Humanist Society Scotland
Formation | 1989 |
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Type | Nonprofit organisation |
Purpose | Promotion of secular humanism |
Headquarters | 4 Lochside Way, Edinburgh |
Location | |
Chief Executive | Fraser Sutherland |
Website | www |
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Humanist Society Scotland is a Scottish
In the 21st century, the HSS has grown in tandem with the rapid pace of
History and aims
The Humanist Society of Scotland was formed in 1989 out of an association of local humanist groups around Scotland, the Society's objective is "to represent the views of people in Scotland who wish to lead good and worthwhile lives guided by reason and compassion rather than religion or superstition", and to provide a distinct Scottish voice in complement to the
The official symbol of the Society is an adaptation of the
Campaigns
The Society campaigns for a secular state in Scotland, and to abolish religious privilege.
Its main efforts have concentrated on seeking to allow legal humanist weddings, which succeeded in 2005,[3] and to secularise state education.
Weddings
In January 2001, the Society lodged a petition with the
Humanist weddings have since becoming increasingly popular and, in 2010, with over 70 celebrants authorised to conduct them 2,092 legal humanist weddings took place in Scotland, becoming the third most popular form of Wedding in Scotland after
In 2017 the society received official status from the Scottish Parliament as the first non-religious body that could solemnise weddings.
In 2018 official statistics obtained by BBC Radio 4 from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service showed that those who opted for a Humanist wedding were three time less likely to end in divorce than a Roman Catholic marriage and four times less likely to end in divorce than a civil marriage.[9]
Education
In 2013 the group, along with the Edinburgh Secular Society, started a campaign against religious representation on council education committees in Scotland.[10]
In 2016 the Society took a judicial review of the decision to not allow children and young people to opt out of compulsory religious observance in Scottish schools, after a UN Committee called for a change in practice in Scotland.[11]
Other issues
The Society supported both the End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill, introduced in the Scottish Parliament by Margo MacDonald MSP[12] and are involved in the campaign behind Liam McArthur MSP's proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill launched in 2021.[13] [14]
They were also part of the campaign for equal marriage in Scotland to allow same sex couples to be legally married as an alternative to
Humanist Society Scotland have also campaigned to remove blasphemy from Scots law[17] and to end funding for homeopathy on the National Health Service in Scotland.[18]
References
- ^ a b "About HSS". Humanist Society Scotland. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ "Rival protests at Holyrood over same-sex marriage bill". The Scotsman. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ "How Humanists changed Scottish Marriage". BBC News. BBC News.
- ^ Petition to the Scottish Parliament to End Discrimination in the Marriage Law of Scotland Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 (c.15)
- ^ "Holyrood gives Humanist Society fantastic news over appointing celebrants". Aberdeen Evening Express. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ "50,000 married in Humanist Society Scotland weddings". Humanist Society Scotland. Humanist Society Scotland.
- ^ Carrel, Severin (14 August 2018). "What God has not joined together: the rise of the humanist wedding". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ Farley, Harry (10 March 2019). "Humanists 'less likely to divorce'". Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- ^ "Campaigners call for end to religious 'interference' in schools". STV. 19 May 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- ^ "Humanists' legal challenge to school religious observance". BBC News.
- ^ End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill, Humanist Society Scotland website.
- ^ "Humanists say 'the time is now' as Liam McArthur MSP Lodges Assisted Dying Bill". Scottish Legal News. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "Could Scotland legalise assisted dying?". BBC News. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "Support for equal marriage". Humanist Society Scotland.
- ^ "It's time for equal civil partnerships to be made available". Humanist Society Scotland.
- ^ Learmonth, Andrew. "MSPs will hear plea to abolish 300-year-old blasphemy and heresy laws". The National. The National.
- ^ Freeman, Tom. "Fresh calls to scrap homeopathy referrals in Scotland after NHS England calls it 'a misuse of funds'". Holyrood Magazine. Holyrood Magazine.