ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 126

‘License to discriminate’? Hershey charitable school seeks to exempt itself from Pa. oversight.

By Bob Fernandez Pennsylvania’s richest charity, the 2,000-student Milton Hershey School for poor children, is seeking through sealed court actions to exempt itself from the state’s discrimination laws even as it spends millions of dollars defending itself against federal discrimination lawsuits. The politically connected institution says it deserves the same discrimination exemptions as neighborhood parochial schools that …

History’s Largest Mining Operation Is About to Begin

By Wil S. Hylton Unless you are given to chronic anxiety or suffer from nihilistic despair, you probably haven’t spent much time contemplating the bottom of the ocean. Many people imagine the seabed to be a vast expanse of sand, but it’s a jagged and dynamic landscape with as much variation as any place onshore. …

Justin Trudeau Directs Canadian Government to Ban Conversion Therapy

By Kate Sosin Canadian officials have been directed to criminalize conversion therapy in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling for a ban on the pseudoscientific practice. On December 13, Trudeau wrote a letter to Canada Attorney General David Lametti, directing him to work with the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and amend the …

Somerset ISD takes down biblical religious display after complaint from American Humanist Association

By Fares Sabawi and RJ Marquez A wall of the Somerset Early Childhood Elementary’s library is bare after district officials took down a religious display on Monday due to a complaint from the American Humanist Association. Maury Vasquez, the district’s public information officer, said the decision to take down the display came after officials consulted …

‘Gay Jesus’ and a weed-smoking Mary: Brazilian Christmas parody on Netflix slammed by pastors, politicians

By Teo Armus Depictions of Jesus Christ in film, art and beyond are no stranger to controversy, with portrayals of the religious figure depicted as homeless or submerged in urine drawing ire over the years. Now, a Portuguese-language Christmas special on Netflix is catching fierce backlash from religious leaders and right-wing political figures, including the Brazilian president’s …

Are Atheists Sadder But Wiser?

By Stuart Vyse Recently, a friend and colleague posted a Live Science article on Facebook that suggested atheists are more intelligent than religious believers, and soon I was drawn into one of those sticky internet conversations that rarely work out well. The article was based on a 2013 meta-analysis of sixty-three studies of the relationship of religious …

Millennials Are Leaving Religion And Not Coming Back

By Daniel Cox and Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux Millennials have earned a reputation for reshaping industries and institutions — shaking up the workplace, transforming dating culture, and rethinking parenthood. They’ve also had a dramatic impact on American religious life. Four in ten millennials now say they are religiously unaffiliated, according to the Pew Research Center. In fact, millennials (those between the …

Researchers built AI technology that uses algae to fight climate change, and they’re planning on releasing the design so anyone can build one

By Daniel T. Allen There are only a few ingredients needed for algae to take over: carbon dioxide, light, and water. The ancient microorganism is thriving thanks to record heat waves and fertilizers washed away into nearby waters. And that’s bad news for pretty much everything else. But what if a fourth ingredient — artificial …

Another antigay church leader caught trying to buy sex on Grindr

By Graham Gremore Another day, another antigay church leader busted for trying to buy sex on Grindr. 57-year-old Barry Cole Poyner of Kirksville, Missouri is an elder at the Kirksville Church of Christ, as well as a professor of communications at Truman State University. The Kirksville Church of Christ likes to post things on Facebook …

Illinois Town Rejects Invocations After Realizing Satanists May Participate

By Hemant Mehta Satanists have stopped a town in northern Illinois from adopting religious invocations… without having to say a single word. McHenry Township was considering the invocations at the request of Trustee Steve Verr, but members of the public were quick to point out that if the goal was to have Christian prayers at meetings, others …