ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 149

Three Decades Ago, America Lost Its Religion. Why?

By Derek Thompson The idea of American exceptionalism has become so dubious that much of its modern usage is merely sarcastic. But when it comes to religion, Americans really are exceptional. No rich country prays nearly as much as the U.S, and no country that prays as much as the U.S. is nearly as rich. America’s unique synthesis …

Why Was ‘Oumuamua So Weird? New Research Tries to Track Its Origins.

By Paul Sutter In 2017, astronomers were startled to find a peculiar object in the solar system. A combination of this object’s incredible speed and ridiculous inclination revealed that it did not belong to us. Instead, this object was a visitor from some distant, unknown solar system altogether. Astronomers eventually named it ‘Oumuamua, which is a …

Court Says Adoption Agencies Can Turn Away Same-Sex Couples

By Nico Lang Discrimination is again the law of the land in Michigan. On Thursday, a Grand Rapids judge rejected the attorney general’s attempt to stop adoption centers from turning away to same-sex couples. The ruling allows state-funded agencies to deny placement to households that don’t align with the organization’s beliefs. In March, Michigan Attorney …

TN County Gives $15,000 in Taxpayer Funding to Bible Museum, Despite Warning

By Hemant Mehta Taxpayers in Collierville, Tennessee are funding a Bible museum in their community, raising all sorts of questions about whether this violates the Constitution. Each member of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners (which includes Collierville) gets $200,000 a year to “give back to the community,” and they can use it for cultural …

When the ‘Biblical View’ for Evangelicals Was That Life Begins at Birth

By Jonathan Dudley In a recent podcast interview, Democratic hopeful Pete Buttigieg noted that some Christians have read the Bible as saying life begins at “first breath.” Buttigieg also noted that, regardless of what any individual believes about the Bible, “the person who should be drawing the line [on when life begins] is the woman making the decision.” …

OPEN DISCUSSION OCTOBER 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 …

‘Planet Nine’ may actually be a black hole

By Sid Perkins For nearly 5 years, growing numbers of scientists have blamed the weird orbits of distant solar system objects on the gravitational effects of an as-yet-undiscovered “Planet Nine” that lies in the icy realm far beyond Neptune. But a pair of physicists is now floating an intriguing idea that could offer a new way to …

Atheist Kicked Off Egyptian TV Show Now Says He’s Safely in Another Country

By Hemant Mehta It was more than a year ago when Mohamed Hisham (also spelled “Hashem” in older articles) appeared on the Egyptian channel Alhadath Alyoum TV (“Egyptian Street”) and spoke openly about his atheism. It was quite a feat considering authorities say there are literally only 866 atheists in the country. Hisham’s appearance didn’t go over well with …

White evangelicals love Trump and aren’t confused about why. No one should be.

By Anthea Butler Liberals have a tendency to wring their hands at the strong support President Donald Trump — he of the three wives and multiple affairs, and a tendency to engage in exceedingly un-Christian-like behavior at the slightest provocation — continues to receive from the white evangelical community. White evangelical support for Donald Trump is still …

How Anti-Vaccine Sentiment Took Hold in the United States

By Jan Hoffman The question is often whispered, the questioners sheepish. But increasingly, parents at the Central Park playground where Dr. Elizabeth A. Comen takes her young children have been asking her: “Do you vaccinate your kids?” Dr. Comen, an oncologist who has treated patients for cancers related to the human papillomavirus that a vaccine can now prevent, replies emphatically: …