ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 28

OPEN DISCUSSION DECEMBER 2020

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 that our Comment Policy applies as usual. There is a link to this at the foot of the page. If you would like to refer back to previous open discussion …

For the first time, scientists detect the ghostly signal that reveals the engine of the universe

By Tom Metcalfe In research published Wednesday in the journal Nature, scientists reported that they’ve made the first detection of almost-ethereal particles called neutrinos that can be traced to carbon-nitrogen-oxygen fusion, known as the CNO cycle, inside the sun. It’s a landmark finding that confirms theoretical predictions from the 1930s, and it’s being hailed as one of …

How can you be LGBTQ+ at an evangelical university? In secret

By Soo Youn It took one weekend to leave Tessa Russell truly exposed. On 6 April 2019, her girlfriend Ash Ables traveled to Liberty University in central Virginia to surprise her. They had been dating for four months, but it was her first time visiting Russell on campus. The two were eating pizza in front …

Indian state criminalises religious conversions by marriage

By Al-Jazeera India’s governing Hindu nationalist party has approved legislation in the country’s most populous state that lays out a prison term of up to 10 years for anyone found guilty of using marriage to force someone to change religion. The decree for the state of Uttar Pradesh was passed on Tuesday and follows a …

Scotland Will Finally Remove Unintentional Blasphemy Law In New Hate Crimes Bill

By Hemant Mehta Earlier this year, Scotland was on the verge of banning the “crime” of blasphemy. The nation had proposed a new Hate Crimes Bill, designed to modernize the law, that included a clause abolishing “blasphemy” as a crime. That was great news! But the draft bill included a section that criminalized “stirring up hatred” against various groups… …

Brazil is the most christian country in the world

I’m Brazilian. For those who don’t know, Brazil is the most christian country in the world proportionally. I live in a family where my mom is an ex missionary of a pentecostal church, and my older sister and my brother-in-law are actual pastors in the same church. My mom still goes to the church nowadays, …

Another COVID-19 vaccine success? Candidate may prevent further coronavirus transmission, too

By Jon Cohen and John Travis A third COVID-19 vaccine candidate has convincing evidence that it works, and it may be easier to distribute and cheaper than the two other vaccines already shown to protect people. Developed by the company AstraZeneca in partnership with the University of Oxford, the vaccine had an average efficacy of …

Why the Partisan Divide? The U.S. Is Becoming More Secular—and More Religious

By Spencer James, Hal Boyd, and Jason Carroll From a global pandemic and nationwide protests to a contested presidential election, this year seems tailor-made to expose America’s partisan fault lines. Those hoping for a blue or red wave to unite the country on election night were undoubtedly disappointed. What the returns revealed instead was a …

I Grew Up Surrounded By Religious Fanatics. Here’s What I Know About Trump Supporters.

By Olivia Christensen During the days immediately after the election, most of which I spent doomscrolling through social media on my phone in a kind of trance, my childhood best friend sent me a clip. Her caption was simple: “When people ask me why I don’t go to church anymore.” I gave the wry chuckle …

Christian couple who said they would try to “cure” a gay kid sues foster agency for denying them

By Bil Browning Byron and Keira Hordyk, an Australian evangelical Christian couple who applied to be foster parents, are suing for “religious discrimination” after they were denied. They say the foster agency’s decision wasn’t based on whether or not they can provide a loving home to a child but instead on their anti-LGBTQ religious beliefs. The couple …