ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 125

White evangelicals fear atheists and Democrats would strip away their rights. Why?

By Paul A. Djupe As the House has moved through the impeachment of President Trump, voices on the extreme right have been arguing that it’s the first shot in a coming “civil war.” According to conservative evangelical conspiracy theorist Rick Wiles, “The Democrats are forcing me to stockpile ammunition, food, water, and medical supplies to defend …

Washington Legislator Matt Shea Accused Of ‘Domestic Terrorism,’ Report Finds

By Vanessa Romo Six-term Washington state Rep. Matt Shea is accused of participating “in an act of domestic terrorism against the United States,” according to a report released Thursday. Independent investigators commissioned by the Washington State House of Representatives found that Shea, as a leader of the Patriot Movement, “planned, engaged in, and promoted a total of …

Legionaries founder sexually abused 60 boys, religious order’s report says

By Philip Pullella Sexual abuse of minors was rife among superiors of the Legionaries of Christ Catholic religious order, with at least 60 boys abused by its founder Father Marcial Maciel, a report by the group showed. The report is important because for decades until 2006, including during all of the pontificate of Pope John …

Astronomers Confirm The Existence of Planets That Have The Lightness of Cotton Candy

By Michelle Starr No two planets in the Solar System are exactly alike, but we can broadly categorise them – rocky worlds Earth, Venus, Mercury and Mars; gas giants Saturn and Jupiter; ice giants Neptune and Uranus; and dwarf planets, like Pluto and Ceres. That sounds pretty diverse, but astronomers have just made a detailed …

Despite whistleblower complaint, experts say IRS backlash to Mormon group unlikely

By Jack Jenkins The Mormon world was rocked on Monday (Dec. 16) when news broke that a whistleblower had accused The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of misleading members regarding more than $100 billion retained in accounts accumulated from tithe donations. But despite ample handwringing, legal experts are skeptical the news will trigger …

Christianity Today’s Call for Trump’s Removal from Office Doesn’t Go Far Enough

By Hemant Mehta Christianity Today, the magazine founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham and written primarily for an audience of evangelical Christians, has published a piece by editor-in-chief Mark Galli saying that Donald Trump should be removed from office now that he’s been impeached. It’s a far cry from the wishes of most white evangelicals, roughly 80% of whom voted for Trump …

Kentucky’s ex-governor pardoned a child rapist because the 9-year-old victim’s hymen was intact

By Antonia Noori Farzan When the Louisville Courier-Journal revealed earlier this month that former Kentucky governor Matt Bevin (R) had pardoned a slew of violent criminals during his final weeks in office, he cited his belief in second chances. But on Thursday, Bevin offered a different explanation for one particularly controversial pardon: He said he didn’t believe that …

A group of our Homo erectus ancestors suffered a mysterious mass death more than 107,000 years ago. It’s their last appearance in the fossil record.

By Aylin Woodward In the early 1930s, Dutch anthropologists found a giant bed of bones hidden above the banks of the Solo River on the Indonesian island of Java. Buried in the river mud in an area called Ngandong were more than 25,000 fossil specimens, including 12 skullcaps and two leg bones from a particularly …

Alabama School Criticized for Hosting Baptism With Staffers and Football Coach

By Hemant Mehta Not for the first time, a public high school football team has engaged in an act of Christian worship by hosting a baptism for players. It’s happening this time at Reeltown High School in Notasulga, Alabama. Last month, students participated in a baptism (which would have been fine on its own) on school property (!) …

Trump’s hell suggestion outraged some faith leaders, but his evangelical advisers are still defending him

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey President Trump appeared to mock Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and her late husband, former congressman John Dingell (D-Mich.), during a speech Wednesday in their home state, suggesting that the World War II veteran and former congressman was “looking up” from hell. Trump told a rally in Battle Creek, Mich., that Debbie …