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Your daily media briefing - Monday 19 August

  

In the Media, our daily collection of news and commentary related to secularism, is one of the most popular features on our website and now available delivered to your inbox.

  

Secularism in the media

 

RS A-level student numbers fall again

The number of students sitting A-levels in religious studies in the UK has dropped again.

Church Times

 

Revealed: The 'blasphemous' scenes from Life of Brian that even the Pythons were too afraid to show

Monty Python's Life of Brian, which was released 40 years ago, would have offended even more people if the original version of the script had been filmed.

The Mail on Sunday

 

GCSE student disqualified after criticising halal meat in RS exam

A vegetarian GCSE pupil was disqualified after criticising halal meat in a Religious Studies exam, it has today emerged.

Mirror

 

Conservative councillors in Edinburgh to vote against removing voting rights from religious reps

Conservatives on Edinburgh City Council are set to vote against a motion to remove voting rights for church representatives on education committees.

Scottish Catholic Observer

 

‘The archbishop and the BBC’

The English Catholic Church continues to be unrepentant in its scathing criticism of the messengers who exposed sexual abuse in the archdiocese of Birmingham in a BBC documentary 15 years ago. Now one of the original journalists has made public their side of the story behind the scenes.

The Tablet (£)

 

‘Brace yourself for more lies about Prevent’

David Toube says a spectacular level of disinformation has been disseminated about the government's counter-terrorism programme.

The Jewish Chronicle

 

Christian Legal Centre stands up for man who refused to drive bus with rainbow logo on it

Earlier this month a bus driver in Norwich was suspended for refusing to drive a bus that 'promotes homosexuality' by having its service number displayed in rainbow colours. Now the chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre has defended him.

The Freethinker (Patheos)

 

US: Two sentenced to prison for foiled terrorist plot on Muslims

Two men were sentenced to between four and 12 years in prison on Friday after threatening to bomb a Muslim community area in the United States.

DW

 

US man arrested for threatening to shoot up a Jewish community centre

An avowed anti-semite who attended a deadly white nationalist rally has been arrested for making threats toward a Jewish community centre in Ohio.

DailyMail.com

 

Mum sues doctor after 'baby’s penis severed by intern in circumcision’

A doctor is being sued by a mother who claims her newborn baby's penis was severed by an intern in a circumcision.

Mirror

 

Leader of Poland’s ruling party condemns gay pride marches as election nears

Poland must resist the "travelling theatre" of gay pride marches, the leader of its conservative ruling party has said, as the staunchly Roman Catholic country gears up for a parliamentary election on 13 October.

Reuters

 

Google loophole allows anti-abortion clinics to post deceptive ads

A Google policy designed to rein in deceptive advertising by 'crisis pregnancy centres' has a loophole which allows the centres to keep posting misleading ads in the US, UK and Ireland.

The Guardian

  

Latest from the NSS

 

End religious appointees on Scottish education committees, NSS says

The NSS has urged MSPs to remove religious appointees from council education committees in a major report.

  

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