March for Free Expression at London

Rationalist International calls for support to the march

A Rally for Free Expression will be held in Trafalgar Square, London on Saturday March 25th 2006 between 2:00pm and 4:00pm. The speakers include:

• Evan Harris, MP. Lib Dem human rights spokesman
• Maryam Namazie, Broadcaster & Human Rights Campaigner
• Keith Porteous Wood, National Secular Society
• Mark Wallace, The Freedom Association

Those who have so far endorsed the Rally for Free Expression include:

• 3:AM Magazine
• Free Muslims Coalition
• The Freedom Association
• The Libertarian Alliance
• Little Atoms
• Maryam Namazie
• National Secular Society
• Oliver Kamm
• Rationalist International

The Statement of Principles published by the organisers of the rally reads: "The strength and survival of free society and the advance of human knowledge depend on the free exchange of ideas. All ideas are capable of giving offence, and some of the most powerful ideas in human history, such as those of Galileo and Darwin, have given profound religious offence in their time. The free exchange of ideas depends on freedom of expression and this includes the right to criticise and mock. We assert and uphold the right of freedom of expression and call on our elected representatives to do the same. We abhor the fact that people throughout the world live under mortal threat simply for expressing ideas and we call on our elected representatives to protect them from attack and not to give comfort to the forces of intolerance that besiege them."

Peter Risdon, one of the organisers of the March for Free Expression, informs: People should make their way to Trafalgar Square for 2:00 pm on Saturday March 25th 2006. The Rally will start at 2:00 pm sharp and will end at 4:00 pm.

For more details of the March for Free Expression, Click Here.

Lavanam Receives Mahatma Gandhi Award

Lavanam, veteran Indian atheist leader, Director of the Atheist Centre at Vijayawada, India, and Honorary Associate of Rationalist International, received the coveted Mahatma Gandhi Award for this year. The award carries Indian Rupees 50,000, citation and a memento. The award has been instituted by Maniklal Bhulakidas Gandhi Memorial Trust of Nagpur ten years ago. The Trust gives three awards every year - in memory of Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave and Jayaprakash Narayan. This year's Mahatma Gandhi Award is for Lavanam.

File picture of Lavanam (second from left) during the 2nd Innternational Rationalist Conference held at Trivandrum. Joseph Edamaruku, Ratna (daughter of Lavanam, now lives in Sweden), Late Dr Indumati Parikh and Jan Loeb Eisler are also seen.

The word "Lavanam" means salt. The name was given to him by his father Gora, freedom fighter and Mahatma Gandhi's collegue, as he was born during the Salt Satyagraha during India's independence struggle. Lavanam is the elder son of Gora. He has traveled around the world several times and is the most powerful exponent of the philosophy of Positive Atheism founded by Gora.

4th International Rationalist Conference

26-29 December 2006 - New Delhi, India

Nominations invited for International Rationalist Award

Rationalist International invites nominations for the International Rationalist Award 2006. Organisations, friends, collegues and all recipients of the International Rationalist Bulletin can send their proposals. Proposals should include a brief introduction of the nominee including his or her activities, writings, campaigns or other outstanding contributions to the cause of rationalism - under any denomination including atheism, secularism, humanism or freethought - during the last 10 years. The International Rationalist Award will be presented at a colourful ceremony during the 4th International Rationalist Conference scheduled to be held on 26-29 December 2006 at New Delhi, India.

Prof. Paul Kurtz receiving the 1st International Rationalist Award from Joseph Edamaruku Sanal Edamaruku is also seen.

The nominations are invited for the 3rd International Rationalist Award. The award has already been given twice. Earlier recipients are Prof. Paul Kurtz (USA) and Jim Herrick (UK).

International Rationalist Award nominations are to be sent to : RationalistAward@rationalistinternational.net

Missionaries heading for Secular France

Leaving Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa behind, France has become the target number one of Britain's protestant missionaries. This claims the September 2005 issue of Religious Trends, a compilation of Christian statistics. The second position in the list is held by Kenya that had been the top destination of evangelical missionary agencies in 1991. Spain is holding the third rank, advancing from eighth position. The survey indicates a major shift of missionary activities from the Third World to Europe. "There has been a crisis of confidence in Christianity across Europe," commented an official of the Church Mission Society. "We are beginning to see Europe as a strategic priority."

In France, thanks to its clear separation of church and state one of the most secular countries in the world, the once so powerful position of the Catholic Church is irrecoverably lost, while Evangelical churches are traditionally playing a mere marginal role. Evangelical missionaries are trying to identify and fill a "Christian vacuum", cashing in on the fear from Islamic dominance. According to France Mission, the number of practising Muslims in France is twelve times higher than the number of practising Evangelical Christians. Also in Spain, the rapid loss of privileges of the Catholic Church under the socialist government is encouraging Evangelical competition. Another acre evangelical proselytism is trying to till is the ever-growing spiritual zone. France Mission claims that there are currently more mediums and occult practitioners in France than registered physicians.

Moscow Duma wants to ban "healers" using religious attributes

The Moscow Duma's committee for health care and protection of public health has proposed strong measures to put a stop to the practices of the so-called healers who claim to have religious healing powers. It should be made compulsory for anybody, who presents himself as a healer or medical practitioner, to prove that he has higher or secondary medical education, demands the committee. All religious attributes should be banned in connection with health care and treatment. And fake healers should not be able to advertise for their practices in the media.

"Their use of religious attributes has contributed to the rise of occultism among the population", said Lyudmila Stebenkova, chair person of the committee. "Many of the so-called healers have opened all kinds of magic shops. They extort money from people without giving real aid and make them leave their illnesses untreated". The Duma committee is presently drafting amendments to the federal law on health care. Strebenkova proposes to establish responsibility for violation of the new rules and to make amendments to the law on advertising to ban advertisements of unscrupulous healers.