ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 172

Former youth pastor sentenced to 3 years for sexually abusing teen from church

By Lindsay Watts A former Virginia youth pastor will spend three years in prison for sexually abusing a teenager from his church. Jordan Baird was facing up to 10 years behind bars, but on Monday, a judge sentenced him to three years, plus three years probation after he pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent acts …

Indiana teacher fired for same-sex marriage sues archdiocese

By Paul O’Donnell A Catholic high school teacher who was fired because he’s in a same-sex marriage sued the Archdiocese of Indianapolis on Wednesday, accusing it of discrimination and interfering with his teaching contract. Joshua Payne-Elliott is suing the archdiocese in Marion County court and seeking unspecified compensatory, emotional distress and other damages. Payne-Elliott taught …

A Skull Bone Discovered in Greece May Alter the Story of Human Prehistory

By Carl Zimmer A skull fragment found in the roof of a cave in southern Greece is the oldest fossil of Homo sapiens ever discovered in Europe, scientists reported on Wednesday. Until now, the earliest remains of modern humans found on the Continent were less than 45,000 years old. The skull bone is more than four …

How Was the Moon Made? We Won’t Know Until We Go Back

By Rebecca Boyle David Scott and James Irwin traveled to the moon with a shopping list. Geologists wanted the two men, Apollo 15 astronauts, to collect samples that would shed light on the moon’s mysterious formation and early years. On their second day there, Aug. 1, 1971, Mr. Scott and Mr. Irwin hit the jackpot. …

Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo address Christian pro-Israel summit

By Jack Jenkins Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both addressed a Christian pro-Israel group Monday (July 8), lifting up the U.S. ally as a bastion of inclusivity and railing against Iran. Pence and Pompeo delivered their remarks at the annual summit of Christians United for Israel, a conservative Christian …

Poll: Most Americans Rarely, If Ever, Seek Advice from Religious Leaders

By Hemant Mehta While more Americans than ever have no religious affiliation, even the ones who do are relying less on their religious leaders for advice. In fact 75% of Americans rarely or never consult a clergy member for advice. That’s one of the key takeaways from a new poll conducted by the Associated Press and the …

Trump’s Human Rights Commission Could Undercut Human Rights

By Ally Boguhn The Trump administration launched an advisory commission this week tasked with examining human rights in foreign policy—but advocates worry it could undermine global reproductive rights. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday announced the creation of the U.S. State Department’s Commission on Unalienable Rights. He said the commission will conduct “an informed review of the …

Cancer Quackery on YouTube

By Steven Novella Many outlets are covering the story of Mari Lopez, a YouTuber who claimed, along with her niece, Liz Johnson, that a raw vegan diet cured her breast cancer. Johnson recently updated the videos with a notice that Mari Lopez died of cancer in December 2017. She has refused, however, to take down the …

Can NASA really return people to the Moon by 2024?

By Alexandra Witze Five decades after sending humans to the Moon, NASA is tasked with repeating the feat — and doing it by 2024, the ambitious deadline set by US President Donald Trump’s team. But it is unclear how the space agency will surmount some formidable technical, political and financial challenges to pull off a …

VA’s revised policies on symbols, displays aim to protect ‘religious liberty’

By Adelle M. Banks In the wake of a Supreme Court decision permitting a cross to remain on a public highway, the Department of Veterans Affairs has revised its policies on religious symbols in displays at VA facilities. VA Secretary Robert Wilkie announced Wednesday (July 3) that the new policies will reduce inconsistencies among VA …