ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 139

Pete Buttigieg Was Asked to Hire a Secular Outreach Director. (He Didn’t Bite.)

By Hemant Mehta Atheist activist Justin Scott, the Iowa State Director for American Atheists, wasn’t picked to ask Pete Buttigieg a question during a town hall in Iowa. But while waiting to shake hands with the Democratic presidential candidate, Justin asked if he’d consider hiring a Secular Outreach Director now that he’s already hired a person to connect with people of …

Paula White, Trump’s key spiritual adviser, will join the White House

By Josh Dawsey and Sarah Pulliam Bailey Florida televangelist Paula White, who has served as a spiritual adviser to President Trump, will join his administration in an official capacity, according to a senior administration official and another person familiar with the move. White, who already helps coordinate Trump’s evangelical outreach to key leaders, will be …

Trump admin to allow adoption agencies to refuse placement in LGBT homes

By Chris Johnson The Trump administration is moving forward with a proposed regulation that will allow taxpayer-funded adoption agencies to refuse placement to LGBT families over religious objections. The Department of Health & Human Services went public on Friday with the regulation, which will undo an Obama-era policy implemented in December 2016 prohibiting discrimination on the …

Worldwide observations confirm nearby ‘lensing’ exoplanet

By National Astronomical Observatory of Japan Researchers using telescopes around the world confirmed and characterized an exoplanet orbiting a nearby star through a rare phenomenon known as gravitational microlensing. The exoplanet has a mass similar to Neptune, but it orbits a star lighter (cooler) than the Sun at an orbital radius similar to Earth’s orbital …

With STIs On the Rise, Advocates Want Evidence-Based Sex Education

By Sony Salzman Earlier this month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that cases of common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States had reached an all-time high, with cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis rising for the fifth consecutive year. This represents a total of more than 2.4 million infections in …

Member of ulema council that helps oversee Aceh’s sharia caned for adultery

By the Jakarta Post A member of the Aceh Ulema Council (MPU), which oversees the implementation of sharia in the province, was publicly caned in Banda Aceh after he was caught alone with a woman who was not his wife. As punishment, the man, Mukhlis bin Muhammad, received 28 lashes with a cane in Banda Aceh’s …

Highlighting the value of Christians: State Department’s first-ever employee faith group underscores Mike Pompeo’s influence

By Michelle Boorstein All year, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made news for efforts that critics worry are crossing church-state separation lines. In July, he launched a Commission on Unalienable Rights, created by religious conservatives who have bemoaned growing LGBTQ equality. Then in October, a private Pompeo speech, “Being a Christian Leader,” was advertised across the top …

OPEN DISCUSSION NOVEMBER 2019

This thread has been created for discussion on themes relevant to Reason and Science for which there are not currently any dedicated threads. Please note it is NOT for general chat, and that our Comment Policy applies as usual. There is a link to this at the foot of the page. If you would like …

Root of Humanity’s Belief in Evil Possibly Found

By Mindy Weisberger Where did the spiritual concept of evil originate? One possible explanation might be people’s attempts to understand and cope with infectious diseases. Linking diseases and their symptoms to mysterious evil forces is a practice that emerged in traditional belief systems prior to the mid-19th century, when germ theory was introduced, scientists wrote …

Why Are These SCOTUS Justices Hanging With an Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group?

By Kate Sosin As the Supreme Court mulls three blockbuster cases on LGBTQ workplace discrimination protections, two of its justices are keeping strange company. Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh took meetings with designated anti-LGBTQ hate group the International Organization for the Family (IOF), according to the group’s head Brian Brown who tweeted a happy photo with …