Bad RE; Science & Religion; Catholic Church in Vichy France
Freethought update, 30 July - 2 Sept

Dear reader,

Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter, which will now come out every fortnight.

Last week, we rounded off Education Month with a thoughtful and provocative analysis by Siniša Prijić, a secondary school RE teacher in London, of the many problems with Religious Education as it is currently taught and managed in England and Wales.

How far can science undermine religious belief? This is the question asked in today's leading article by Stephen Law, an Oxford philosopher and author of The Philosophy Gym. 

Finally, to usher in September, which will be our History Month, we have an article by Keith Porteous Wood, president of the National Secular Society, on the collaboration of the Catholic Church in Nazi-controlled France under Marshal Pétain.

Articles
Bad Religious Education, by Siniša Prijić
Can science threaten religious belief? by Stephen Law
Pétain, Vichy France and the Catholic Church, by Keith Porteous Wood

Freethought events in Leicester, Brighton and London
I'm delighted to be speaking about freethought to the Leicester Secular Society (4th Sept) and the Sunday Assembly, Brighton (11th Sept). My topic will be 'Think for yourself: freethought from the Greeks to today'. I look forward to meeting other freethinkers and engaging in some interesting discussions!

Queen Mary University of London will be hosting a conference on Freethought in the Long Nineteenth Century: New Perspectives on 9-10 September. It looks to be a fascinating programme, with papers by many learned historians of secularism, atheism and humanism, including Freethinker contributors Madeleine Goodall and Bob Forder.

I hope you enjoy our latest articles, and if you have any questions or comments, please send us an email, or link up with us on Twitter or Facebook.

Best wishes,

Emma Park
Editor, The Freethinker
editor@freethinker.co.uk
freethinker.co.uk