ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 107

Herbals Don’t Work for Weight Loss

By Steven Novella One of the frustrating things I encounter as a practicing physician is listening to patients describe how they are motivated to improve their health, and then list all the things they are doing, none of which will improve their health. I am eating organic, taking probiotics, taking supplements, and “eating clean.” They …

The multimillion-dollar Christian group attacking LGBTQ+ rights

By Jessica Glenza A group of about two dozen people, mostly women, stood on the steps of the Connecticut capitol on a New England winter day with signs reading “Protect Women’s Sports” and “#FairPlay”. In front stood Christiana Holcomb, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, the conservative Christian legal group representing three cis teen girls in a …

Religious Leaders Need “Empty the Pews” Which Chronicles the Darker Side of the “Nones” Phenomenon

By Kaya Oakes In 2020, the rise of the so-called religious “Nones”—those who claim no religious affiliation—has evolved from a story of interest to a small niche of readers into an entire genre on the religion beat. While the term None has some usefulness as a blanket descriptor, we are beginning to understand that most individual stories …

Pennsylvania Catholic diocese, facing new sexual abuse lawsuits, files for bankruptcy

By Julie Zauzmer The Diocese of Harrisburg on Wednesday became the first Catholic diocese to seek bankruptcy protection in Pennsylvania, a state that led the nation in investigating sexual abuse by priests when it published a landmark report almost two years ago. While Pennsylvania law prevents victims of long-ago abuse from suing the alleged perpetrators, …

Oil and Gas May Be a Far Bigger Climate Threat Than We Knew

By Hiroko Tabuchi Oil and gas production may be responsible for a far larger share of the soaring levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, in the earth’s atmosphere than previously thought, new research has found. The findings, published in the journal Nature, add urgency to efforts to rein in methane emissions from the fossil fuel …

Pensacola’s Bayview Park cross can stay, does not violate Constitution, appeals court rules

By Jim Little Pensacola’s Bayview Park cross can stay on city property after the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the presence of the cross does not violate the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated previous rulings that the cross violates the separation of church and state …

Mormon Church Formalizes Punishments for Trans Members

By Trudy Ring The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known informally as the Mormon Church, has never been supportive of transgender identity, but now it has fully spelled out its anti-trans positions in a new handbook, available online. “Gender is an essential characteristic of Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness,” says the General Handbook: Serving …

226 bills target LGBTQ Americans this year. One organization is behind a lot of them.

By Molly Sprayregen The group Equality Federation is currently tracking 226 anti-LGBTQ bills being considered in state legislatures throughout the country, and one organization in particular is responsible for many of the bills. Many of the bills are similar and target the transgender community, and specifically transgender youth. “The targeting of kids is really unique this year,” …

Scientists discover Neanderthal skeleton that hints at flower burial

By Reuters A Neanderthal skeleton unearthed in an Iraqi cave, already famous for fossils of these cousins of our species, is providing fresh evidence that they buried their dead – and intriguing clues that flowers may have been used in such rituals. Scientists said they had discovered the well-preserved upper body skeleton of an adult …

Tennessee Lawmaker: No ‘Solid Evidence’ Earth Is 500 Million Years Old

By Michael Stone Stupid For Jesus: A Tennessee lawmaker refuses to support a resolution about the Cumberland Plateau because he doesn’t believe the Earth is 500 million years old. Tennessee State Rep. Chris Todd argued against a resolution in support of the Cumberland Plateau because the resolution cites scientific research showing the plateau’s sandstone and …