ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 166

Christian author Joshua Harris is sorry for the damage he did. Now what?

By Ashlie D. Stevens Last weekend, Joshua Harris, the megachurch pastor and author of several Christian relationship books, posted a lengthy note on Instagram in which he apologized to the LGBTQ community and said that he is “not a Christian” any longer. “I have lived in repentance for the past several years — repenting of my …

Turns Out a Lot of Christians Are Against Trump’s Pro-Christian Agenda

By Leila Ettachfini Leaders from Christian churches across the country have come together to denounce Christian Nationalists, those who believe that the United States should be dominantly and explicitly Christian in its laws, practices, and citizens. Members of a group known as Christians Against Christian Nationalism released a statement on Monday relaying its mission and asking other …

OPEN DISCUSSION AUGUST 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 …

How Does a Male Black Widow Find a Mate? Follow the Other Guys

By Knvul Sheikh It’s a myth that black widow female spiders always kill and consume their mates. But courtship remains perilous for males, cannibalism or no. The terrain, navigated in the dark, is challenging. The female’s web releases come-hither pheromones, but only about 12 percent of prospective males manage to reach it. And once there, they can expect to …

Millions of Black Holes Are Hiding in Our Galaxy. Here’s How Astronomers Plan to Find Them.

By Rafi Letzter It’s time to find all the missing black holes. That’s the argument advanced by a pair of Japanese astrophysicists, who wrote a paper proposing a new search for millions of “isolated black holes” (IBHs) that likely populate our galaxy. These black holes, lost in the darkness, sip matter from the interstellar medium …

Creationists Say Ark Encounter Gets No Money from KY Taxpayers. That’s a Lie.

By Hemant Mehta Very few reporters know the ins and outs of Ark Encounter as well as the Lexington Herald-Leader‘s Linda Blackford because she’s been reporting on Ken Ham’s attractions for years now. So when she writes about how the Ark isn’t having the impact that Ham suggests to his followers, it’s especially infuriating to him because Blackford …

More churches are checking the national sex offender registry. Is it helping?

By Yonat Shimron Since they were first offered  an opportunity to pool their resources and buy background checks on volunteers and employees at a discount 11 years ago, about a third of Southern Baptist churches have signed up for the OneSource program from LifeWay Christian Resources.  Earlier this year, LifeWay reported that 16,000 congregations and other church organizations …

When a Mega-Tsunami Drowned Mars, This Spot May Have Been Ground Zero

By Robin George Andrews Today, Mars is a cold, dry world, home to dust devils and robotic explorers. But many scientists suspect it was once waterlogged. A new study, published last month in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, suggests that a 75-mile-wide impact scar in the Martian northern lowlands is to the red planet what the Chicxulub crater is …

The Village Church sued for more than $1 million over alleged abuse at church camp

By Emily McFarlan Miller A young woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a youth minister at a church camp is suing the Village Church for more than $1 million for gross negligence and the emotional distress the alleged abuse has caused her. According to the lawsuit obtained by Religion News Service, the Village Church’s …

Bishop claims God gave holy men the ability to tell if a man is gay by smelling him

By Bil Browning Bishop Neophytos of Morphou, best known for his ridiculous claims about LGBTQ people, is back with a whopper. The Greek Orthodox priest was last seen on LGBTQ Nation after he claimed that if a pregnant woman has anal sex, the baby will be gay. The group Accept – LGBTI Cyprus has released video taken at the …