All children are born with no religion - there are no Christian, Muslim, Hindu babies etc. (There may be Christian, Muslim or Hindu parents of course.)
Religion is a personal intellectual choice.
Most religious people have had religion taught to them or imposed on them as children by parents and community.
Most religious people do not investigate other religions before making a choice - they remain ignorant of other belief systems.
Most religious people believe that their religion is "right" and other religions are "wrong".
People who choose a religion must be responsible for their choice and accept the consequences of their choice.
Most pupils/students in non-religiously segregated schools are humanists - though they may not call themselves such.
Most people in England do not believe in a god (Office of National Statistics, 2008)
Less than 8% of the UK population engages in any form of religious worship or activity.
Moral values do not depend on religion in any way. Moral and social values are necessary for us to function in a society we share together.
Non-religious people lead happy and responsible lives without god, religion or superstition.
It is religion that tries to dictate how others should lead their lives.
It is religion that claims the right to discriminate on the basis of gender or sexuality.
It is religion that remains a major source of violent conflict in the world today.
A few words from Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin is a Australian comedian, actor and musician based in London.
This video is a reading of his poem "Storm" with the text on the screen.
WARNING: this poem contains strong language so please do not watch if you are easily offended.
