Since others have had a go at answering these points I will too.
What about Sunday opening times?
Those of us lucky enough to live in Scotland aren't constrained: there are no Sunday trading restrictions here, and there seem to be no frightened horses roaming the streets. I'm for giving people the freedom to do stuff on a Sunday that they could do without constraint on any other day and that some regard Sunday as 'special', according to their own definition of 'special' of course, isn't binding on the rest of us. Nor do I like the idea of an enforced 'quiet day' for society at large.
Funny how in England and Wales large shops have limited opening on a Sunday: I think they tend to close around 4pm while the churches are free to do their stuff over a much longer period of time throughout Sundays but I've yet to hear organised religions suggest they limit their activities of a Sunday so as to aid peace and quiet for all, and until they do I'll treat their bleating about Sunday shopping as being obvious hypocrisy.
If you had kids would you ban them from school assembly if it was mostly religious?
We did exactly that by insisting that our kids, especially in primary school (non-denominational) when they are very impressionable and tend to believe what they are taught while they are too young to think critically about abstract matters, didn't participate in any acts of religious observance or be exposed to any proselytising by visiting clerical-types - it transpired that we weren't the only ones, and the school was very accommodating. For example when there were Christian services in the local church to which the school was involved, such as the likes of Easter, they made provision for any children not attending the service, which was fine.
It was less of an issue in secondary school, since RE there was about the nature of religions in societies, politics, history etc and also covered the likes of moral philosophy and politics. I asked my elder grandson earlier, when he dropped in en route to school (he's 14, so 3rd year in a non-denominational secondary) who confirms there are no hymns or prayers and that when the school chaplain holds services attendance is discretionary
What about those fat Bishops that sit in the house of Lords,
I'd just get rid of the HoL: it is anachronistic and undemocratic, and I'd bin the monarchy at the same time. We should be able to implement political governance arrangements that are democratic and where those involved are elected and are subject to routine re-election.
do you think intelligent designers have any place in science,
No: so called 'intelligent design' isn't science.
if your local MP was a born again Christian type would that sway how you voted?
No: I think that religious affiliation should be a personal matter, and to be fair I've yet to see any local politician I could vote for make an issue of either their religion or religion in a broader sense. My local MP is John Nicolson, whom I voted for, and I have no idea of his religious outlook.
