ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 229

Here’s Why the Supreme Court Must Declare the Bladensburg Cross Unconstitutional

By Roy Speckhardt As you head east out of Washington, D.C., on US 50, a towering memorial appears in the distance. The 40-foot-tall concrete Christian cross is the first thing you see as you enter the D.C. suburb of Bladensburg, Maryland. For the last four years, this cross has been the center of a hotly …

It’s Time For A Cease Fire In The ‘War On Christmas’

By Rachel Laser and David P. Gushee One of us is getting excited to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the other just finished making her first batch of homemade latkes, but we both believe the claim that there is a “War on Christmas” is false. We walk city streets adorned in Santa’s sleighs and …

Ancient genomes help to pinpoint origins of Aboriginal remains

By Ewen Callaway The remains of Indigenous Australians — taken from their resting places after European colonization — could now be returned, with help from ancient-DNA sequencing techniques. In a 19 December paper1 in Science Advances, researchers showed that they could accurately match DNA from ancient Aboriginal Australian remains to modern inhabitants from the same geographical area. The …

Catholic Church in Illinois Withheld Names of at Least 500 Priests Accused of Abuse, Attorney General Says

By Laurie Goodstein and Monica Davey The Catholic Church in Illinois withheld the names of at least 500 priests accused of sexual abuse of minors, the state’s attorney general said Wednesday in a scathing report that accused the church of failing victims by neglecting to investigate their allegations. The preliminary report by Attorney General Lisa …

Janet Porter: The Architect of Ohio’s ‘Heartbeat’ Bills

By Ally Boguhn She may not be a household name, but you’ve undoubtedly heard of her handiwork. Anti-choice activist Janet Porter has spent years pushing her “heartbeat” legislation, which would outlaw abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy—before many even know they are pregnant. Porter’s push is again gaining momentum in the waning days of …

Churches are financial black holes. Here’s what Congress can do about it.

By Andrew L. Seidel Two nuns skimmed $500,000 over a decade from their Catholic school employer and gambled away the cash in Las Vegas, an internal investigation by the school revealed last month. While the incident seems unbelievable, it’s common, as churches often fall prey to fraud and embezzlement by employees. And though the fix is easy, …

Citing the Bible, TN School Board Member Rejects Gay-Straight Alliance Club

By Hemant Mehta This shouldn’t be controversial: A group of students at Volunteer High School in Tennessee wanted to start a chapter of the Gay-Straight Alliance and completed all the necessary steps to do it. Their principal approved the paperwork, and the group was official… except for one problem: The Hawkins County Board of Education …

Trump Is Milking the War on Christmas for Every Last Penny

By Jack Holmes While the stock market tumbles, even after a tremendous tax cut that led to $1 trillion in corporate stock buybacks and a two-cent-per-hour raise for workers, there is no disputing one victory for Donald Trump, American president: he won The War on Christmas. Granted, The War was not real—it was an outbreak of mass delusion …

Opponents of Bible classes in a W. Virginia county’s schools win round in court

By Jon Heim Parents engaged in battle with a West Virginia school system that for decades allowed Bible classes in elementary and middle schools won a round in a federal appeals court this week, setting the stage for a renewed legal tussle. The ruling means that the case will be sent back to a district …

Trump’s New Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney Has a Disturbing Anti-LGBTQ Record

By Jeff Taylor President Trump’s acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, who is set to replace John Kelly, has a history of supporting anti-LGBTQ policies that is alarming advocates. Mulvaney has served as Director of the Office of Management Budget, and prior to that served in the South Carolina House and Senate, as well as …