ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 156

Secular Student Alliance has seen growth at religiously affiliated colleges

By Heather Adams LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Sophie Cote, a math and economics major who hopes to be on Wall Street one day, and Charlotta Lebedenko, a chemistry and philosophy major on her way to medical school, sat together during their medieval theology class at Fordham University, a Jesuit university in New York. Freshmen at …

Pete Buttigieg: Lawmakers Must Treat Religious and Non-Religious People Equally

By Hemant Mehta Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Cory Booker, more than the other Democrats, have been talking about their personal faith ever since stepping onto the campaign trail. It’s been a refreshing change of pace for people who are only used to Republicans talking about Christianity and only as a weapon against various groups. While it’s …

Are Democrats really ‘godless’? The numbers say mostly not, but the rap still sticks.

By Eugene Scott In recent weeks, presidential candidates on the left have made it known that they aren’t afraid to invoke God on a range of topics. “If you believe that God is watching as poison is being belched into the air of creation and people are being harmed by it, countries are at risk of vanishing …

‘Einstein’s Biggest Blunder’ May Have Finally Been Fixed

By Tim Childers There is a fundamental problem in physics. A single number, called the cosmological constant, bridges the microscopic world of quantum mechanics and the macroscopic world of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. But neither theory can agree on its value. In fact, there’s such a huge discrepancy between the observed value of  this …

BC Humanists: Prayer Has No Place in the Legislative Assembly

By Val Wilde Every day, just before the start of Question Period at the British Columbia Legislature, a different Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) stands to lead those present in a prayer taken from any faith they choose. It’s their version of a religious invocation. The BC Humanist Association (BCHA) says it’s time for this practice to …

Bishop Malone: “This could be the end for me as bishop . . . It could force me to resign.”

By: Charlie Specht BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — It’s the morning of Friday, Aug. 2, and Bishop Richard J. Malone hasn’t slept for two nights. “We are in a true crisis situation,” Malone said. “True crisis. And everyone in the office is convinced this could be the end for me as bishop. It could force me …

Even Patients Who Know Their Hospitals Are Catholic May Not Realize Their Care Is Restricted

By Amy Littlefield A new study has revealed just how little patients understand about how Catholic hospitals restrict health care. At least 1 in 6 acute-care beds nationwide follow, to some degree, Catholic rules that ban sterilization, abortion, in vitro fertilization, and all contraception except for natural family planning. But many patients still expect to …

50,000 Unvaccinated Wisconsin Students Head to School Amid Measles Outbreak

By David G. McAfee As the United States grapples with the worst measles outbreak it has seen in nearly three decades, nearly 50,000 unvaccinated Wisconsin students will reportedly be heading to school. That’s the number of kids in Wisconsin who have waivers exempting them from vaccines that save lives and parents who don’t care enough about what …

Rep. Jared Huffman is Right: Liz Cheney “Went Ballistic” Over a Christian Oath

By Hemant Mehta Rep. Jared Huffman, the only openly atheist member of Congress, is being criticized by a prominent Republican for the crime of… defending the Constitution. A little background: Huffman sits on the House Committee on Natural Resources. Earlier this year, after control of the committee flipped to Democrats, Ranking Member Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva agreed to strike the …

Prosperity Gospel Prayers Aren’t Sufficient to Save Hurricane Victims

By Tony Keddie In between advertising her own books and promoting her rock star husband’s albums, Trump’s Prosperity Gospel confidant, Paula White-Cain, took a moment to acknowledge those affected by Hurricane Dorian. White-Cain tweeted a link to the evangelical pastor Greg Laurie’s Fox News article defending “prayer” as a legitimate response to mass shootings and hurricanes. White-Cain …