Lancashire Humanists

22/08/2026

Today we are having our summer garden party / BBQ get together. First time we have tried this and thankfully the weather is looking good.

20/08/2026

This may be a long read, but I ask that you give it a go and see if any of this feels relevant to you:

Interbelief Dialogue

The above may be a term that is not well known, but is probably more accurate than the more common “Interfaith Dialogue”. It may be splitting hairs, but that is one of the problems with our language – in that it struggles with the concept of a worldview that is not based on faith.

However, what I am writing about here are various opportunities that are available to engage in this area on a formal basis and perhaps an opportunity to discuss further on how we can engage more on a local basis to build community in our areas.

I regularly try to take part in these types of event and engage as much as possible with people of different beliefs. I feel that we are sharing this world and should work together to try to build a better society. Whenever I have information on an upcoming event or an opportunity to take part in a survey, then I usually share the link via our email list and also via social media to our followers on Facebook.

Some of the ones that I have promoted recently are listed below:

Belief in Dialogue Online – online panel discussion (next one is September)

Lancashire Against Hate – multi-agency project to work together to help create a better cohesive society

Stop Faith-Based Hate – online discussion from interested parties in an effort to help create a better fairer society. Organised by the Faith and Belief Forum

Building Bridges Preston – local group with people of various beliefs who live in or near Preston. I am a trustee on this group and will be sharing news of our Interfaith Week event soon.

Building Bridges Pendle – a local interfaith group who meet in Nelson. They are very friendly and offer some laidback events in the evenings.

There was also an event held at the university in Preston in July, which looked at how we can put ideas to the local council on building local cohesion.

I will continue to post information on similar events when they arise and invite those interested to reach out and take part. If we have more Humanists at these events then we have a voice at the table and can make a contribution to how society evolves in our area.

Whilst we as a group of people (predominately white British) may not see direct prejudice towards us in daily life, what is becoming clear is that a number of groups of different ethnic/religious backgrounds are feeling increasingly threated and unsafe. Often this is related to the type of politics that is becoming bolder in recent years – one that focusses on minorities and blames them for the problems that some are facing.

Whilst trying hard not to single out specific political parties that are happy to drive the message of division, I think most people know what these messages are. We see English flags raised on bridges and public highways (often in areas where ethnic minorities live) – not because we have a sports team taking part in an international event, but clearly aimed at creating an intimidating atmosphere, as if to say those ethic groups are not welcome here.

The world has seen these tactics before. It is a tactic that seems to work because it claims an emotional involvement, rather than necessarily being based on facts and logic. Hence using facts and logic to push back can be ineffective, as it does not touch the emotional centre that, for now, may be in control of some people.

We seem to have forces around us that aim to create division. People with a different religion, cultural background and even just skin colour that is not that of the majority, are being singled out and even physically attacked. Issues which are not directly related are being conflated and we have a government that seems inclined to try to placate the noisy minority, which only feeds the flames of distrust.

“The media” seem to like presenting oversimplified arguments and also to relish conflict that arises. It seems to be aimed at inflaming emotions, and perhaps why many say they avoid the news programmes for a more peaceful life. I personally feel that for several years there has been a lot of poor journalism, that has failed to push back on the messages by asking difficult questions and simply accepting the false rhetoric that is promoted.

Unfortunately, the emotional ripples reach our local communities and stoke division.

We all need to push back against this. We can respect our fellow human beings, showing love and care for those that need help – even if they are apparently different to us. I feel that we must constantly strive to overcome divisions around us and work together in support of our shared human rights and human values.

From the Humanist “Amsterdam Declaration” we have these two points which I feel are relevant:

“We affirm the worth and dignity of the individual and the right of every human to the greatest possible freedom and fullest possible development compatible with the rights of others. To these ends we support peace, democracy, the rule of law, and universal legal human rights.”

“We reject all forms of racism and prejudice and the injustices that arise from them. We seek instead to promote the flourishing and fellowship of humanity in all its diversity and individuality.”

The ongoing issues will not be resolved easily, but with a concerted effort by many working together in harmony, then we can hope to find a path together that leads to a better situation and a happier world for all.

So if all this bothers you, then I invite you to take part in some of the Interbelief Dialogue opportunities. Let us support our fellow human beings, who share our values on how to live (even if they hold religious beliefs that we do not share) and help them feel supported. Show that Humanists can contribute to society and that we do stand up for those being oppressed or attacked.

At the very least you may learn a little about some groups of people that you are unfamiliar with and perhaps develop a better understanding of their position.

My experience has been that we have far more in common than that which divides us. We may hold different views on deities and rituals, but we all want much of the same things for ourselves and others. We are human beings.

If after reading this you want to get involved in Interbelief Dialogue, then please let me know and we can look to develop a group of us that can work together in this area across the county.

Thanks for reading

Keith

19/08/2026

URGENT. If you have not already done so and you support the Assisted Dying Bill (Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill), then please take the time to write to your MP.
Sadly some MPs have previously admitted that they felt swayed by the number of people who wrote to them to oppose people's right to choose. If the number of people writing to them is how they measure which way to vote, then we need to let them know that there is a silent majority who are in favour of having a choice. The Bill is being voted on in the next 4 weeks, so now is the last chance to let your voice be heard.

