Archive for Radio 4
Rethinking Thought for the Day
Posted by: | CommentsWith the row over Radio 4′s three-minute ‘God slot’ intensifying, secularists are warning the BBC that it may be in breach of equality law.
Read The full story here
The broadcasting equivalent of Marmite, it has been a fixture on the current affairs programme for 40 years and is one of the station’s untouchable slots.
But that could all change as the BBC Trust is due to rule on whether Thought for the Day should be broadened to include the voices of secularists. It follows a series of complaints that by not doing so the BBC is failing to fulfil the obligations in its charter.
The Berkshire Community Society of Rational Religionists???
Posted by: | CommentsOn 24 June, the BBC Radio 4 programme, “Making History”,
(You can acess via ‘Listen again’.)
featured a piece on ‘Halls of Science’. This is what the BBC website says about it:
“Vanessa Collingridge spoke to Professor Edward Royle from the
University of York about the ‘Halls of Science’, what he describes as
the Wikipedia of the 1830′s and 1840′s.
The Universal Community Society of Rational Religionists (Rational
Society) was established in 1839, with the amalgamation of the
Association of All Classes of All Nations, established in 1835 by Robert
Owen, and the National Community Friendly Society established by
Owenites in 1837; initial aim, promoted through the journal New Moral
World founded by Owen in 1834, was to prepare public opinion for the
`secular millennium’; Owenites were offered `social salvation’; in 1839
an agricultural community was started at Queenswood, East Tytherly,
Hampshire; it existed for six years, but did not outlast Owen’s rapid
spending of funds and authoritarian leadership; in 1846 its last
building was closed, limiting the activity of the Rational Society to
the winding up of financial affairs.
The Rational Religionists were behind the ‘Halls of Science’. They
believed in debate, sharing information and affecting change through
that debate. They were built in several places – predominantly in the
north… Liverpool, Manchester (where Engels regularly mixed with the
chartists, Owenites, and those from the Anti-Corn Law League),
Huddersfield (which still survives) and Bradford… They were owned by
joint stock companies. The reason for their growth was that it was very
difficult for radicals to hire public rooms for debate and so the Halls
of Science became the focus for debate.”
Does anyone know where Queenswood, East Tytherly, Hampshire is?
Googlemaps hasn’t revealed its whereabouts!
And aren’t those group names great? I can’t see us changing our name to
“The Berkshire Community Society of Rational Religionists” though.
To listen to the programme go to,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/making_history/making_history.shtml.
The Halls of Science piece starts around 16mins20 (though I am not sure
for how long the programme will be available).
Roll on the secular millennium!
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