Looking back at February

RS Matters began February with an article on media ethics, entitled Right Speech, the Right to Free Speech and the Rights of the Dead. The article highlighted some of the evidence from the ongoing Leveson Inquiry; in particular, the evidence which focused on the issue of defaming the dead. The testimonies of the Watson family and ex-Daily Star journalist Mr. Richard Peppiatt raised questions over the right to free speech and whether the dead can have the same rights as the living when it comes to libel law.

On 9 February, we discussed what ‘evil’ was and asked what makes actions ‘evil’ in an article entitled Have Your Say: What is Evil? The work of political theorist Hannah Arendt was considered, as well as depictions of evil in literary works like Heart of Darkness and Lord of the Flies. If you wish to contribute to the debate, either comment on the article or e-mail RS Matters at rsmattersblog@gmail.com to have your say on the issue.

We finished February with Debating, not dictating: Why the Religion/State divide appears to be working, an article focusing on Baroness Warsi’s recent comments about the role of faith in society in which she spoke of the dangers of ‘militant secularisation’. After examining the content of her comments, which were published in the Daily Telegraph on February 14, the article looked at the religion-state divine in the UK, comparing it with that of the USA, especially as America sets itself up for the autumnal Presidential election.

As we go into March, please follow or continue to follow RS Matters on Twitter (@RSMatters). If you are a student or enthusiast with a passion for religious studies and philosophy and wish to contribute an article to the site, please send us your work by e-mailing rsmattersblog@gmail.com. We will strive to publish all articles that come in, provided that they have not been written to intentionally cause offence. We welcome all points of view and articles about any aspect of religion, philosophy and ethics.

It was great to recently discover that RS Matters has been viewed across the globe, with readers from the UK, the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, the Ukraine and Brazil. Have a great March and continue to enjoy RS Matters

MB, Editor