Bideford Town Council prayers challenged at High Court

[rug]

Saying prayers before local council meetings is to be challenged in the High Court.

30 November 2011 Last updated at 13:55 ET

The National Secular Society (NSS), will argue Bideford Town Council's "archaic" ritual is "inappropriate" and a breach of human rights.

It said the Devon council should be "a secular environment concerned with civic business".

No-one from the town council was available to comment on the case, which will be heard on Friday.

But in August last year, George McLaughlan - the then town council clerk - told BBC News the council would defend the case and contest the NSS's claims.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-15973327

[LeftishBrit]

1. And here is a nasty article in the Daily Hate-Mail by the vile George Pitcher

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2069074/The-secular-attack-Bideford-aims-destroy-national-faith.html

I have to admit that until I read this, I thought that the NSS were picking on a rather trivial issue - who really cares about Bideford Council's archaic rituals considering that on Nov. 30th there was a big public sector employees' strike, and that the Chancellor had just made a big speech announcing ever more cuts as the British economy continued to go down the tube? But Pitcher's article made me feel a bit more hard-line on the matter. I know that the cliches are that 'a conservative is a liberal who got mugged' while 'a liberal is a conservative who was sacked as a result of spending cuts'. I would add to that, that sometimes a 'New Atheist' is an old-fashioned tolerant atheist or agnostic, who got a bit too much exposure to the hateful rhetoric and sometimes actions of right-wing anti-secularists.

[beam me up scottie]

3. "...they can instead establish their authoritarian, godless and uniformly secular republic."

Christianity is woven into the fabric of our nation and its values, through our history, reflected in our institutions, from parliament to our legislature to marriage and family.

The NSS would do away with all this, including the Act of Settlement and the 27 Lords Spiritual, our most senior bishops, who sit in the House of Lords, so that these secularists can try to pass nasty laws to introduce euthanasia and abolish the Royal Family, so they can instead establish their authoritarian, godless and uniformly secular republic.

Where have I heard that before?

[Silent3]

4. Abolishing the Royal Family is considered euthanasia?

Who would have known? ;)

[LeftishBrit]

5. I think just an unfortunate juxtaposition of two of Pitcher's obsessions...

But has interesting implications! Did you Yankees know that you've all been dead since 1776?

[beam me up scottie]

2. More :

NSS lawyers argue council members of no religion are being indirectly discriminated against without justification, which it claims is unlawful.

They contend the council's insistence on prayers being said breaches articles 9 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protect an individual's right to freedom of conscience and not to face discrimination.

NSS president Terry Sanderson said religious prayer in a multi-faith society had the "potential for conflict".

He cited a case in Portsmouth earlier this year when a councillor walked out of a council meeting because an imam had been asked to deliver an opening prayer.

And the atheists are the bad guys. :eyes: