“The English Voltaire”
Thomas Paine, the political activist, philosopher, author, political theorist and revolutionary, is one figure who appears in all three archives of the Alternatives to Religion Project – National Secular Society, British Humanist Association and Conway Hall Ethical Society.
The Grecian Club
Hidden within the archives of the National Secular Society were the minute books and attendance records for a small but influential society called The Grecian Club.
Humanists Are Marching!
National Secular Society members and Humanists protesting on Easter Monday in Hyde Park, c.1970.
Campaign against the ‘misrepresentation’ of Pius XII, 1958
With the death of Pope Pius XII on 9 October 1958, British news published and broadcast a wave of positive eulogies for the Catholic leader. Celebrated nationally as the ‘Pope of Peace’, the National Secular Society were alarmed by the uncritical reporting of Pius’ leadership.
Charles Bradlaugh and the National Secular Society
The National Secular Society was established by the political activist and atheist Charles Bradlaugh in 1886. The Society aimed to promote secularism and argued for a division between church and state.
Sunday Lectures at Conway Hall
Conway Hall Ethical Society has been providing an alternative to Sunday services – the Sunday Lectures, since the congregation of South Place Chapel moved away from religion in the nineteenth century.
Gora and the Atheist Centre, Vijayawada
From even a quick browse of the archive, it is clear that Conway Hall Ethical Society has a long tradition of forging connections with kindred organisations. Included in this illuminating collection is a snapshot about Gora and the Atheist Centre in Vijayawada, India.
Nineteenth-century marriages at the Ethical Society
Nineteenth-century marriages at Conway Hall Ethical Society.
Three beautifully designed late twentieth-century leaflets from the British Humanist Association
Here are three beautifully designed late twentieth-century leaflets from the British Humanist Association archives advertising humanist ceremonies for birth, partnerships and death.