ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 130

Jewish schools ‘pressurise parents to take children out of sex ed lessons’

By Catrin Nye Two Orthodox Jewish secondary schools in London have been accused of pressurising parents into taking their children out of sex education lessons. The BBC has seen an email and heard a recording of the state-funded schools explaining how to withdraw pupils from mandatory relationships and sex education classes, which begin in 2020. …

Texas judge warned for refusal to perform gay marriages

By Tim Fitzsimons Waco-based Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley’s refusal to perform gay weddings violates the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, a Texas judicial agency has said in a public warning. The “warning” from the Texas Commission on Judicial Misconduct states that Hensley has declined to perform gay weddings since …

New Jersey lawsuit alleges former D.C. archbishop Theodore McCarrick sexually abused 14-year-old at Hackensack parish in the 1990s

By Michelle Boorstein A New Jersey man filed a lawsuit alleging that former D.C. Catholic archbishop Theodore McCarrick — a giant in the U.S. church — sexually abused him in the 1990s, when the man was 14. The suit is one of thousands of new child sexual abuse cases being filed as a slew of …

Buffalo Bishop Resigns After Scandal Over Secret List of Abusive Priests

By Sharon Otterman First, a whistle-blower revealed that Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo had kept files about abusive priests that he hid from the public. Then leaked recordings showed that he was reluctant to remove a parish priest whom he called a “sick puppy.” On Wednesday, after months of pressure from priests and lay leaders, the Vatican said in a statement that it …

What If the Earth Was Flat?

By Stephanie Pappas The Earth is a sphere. This is a simple fact that humans have known for thousands of years; it was incontrovertibly confirmed as soon as the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957 and it went … you know … around the globe. Nevertheless, a small but vocal group of …

Ohio bill orders doctors to ‘reimplant ectopic pregnancy’ or face ‘abortion murder’ charges

By Jessica Glenza A bill to ban abortion introduced in the Ohio state legislature requires doctors to “reimplant an ectopic pregnancy” into a woman’s uterus – a procedure that does not exist in medical science – or face charges of “abortion murder”. This is the second time practising obstetricians and gynecologists have tried to tell the Ohio …

U.S. Public Views on Climate and Energy

By Cary Funk and Meg Hefferon Majorities of Americans say the federal government is doing too little for key aspects of the environment, from protecting water or air quality to reducing the effects of climate change. And most believe the United States should focus on developing alternative sources of energy over expansion of fossil fuel …

Surge of new abuse claims threatens church like never before

By Bernard Condon and Jim Mustian At the end of another long day trying to sign up new clients accusing the Roman Catholic Church of sexual abuse, lawyer Adam Slater gazes out the window of his high-rise Manhattan office at one of the great symbols of the church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. “I wonder how much …

Elizabeth Warren Was Asked About Her Plan to Protect “the Rights of Atheists”

By Hemant Mehta During a rally in Iowa City last night, Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren was asked by an audience member, “What is your plan for protecting the rights of atheists and other non-believers?” Warren gave a roundabout answer that didn’t really answer the question. Instead, she spoke about the importance of religious freedom. Actual religious freedom. Where there’s no …

Alabama evangelist Acton Bowen pleads guilty to 28 sex crimes

By William Thornton An Alabama evangelist pleaded guilty this morning in an Etowah County courtroom to 28 counts of sexual abuse involving six victims. Paul Acton Bowen, charged in both Jefferson County and Etowah counties, was facing criminal charges, including enticing a child for sexual act, sodomy, traveling to meet a child for sexual act …