About stewculbard
I am a retired secondary school teacher of Humanities, having spent a major portion of my working life as a Minister of Religion with the Baptist denomination. I would now describe myself as a secular humanist and a socialist. I am married to Vicky and we have three children - two sons and a married daughter - all of whom are in their thirties. Formerly of Melbourne, Australia, we are all now living in England. My academic studies have been undertaken in Australia, the UK and the USA. I have a doctorate in religious studies from the San Francisco Theological Seminary.
In retirement I enjoy reading, listening to classical music and writing. I am a member of Republic, Sea of Faith, Dignity in Dying Campaign and the National Secular Society. As well, I have a subscription to a number of cultural and political associations, including Amnesty International and, as a committed European, The Federal Trust.
In the previous article (see: A right-royal carve-up…) I referred to the plethora of television programmes that rehearsed the lives of the British monarch in particular and the royal lineage in general. I made the comment that an outcome of … Continue reading →
An appearance on Desert Island Discs is a sure sign that a personality has indeed arrived at the forefront of public perception. Earlier this year, a former pupil of the Northampton School for Boys, Matt Smith, made such an appearance … Continue reading →
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Tagged actor, anachronisms, celebrity, Desert Island Discs, disguises, false consciousness, fantasy world, Matt Smith, modernity, self-mirror, virtual reality
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Professor Stephen Haseler died in July, 2017 (see this blog’s tribute to him: The man defined his work, 18 August, 2017). Dr Haseler was a prolific author, writing on issues of law, politics and political parties, international relations, democracy, economics … Continue reading →
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Tagged author, Brexit, British elitism, broken capitalism, global role, globalization, imperialism, lecturer, market consensus, market extremism, neo-liberalism, pro-European, republican, social conflict, social democracy, social democrat, Stephen Haseler, the great financial crash
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The breaking news headline stated that, “A spokesperson for Kensington Palace says the christening of Prince Louis of Cambridge by the Archbishop of Canterbury will take place on Monday, July 9, at the Chapel Royal of St. James’s Palace in … Continue reading →
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Tagged ancien regime, christening, citizen's rights, elites, established church, inheritance, Privy Council, propaganda, republicanism, royal palaces, royal prerogative powers
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The well-known English secular philosopher and educator, Professor A.C. Grayling, considers that religious education has a legitimate place in the curriculum of a state-sponsored education system. He further considers that religious education must not be taught with a sectarian, confessional … Continue reading →
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Tagged A.C.Grayling, collective worship, confessionalism, equal opportunities, evangelism, faith schools, freedom of expression, fundamentalism, gender equality, history of ideas, human rights, inclusivity, liberty, myth-busting, opting-out, philosophy and ethics, proselytism, sectarian, segregation, state education, Voluntary Aided schools
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In my previous article (120: No More Faith Schools) I argued that, in a contemporary multi-cultural society, it is necessary to have a secular education system. There is no place for a state-supported system of faith schools. Such schools are … Continue reading →
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Tagged acceptable academic standards, empathy, faith schools, ghettoism., human rights, inclusiveness, myths, National Secular Society, proselytization, reason., religious discrimination, religious education, religious selection, secular education system, social and ethnic segregation, social cohesion, social segregation, state maintained schools, universal educational principles
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Earlier this week I wrote to my Member of Parliament. The purpose for doing was to draw his attention to the National Secular Society’s No More Faith Schools campaign. (In what follows I acknowledge some use of the said campaign’s … Continue reading →
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Tagged bigotry, confessional, discrimination, diversity, faith schools, history of ideas, inclusiveness, indoctrination, inequality, multi-culturalism, National Secular Society, philosophy and ethics, pluralism, prejudice, public funding, religion, segregation, State
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