ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 53

There’s a Strange Glow in The Centre of Our Galaxy, And It’s Not What We Thought It Was

By Michelle Starr The centre of the Milky Way is glowing. Yes, there’s a big chonkin’ black hole there, and it’s a very energetic region, but there’s an additional high-energy, gamma-ray glow, above and beyond the activity we know about, and it’s something that’s yet to be explained. This glow is called the Galactic Center …

Biden calls remarks at GOP convention on his religion ‘preposterous’

By Justine Coleman Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden called the attacks on his religion at the Republican National Convention “preposterous” on Thursday. The former vice president responded to convention speakers taking several jabs at how he practices his Catholicism, including from former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz who called Biden a “Catholic in name only” on …

COVID-19: Focus on the Family Declared an Outbreak Site

By Michael Roberts Focus on the Family, arguably Colorado’s best-known religious institution, now has another distinction: It’s been declared a COVID-19 outbreak. Also on the updated August 26 list of outbreaks catalogued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are the first K-12 schools to appear on the roster (though several others have had to institute quarantine procedures), as …

‘She was the aggressor’: Former Liberty student alleges sexual encounter with Becki Falwell

By Brandon Ambrosino A former Liberty University student says Becki Falwell, the wife of the university’s then-President Jerry Falwell Jr., jumped into bed with him and performed oral sex on him while he stayed over at the Falwell home after a band practice with her eldest son in 2008. The student was 22 at the …

Water, Water, Every Where—And Now Scientists Know Where It Came From

By Nell Greenfieldboyce Water on Earth is omnipresent and essential for life as we know it, and yet scientists remain a bit baffled about where all of this water actually came from: was it present when the planet formed, or did the planet form dry and only later get its water from impacts with water-rich …

Why the “Confession & Redemption” Path is Unlikely to Help Falwell Recover from Sex Scandal

By Chrissy Stroop Yesterday, August 24, 2020, was the first day of classes at right-wing evangelical school Liberty University. It also turned out to be the final day of the scandal-prone Jerry Falwell, Jr.’s professional implosion, much to the delight of liberals and moderates on Twitter, who followed the unfolding trainwreck closely all day. Indeed, the …

California Church Fined $10,000 for Breaking the Law With Its In-Person Services

By Hemant Mehta North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, California has been fined $10,000 for putting people in danger by holding in-person services. On Sunday, city officials posted a multi-page notice on the door of the church letting them know that they had violated several local COVID guidelines and owed $10,000 for holding a morning and evening …

President Trump’s hidden religious base: Pentecostal-charismatic celebrities

By Erica Ramirez and Leah Payne Last week at the Democratic National Convention, the Biden-Harris campaign made pointed efforts to reach out to a broad range of “voters of faith.” The convention featured Roman Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus and mainline, evangelical and charismatic Protestants. The Biden campaign’s “big tent” faith message was clear: For people …

NASA: Jeanette Epps could become first Black woman to join ISS crew

By Jackie Wattles Two years ago, NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps was slated to fly into orbit aboard a Russian spacecraft and become the first Black astronaut to serve as a crew member of the International Space Station. At the last minute, Epps was removed from that assignment with no explanation. Though more than a dozen Black Americans …

Outspoken Atheist, Arrested in Nigeria for Blasphemy, Hasn’t Been Seen Since

By Ruth Maclean Amina Ahmed knew her atheist husband was taking enormous risks with some of his Facebook posts criticizing Christianity and Islam in Nigeria, a deeply religious country. She wanted him to be free to believe whatever he wanted. But she worried that if he kept up his commentary, the staunchly Muslim community he …