ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 117

Study finds shock rise in levels of potent greenhouse gas

By Matthew Taylor Efforts to reduce levels of one potent greenhouse gas appear to be failing, according to a study. Scientists had expected to find a dramatic reduction in levels of the hydrofluorocarbon HFC-23 in the atmosphere after India and China, two of the main sources, reported in 2017 that they had almost completely eliminated …

Satanic Temple Attorney Discusses Cancelled Scottsdale Prayer Invite

By Joseph Laycock This week, on the 22nd and 23rd of January, The Satanic Temple (TST) and the city of Scottsdale will meet in court to determine whether TST’s lawsuit over a retracted prayer invitation will proceed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The lawsuit began in 2016 when Scottsdale—which recently voted to spend another $130,000 to fight …

Religious-schools case heads to a Supreme Court skeptical of stark lines between church and state

By Robert Barnes It is a blessed time at Stillwater Christian School, where Scripture adorns the gymnasium wall, enrollment is climbing and Head of School Jeremy Marsh awaits the four new classrooms that will be built in the spring. It is a place that embraces the beliefs that sinners avoid eternal condemnation only through Jesus Christ, that …

“Empty the Pews” Shares Stories of Christians Who Left the Fundamentalist Fold

By Beth Stoneburner The white evangelical version of Christianity that takes up a good deal of air space and national publicity has done so much damage over the past few decades — especially the past few years — that more and more “ex-vangelicals” are speaking up and sharing their stories of exodus. Some shifted to …

Catastrophic Australian bushfires derail research

By Dyani Lewis Smoke hung thick in the air and shrubland was still smouldering when firefighters escorted a small team of biologists into Kosciusko National Park in southern New South Wales on 15 January. The expedition, granted a rare exemption from the park’s strict no-go policy during this record-breaking fire season, was to prevent one …

Trump Unveils More Anti-LGBTQ ‘License to Discriminate’ Plans

By Trudy Ring Donald Trump’s administration has made yet another move to enable discrimination, including anti-LGBTQ discrimination, in the name of “religious freedom.” On Thursday, National Religious Freedom Day, Trump announced his administration is issuing nine proposed rules that govern how faith-based nonprofits with government contracts interact with their clients, reversing regulations put in place …

Famed Buddhist nun Pema Chodron retires, cites handling of sexual misconduct allegations against her group’s leader

By Michelle Boorstein Sexual misconduct allegations against its leader continued to roil the Shambhala Buddhist community this week, with famed nun and best-selling author Pema Chodron stepping down as a Shambhala teacher, saying adherents are “yearning for accountability.” The 83-year-old American nun, who wrote “When Things Fall Apart” in 1996 and appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s …

Pope Reminds Bishops To Keep Opposing Bodily Autonomy for Women and Trans People

By Val Wilde Earlier in the week, Pope Francis approached the U.S. bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities to encourage them with a reminder that, even though he has spoken publicly about issues like poverty and refugees’ rights, he still agrees that abortion is and should be “a preeminent priority” for the Church. The Committee’s chair, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, passed …

How ‘spooky’ is quantum physics? The answer could be incalculable

By Davide Castelvecchi Albert Einstein famously said that quantum mechanics should allow two objects to affect each other’s behaviour instantly across vast distances, something he dubbed “spooky action at a distance”1. Decades after his death, experiments confirmed this, but to this day, it remains unclear exactly how much coordination nature allows between distant objects. Now, five …

Major evangelical nonprofits are trying a new strategy with the IRS that allows them to hide their salaries

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey Several major evangelical organizations have in recent years moved to a new strategy where they shift from a nonprofit status to a “church” status with the IRS, allowing them to keep private exactly how their money is being spent and the salaries of their most highly paid employees. That strategic shift …