14/08/2026

An opportunity to share your thoughts on how society is seen by yourself and what you think about potential divisive mechanisms being operated by some.

Sadly the question on religion falls into the same error as the National Census and asks "What religion are you?", but as a Humanist I followed what I did on the Census and put "No religion", rather than try to confuse the issue to look for a way to put Humanist in there somehow.

I just took part in The National Conversation to share my views on what it's really like living in our area right now. It's a major UK-wide project by researchers at Oxford University, and it only takes a few minutes. You should have your say too!

13/08/2026

Always one to mix with other Humanists, whether that be from groups in the same UK region or further afield and also other parts of the world when on holiday. So happy to take part in this event in Shrewsbury last month.
The photos are showing a fundraising day held by Shropshire Humanists on Sat 25th of July - raising money for Ukraine. I was holidaying nearby and got the invite in time to make arrangements to pop in for a couple of hours.
They had some live music, plenty of opportunities to buy some Ukrainian traditional clothes and food. We have Ukrainian connections in my family and so I made a beeline to the Vareniki, which is a personal favourite.
Thanks to Simon Nightingale for inviting me and also helping out with the Interfaith Workshop the day before.

14/07/2026

A few weeks ago, whilst in discussion with a friend about our website, the subject was raised about "how many people actually look at the site?". I was not sure and after looking at the background data, could not see any viewing stats. However, I found that an add-on was available that now emails me a weekly report and I was surprised at the apparent success of our site.

I would have been pleased with only a few hits, to at least suggest someone was looking at it, but I was amazed to see that in June we had 500+ people view the home page and with the total hits on the site were over 1,000 (so people reading the info on the history of the group, ceremonies, etc).

We are always looking to improve the site and update it. I have asked our members to write something about their personal stories, so that we can expand that page to show a wider range of views on Humanism. We want our page to be a broad reflection of Humanism in the county and show anyone visiting the best about Humanism and our building of community.

13/07/2026

UPDATE NEWS! Next Pub Social - Longridge
We have had to move our Pub Social to Thursday this week, since FIFA chose not to consult with us about when England should play the Semi-Final. The new details that have been updated on our website are:
Thursday 16th July 2026 (approx 7.30 pm)
Hilltop Brasserie (The Dog Inn)
Market Place
Longridge
PR3 3RR

As usual please email [email protected] if you want to come and we will check the numbers for making a booking by Tuesday evening.

After a great day at the Longridge Show this Saturday and lots of conversations, we are hoping for a few fresh faces from Longridge to make an appearance and get to know a few others who share their ideas on life.

05/07/2026

Next Saturday we will be hosting a tabletop display in the Community Tent at Longridge Show. Anyone visiting is welcome to come along and have a chat.

16/06/2026

Moving into the 20th Century saw yet more meetings linked to the National Secular Society taking place in Lancashire, with new meetings being held at the Star Cinema in Preston. After a good bit of internet searching and finding an Ordnance Survey map from the 1950s, we can pin-point the Star Cinema at the corner of Fylde Road and Maudland Road – where the university Engineering building is now located.
Apparently the Star Cinema had a capacity of about 1,000 and has the claim of being the first cinema in Preston to show a talkie.
Meanwhile, about 80 years before these NSS meetings in Preston, just a hundred yards down the road – at what is now the Harris Building – we had famous scientist John Tyndall studying at the “Institute”. John Tyndall was responsible for discovering that certain gases had different properties in holding energy and established the ideas that we now know as “the Greenhouse effect”. He went on to become the Professor of Physics at the Royal Institution of Great Britain and was a renowned agnostic, who often spoke about the primacy of science over religion. His life was a very interesting one and more details are available via the Humanist Heritage website: https://heritage.humanists.uk/john-tyndall/

11/06/2026

The 19th Century saw a lot of changes in British law and culture. A number of factors led to challenges to religious power, plus legal reforms that weakened the constitutional powers of the Church of England. Those behind these changes, were not all non-believers but there was a more vocal element to this idea.
Amazingly it was only 200 years ago that the requirement for public officials to be members of the Church of England was removed by law. After almost 300 years of the Church of England, members of the Catholic Church were finally allowed to take seats in the Westminster Parliament.
Other powers that were changed in this century included, abolishing the system of tithes under which the Church had claimed as payment for its services. Civil marriages were introduced and the payment of church rates was made voluntary instead of compulsory. It was also late in this century that Members of Parliament were finally allowed to Affirm, rather than have to take a religious oath.
Meanwhile, almost a hundred years before the founding of Lancashire Humanists, we had groups meeting across the North West who were Secular Rationalists. The examples in the pictures show that some of these groups were in Bolton, Burnley, Warrington and Leigh. By the end of the century the National Secular Society had been formed and branches were being established.
We are proud that Lancashire Humanists are an affiliated group of the National Secular Society.