Did secularism win out? The debate over the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill

The debate over the 2008 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill marks the latest in a series of conflicts between secularism and religion in the public sphere. The failure of religiously motivated campaigners to alter the Bill's most substantive and controversial provisions, however, should not be seen as a victory for a homogeneous secular camp. Although campaigners motivated by religious belief were almost universally opposed to the Bill, secular campaigners reflected a more varied mix of opinion. Moreover, the degree of organisation and mobilisation shown by the religious lobby during the course of the debate, are a sign that attempts to secure a greater role for religion in the public sphere are likely to remain a prominent feature of British political life

State religion and freedom : a comparative analysis

State religions form one of the main features of the international political landscape, but scholarly research into their dynamics and effects remains limited. This article aims to address this deficiency through a comparative examination of state religions and levels of political and religious freedom. The findings show that countries with a state religion have substantially lower levels of freedom across a range of measurements than countries with no state religion. The absence of any clear correlation to levels of human development, religious diversity and religiosity indicates a key causal role for the institutional mechanics of state religion itself

Do religious justifications distort policy debates? Some empirics on the case for public reason

Scholars engaged in debates about the use of public reason often view religious arguments as being out of bounds. Yet the real-world impact of religious discourse remains under-explored. This study contributes to research in this area with an empirical test looking at the impact of religious arguments on a particular policy debate. A survey experiment explored the effects of religious and secular cues with varied policy directions on the issue of assisted dying. The findings showed that secular arguments were considerably more likely to elicit a positive response, and that, while religious arguments were not a conversation stopper, they produced significant distortions in political perceptions among participants, though not necessarily along the identity lines critical to the public reason debate

Do we need a ‘political science of religion'?

Religious issues are intrinsically political but have been largely excluded from the mainstream concerns of political science. This article considers some of the reasons why this has been the case, and suggests ways in which the imbalance might be addressed. Although the idea of developing a distinctive ‘political science of religion’ is not without its advantages, this approach is rejected in favour of one that is broader, interdisciplinary and more holistic

Sticks and stones: the use of anti-secular discourse in Britain

The past decade has seen the rise of a strident anti-secular discourse in Britain. Based on the idea that a militant, aggressive and intolerant form of secularism wants to marginalise faith and drive it out of the public square, anti-secular rhetoric has found growing popularity among political and religious figures aiming to promote a greater role for faith in the public realm. The interests and motives behind this discourse, however, are substantively divergent, and the prospects of success are slim, writes Steven Kettell

What's really new about new atheism?

The rise of new atheism has attracted significant attention but its novelty is often assumed rather than explained. By exploring the origins of new atheism and drawing comparisons to earlier atheist forms, this paper argues that new atheism contains aspects that are genuinely new. The most notable of these features are its expansive political activities and its hybrid combination of Enlightenment-based rationality with postmodern themes and concerns

A secularist response to CORAB: recommendations at odds with the realities of twenty-first century life in Britain

In March 2016 the University of Warwick convened a panel to consider the Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life’s report ‘Living With Difference’. Steven Kettell explores their findings

Always read the label : the identity and strategy of Britain’s ‘Christian Right'

In recent years conservative Christian groups in Britain have been involved in a number of high profile and controversial policy issues. This has led some commentators to raise the question of a British ‘Christian Right’ similar to that which rose to prominence in the United States from the 1970s. What is absent from these debates, however, is an awareness of how identity markers such as ‘Christian Right’ are shaped and underpinned by the political dynamics of group mobilisation. Utilising insights from Social Identity Theory, and drawing on a series of elite-level interviews, this paper shows that conservative Christian groups reject the ‘Christian Right’ label, but that this forms part of a broader strategic positioning in response to challenges posed by the pressures of secularisation

Britain’s Christian right: seeking solace in a narrative of discrimination

The ‘Christian right’ in the UK may not be anywhere near as powerful as its US counterpart, but it still tries to exert influence on public policy. This has become increasingly difficult as fewer Britons identify themselves as Christian. Steven Kettell finds that although these campaigners bemoan the effects of secularisation, they have found themselves adopting secular arguments in order to oppose same-sex marriage, abortion and assisted dying

The militant strain : an analysis of anti-secular discourse in Britain

Issues about the relationship between the religious and the secular have become increasingly prominent in recent years. In Britain, one of the central themes around this topic has been the emergence and propagation by leading religious and political figures of a concerted anti-secular discourse. This warns of the dangers posed by a militant, aggressive and intolerant form of secularism which is said to be driven by an ideological desire to force religion out of the public square, representing a clear threat to religious freedoms and social morality. This discourse has been shaped by a number of interrelated causal dynamics, but the religious and political influences involved differ substantially. Respectively, these relate to ongoing processes of secularisation and the increasing use of identity politics, set against the changing capacities of the British state and the electoral considerations of the Conservative Party