Greg Thomas, Author at Humanist Society Scotland

Neil Anderson conducts a wedding for a bride and groom in suit and white wedding dress with pink flower pattern.

Humanist Society interview series: Neil Anderson on growing humanism across Europe

September 27, 2023

For this instalment in our Humanist Society interview series, we speak to a celebrant who’s also helping to support the development of humanism across Europe. Neil Anderson first trained as a funeral celebrant, then went on to conduct weddings too,…

An uopened letter with a wax seal across the flap sits on a table.

Writing to Reach You: Our Unanswered Letters on Assisted Dying to Humza Yousaf and His Health Secretary

September 26, 2023

With new polling from Yougov showing an overwhelming majority of Scots support assisted dying, we’ve been thinking about some unanswered letters we sent earlier this year….. The day after Humza Yousaf’s election as first minister, we wrote to him requesting…

Humza Yousaf and Michael Matheson sit in a circle of people on chairs having a discussion. Humza wears a suit and Michael wears a shirt and tie.

Large majority of religious people in Scotland support assisted dying, new poll shows

September 19, 2023

A new poll from Yougov shows that most religious people in Scotland support legalising assisted dying. The evidence, commissioned by Dignity in Dying and gathered during July 2023, reveals that 64% of people who identify with a particular religion support…

The Edinburgh skyline in black and white, with spires and classical columns rising up.

New poll shows disabled people in Scotland overwhelmingly support assisted dying

September 18, 2023

New research conducted by YouGov shows that 79% of disabled people in Scotland support legalising assisted dying. The research, undertaken during July 2023, also reveals that a slightly higher percentage of disabled people support legalising assisted dying than the figure…

Maureen Kettle smiles at the camera in a pub or restaurant type setting. She has a blonde bob of hair and black glasses and wears a dark blue cardigan and light blue shirt.

Humanist Society interview series: celebrant Maureen Kettle on making lasting memories with a humanist naming ceremony

September 12, 2023

Lots of people think that humanists just conduct weddings. In fact, our brilliant team of Humanist Society Scotland celebrants offer funeral services and naming ceremonies, too. These are areas of the society’s work that we’d love for parents, carers, and…

The Danish Parliament building at Christiansborg, with multi-storey stone wings and a central spire.

Our CEO talks Danish blasphemy laws on BBC Scotland

September 11, 2023

Our CEO Fraser Sutherland talked about the danger of “back-door blasphemy laws” when he joined Cathy MacDonald on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Morning show last week (9 September). Discussing the issue alongside him were Aman De Sondy, Head of Religious Studies…

A view of Edinburgh City Chambers, a set of neoclassical stone buildings forming a courtyard with archways in front.

Edinburgh Council removes voting rights from religious reps on education committee

August 31, 2023

Humanist Society Scotland is delighted that Edinburgh Council has voted to remove voting rights from unelected religious representatives on its education committee. Since the start of May, five councils (Edinburgh, Stirling,* Fife, Highlands, and Orkney) have voted to remove these undemocratic…

Two people in waterproof jackets (one red, one blue) smile at each other as they hold plants in clumps of soil on a flat grassy Scottish landscape with hills in the background.

Humanist Society interview series: Thomas Widrow of the John Muir Trust on why Scotland needs a Carbon Emissions Land Tax

August 29, 2023

Humanist Society Scotland is one of more than 30 organisations campaigning for a Carbon Emissions Land Tax. If you want to know why this is such a vital cause for the future of Scotland’s environment, read on. We spoke to…

Fraser in conversation with Wonderful from Humanists Malawi. Wonderful has his arms folded and makes a point with his right hand. He has short black hair and glasses and wears a black jacket. Fraser listens and looks at Wonderful. He has glasses and short brown hair and wears a blue suit with pale blue shirt and no tie.

Building Bridges, Building Democracies: A Report from the World Humanist Congress 2023

August 23, 2023

At the start of August, over 400 delegates from humanist organisations around the world took part in the World Humanist Congress in Copenhagen, the first congress since 2014. In all, 43 countries were represented at the three-day event. Humanist Society…

James Calder smiles at the camera. He has short strawberry blond hair and wears a matt pink shirt with no tie and a grey suit jacket. He is standing in front of a hedge.

Humanist Society interview series: James Calder, Fife councillor for fair school votes

August 22, 2023

One of our most important campaigns is about removing undemocratic voting rights from religious representatives on local education committees. Due to a historic piece of legislation all local councils have to include three religious representatives on their local education committees….

Humza Yousaf talks at a podium in front of a black curtain. He wears a blue suit and tartan tie.

Humza Yousaf turns down meeting with Humanist Society on assisted dying

August 15, 2023

Four and a half months after we sent a letter to Humza Yousaf requesting a meeting to make our case on assisted dying, we have received a reply. While it responds partially to one of our requests, it turns down…