In 1956 the Scottish Daily Mail and Edinburgh Daily Dispatch ran a story about a ‘confirmed’ atheist who was appealing for custody of his daughter. After some discussion regarding the child’s access to religious instruction, custody was finally awarded to the father. However, the judge warned that:
“Since the paramount consideration in custody cases is the welfare of the child, it would be almost impossible for a court in Scotland to award the custody to an atheist with the prospect of the child being brought up without the solace and guidance of any religious teaching at all”
It was against this social back drop that the Ethical Union and Rationalist Press Association began legal discussions which would lead to the creation of the British Humanist Association.
Image © British Humanist Association
Bishopsgate Institute Reference: BHA/1/8/22