Edinburgh Secular Society is an organisation, based in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, dedicated to promoting
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations.
Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...
across Scotland; it was established on 28 October 2012.
An earlier society of this name was active in the mid-19th century.
[‘Radicals, Secularists and Republicans: Popular freethought in Britain, 1866–1915’ Edward Royle] The earlier Edinburgh Secular Society was active in 1866–89, 1891–94, 1896–1903, 1906–09 ).
In historical documents, it is often referred to as the Edinburgh 'branch' of the National Secular Society. It is believed they met in Trades Hall, Carruther's Close (now Carrubber's Close), Edinburgh.
An 1857 notice in The Reasoner lists their weekly meetings on Sundays at 6.30pm. They appear to have been ejected by the Christian 'Carrubber's Close Mission' in 1859.
John MacKinnon Robertson
John Mackinnon Robertson (14 November 1856 – 5 January 1933) was a prolific Scottish journalist, advocate of rationalism and secularism, and Liberal Member of Parliament for Tyneside from 1906 to 1918.
Robertson was best known as an advoca ...
was active in Edinburgh Secular Society, Bradlaugh addressed Edinburgh Secular Society,
and Robertson also gave addresses at the Leicester Secular Society (the first secular society in the world, formed in 1851), led by George Holyoake, who introduced the term ‘secularism’ in 1851. John Lees took over as president of Edinburgh Secular Society, and later vice-president of the NSS.
Steuart Campbell
Steuart Campbell (born in ) is a British writer who lives in Edinburgh.
Career
Campbell trained as an architect and worked as one until the mid-1970s. He then gained a degree in mathematics and science from the Open University ( BA, 1983).
...
is the current secretary and treasurer of the Edinburgh Secular Society. In 2013 the group, along with the
Humanist Society Scotland
Humanist Society Scotland is a Scottish Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, registered charity that promotes humanism, humanist views and offers Humanist Celebrant, humanist wedding, funeral, and baby-naming ceremonies. It is a member of ...
, started a campaign against religious representation on council education committees in Scotland.
In August 2013, Edinburgh Secular Society published a report which outlined the extent of
religious indoctrination
Indoctrination is the process of wikt:inculcate, inculcating a person with ideas, attitude (psychology), attitudes, cognition, cognitive strategies or professional methodology, methodologies (see doctrine).
Humans are a social animal species in ...
in
Scottish schools
The lists of schools in Scotland are divided into several articles:
* Independent schools in Scotland
* State schools in City Council Areas
* State schools in Council Areas A–D
* State schools in Council Areas E–H
* State schools in Council ...
, by large
chaplaincy
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
teams.
References
{{Reflist
External links
* (20+) Edinburgh Secular Society , Facebook
Secularism in Scotland
Organizations established in 2012
2012 establishments in Scotland
Organisations based in Edinburgh