ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 43

Missouri House candidate’s adult children say he physically and sexually abused them

By the Kansas City Star Editorial Board Two adult children of Rick Roeber, a candidate for the 34th District House seat in Missouri, say he abused them when they were young. Roeber has denied all allegations of abuse. But Anastasia Roeber of Lee’s Summit, Roeber’s adopted daughter, says he made improper sexual advances toward her …

OPEN DISCUSSION OCTOBER 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 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 …

Study: Neanderthal genes may be liability for COVID patients

By Frank Jordans Scientists say genes that some people have inherited from their Neanderthal ancestors may increase their likelihood of suffering severe forms of COVID-19. A study by European scientists published Wednesday by the journal Nature examined a cluster of genes that have been linked to a higher risk of hospitalization and respiratory failure in …

Ex-Muslims Release “Persecution Tracker” to Catalog Alleged Blasphemy Cases

By Hemant Mehta Too often, we hear stories about people sentenced to death in other countries for alleged blasphemy. It’s hard to keep track of the cases and it’s hard to follow up when accurate information is difficult to come by. Today, on the 15th anniversary of when a Danish newspaper published satirical cartoons of Muhammad, the group Ex-Muslims of …

New coronavirus law provides for 15 at religious weddings, but only six at humanist

By Humanists UK New coronavirus regulations coming into force in England today provide for religious and civil marriages to have up to 15 gathered in attendance, but make no such provision for humanist weddings. Instead it is specified that they ‘must be limited to 6 attendees’. This is in contrast to the previous regulations, which …

White Evangelicals and the New American Exceptionalism of Donald Trump

By Abram Van Engen On September 17, President Donald Trump announced he was establishing “the 1776 Commission,” a plan to “promote patriotic education” and a “pro-American curriculum.” Trump defined his commission against critical race theory and The New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project, which examines the legacy of slavery in the United States. He claimed that such projects “teach our …

Ravi Zacharias ministry to investigate sexual misconduct claims at spas against its founder

By Bob Smietana The evangelical nonprofit named for the late Christian evangelist Ravi Zacharias will launch an investigation into allegations of misconduct against its founder, according to a major Christian publication. Christianity Today magazine reported that three women who worked as massage therapists at spas co-owned by the Christian evangelist claimed that he repeatedly masturbated and exposed …

Religiously unaffiliated people more likely than those with a religion to lean left, accept homosexuality

By Aidan Connaughton Most people around the world identify with a religion or religious group. The rest, an estimated 16% of the global population in 2020, are religiously unaffiliated, meaning they identify as atheists, agnostics or describe their religion as “nothing in particular.” In many countries, being religiously unaffiliated is linked to certain social and political views. For …

Trump Secretly Mocks His Christian Supporters

By McKay Coppins One day in 2015, Donald Trump beckoned Michael Cohen, his longtime confidant and personal attorney, into his office. Trump was brandishing a printout of an article about an Atlanta-based megachurch pastor trying to raise $60 million from his flock to buy a private jet. Trump knew the preacher personally—Creflo Dollar had been …

For Math Fans: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Number 42

By Jean-Paul Delahaye Everyone loves unsolved mysteries. Examples include Amelia Earhart’s disappearance over the Pacific in 1937 and the daring escape of inmates Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin from Alcatraz Island in California in 1962. Moreover our interest holds even if the mystery is based on a joke. Take author Douglas Adams’s popular …