina Sankari of the Polish Rationalist Association, Charlie Klendjian of the The Lawyers' Secular Society and (of course) our very own Adam Knowles (Chair of GALHA).

All fabulous. All motivating. All crystal clear in their dedication to exposing what is intrinsically wrong about the way religion has an excessive influence over our lives, our freedoms and our legal system in Europe.

Such a shame I had to leave the rally early (I was frozen to the core and my bladder was determined to force me away), and therefore missed (among many others) the keynote speaker Professor AC Grayling - a personal hero of mine:

AC Grayling - Why the world would be better off without religion

The campaign itself is an annual effort that sees many diverse groups united in demanding an end to religious privileges and asking that the European institutions must remain secular.

Starting in 2008, the Secular Europe Campaign has a special focus on the Vatican, given the enormous political and economical power it holds, but aims at representing all the issues around secularism and human rights, including opposition to state-funded faith schools, rejection of religious tribunals and support to equal rights for LGBT citizens.

We protest against:

• the privileged status of the churches under Article 17 of the TFEU (Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union);
• the privileged status of churches in countries where they are established;
• the special status of the Vatican at the United Nations and its economic and political privileges across Europe;
• state-funded religious schools.

We promote:

• freedom of religion, freedom of conscience and freedom of speech;
• women’s equality and reproductive rights;
• equal rights for LGBT people in all the European Union;
• a secular Europe – democratic, peaceful, open and just, with no privilege for religious or belief organisations;
• one law for all, no religious exemptions from the law;
• state neutrality in matters of religion and belief.

A cause and a campaign dear to my heart, and an occasion I support every year, come wind, rain or whatever.

GALHA

[PS I would have posted about this earlier, but despite my optimism my own photos from this fab day remain - stubbornly - on a spare hard drive that has now decided not to work with our new PC (so I have had to retrieve some from the Web). Groan...]