ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 31

The Evangelical Reckoning Begins

By Emma Green Andy Stanley’s evangelical megachurch was empty on Election Night, with only a few cars in the Disney World–style parking lot out front. North Point Community Church and its nine satellites in the Atlanta area have been mostly closed since the coronavirus pandemic began in March. When Stanley decided to cancel in-person worship until …

High School Senior Kicked Out of Private Colleyville School for Being Gay

By Scott Gordon A high school senior who was expelled from a conservative Christian school in Colleyville for being gay says he wants to start a conversation to help other young people like himself. Devin Bryant, 18, a senior at Covenant Christian Academy, was kicked out in August after he came out as gay, Bryant …

COVID vaccine excitement builds as Moderna reports third positive result

By Ewen Callaway They say good news comes in threes. For the third time in a week, a coronavirus vaccine developer has reported preliminary results suggesting its vaccine is highly effective. Today, biotech company Moderna in Cambridge, Massachusetts, reported that its RNA-based vaccine was more than 94% effective at preventing COVID-19, based on an analysis …

UK Inquiry: Catholic Cardinal Failed to “Demonstrate Compassion” for Abused Kids

By Val Wilde The same panel that shone a light on the systemic clerical sex abuse problem in the Church of England has released a similarly damning report about the Catholic Church in the UK. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) discovered more than 3,000 complaints of child sexual abuse perpetrated by over 900 priests, deacons, and …

Trump or No Trump, Religious Authoritarianism Is Here to Stay

By Katherine Stewart Will President-elect Joe Biden’s victory force America’s Christian nationalists to rethink the unholy alliance that powered Donald Trump’s four-year tour as one of the nation’s most dangerous presidents? Don’t count on it. The 2020 election is proof that religious authoritarianism is here to stay, and the early signs now indicate that the …

Alito homes in on gay marriage, gun rights, religious liberty in stern speech to conservatives

By Robert Barnes When a public official says he is pessimistic that his comments won’t be twisted or misunderstood but then adds, “here goes,” even he knows something controversial is coming up. That’s how Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. began his rock-ribbed and unusual speech to the Federalist Society on Thursday night. He …

Scientists spot a ‘kilonova’ flash so bright they can barely explain it

By Meghan Bartels Scientists may have caught the blinding flash of two dense neutron stars colliding to form a strange magnetic star. The first sign of the massive event was a gamma-ray beacon that appeared in telescope data on May 22, prompting astronomers to assemble their best instruments. That response was important: Scientists believe gamma-ray bursts usually stem from …

COVID-Defying Pastor Loses Lawsuit Against LA Governor’s Pandemic Restrictions

By Hemant Mehta You remember Pastor Tony Spell. The head of Louisiana’s Life Tabernacle Church was first arrested in April — remember April?! — for aggravated assault against a protester. But he became notorious for holding in-person church gatherings and putting countless people in harm’s way. Despite being under house arrest, he defied the law to preach at his …

Utah high court weighs case of woman who says church made her listen to audio of her rape

By Annie Knox The Utah Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in a case alleging male leaders of a Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation in Roy forced a 15-year-old girl to listen to a recording of a man raping her in 2008. Lower courts found the church is not liable for the incident under protections of the First …

Trump evangelical advisers back voting challenges but stop short of alleging fraud

By Jack Jenkins President Donald Trump’s evangelical advisers are backing his challenges to the results of the 2020 election, though most stop short of joining the president’s effort to declare victory despite President-elect Joe Biden’s substantial leads in key swing states. Ralph Reed, head of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, echoed Senate Majority Leader Mitch …