HC Deb 18 June 1993 vol 226 c762W
Lady Olga Maitland

To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he will make a statement on the inclusion of humanism in agreed syllabuses for religious education.

Mr. Robin Squire

Humanism is not a religion and should not be taught in religious education lessons as if it were. A syllabus may, however, include teaching about people, such as humanists, who do not believe in God but nonetheless have a code of moral values; or give examples of secular equivalents to practices which have a religious background, such as the marriage service or the taking of an oath.