ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 78

Prayers and precautions: Pritzker eases religious rules, but most faiths still opting to ‘err on the side of caution’

By Mitchell Armentrout How many worshippers are welcomed into churches, synagogues and mosques across Illinois is now a matter of recommendation, rather than requirement. Gov. J.B. Pritzker made the significant change regarding capacity limits at houses of worship in his latest coronavirus disaster proclamation as residents move into the next stage of Illinois’ gradual reopening …

OPEN DISCUSSION JUNE 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 …

Intergalactic Pulses Solve Mystery of Universe’s Missing Matter

By George Dvorsky Scientists have spent three decades trying to locate half of all the “normal” matter that’s supposed to exist in the universe. A new paper is claiming to have finally found this missing stuff, in a discovery made possible by measuring incoming fast radio bursts. “We know from measurements of the Big Bang how …

Climate Change And Deforestation Mean Earth’s Trees Are Younger And Shorter

By Nathan Rott The forests of today will not be the forests of tomorrow. Rising temperatures, deforestation, development and climate-induced disasters are transforming the very makeup of Earth’s forests, new research published in the journal Science finds. Older, bigger trees — stalwarts in their respective ecosystems — are being lost at an alarming rate, making the planet’s …

A Black Republican on the Cincinnati City Council Just Came Out as an Atheist

By Hemant Mehta I swear that headline is accurate. In November of 2017, Jeff Pastor was elected to the Cincinnati City Council in Ohio. There were nine seats up for grabs and 24 candidates. Pastor edged past the finish line and won the final seat. His campaign biography is interesting enough, but it’s a Medium post from last week that’s getting attention now. …

Yemen Keeps Religious Minority Members Locked Up

By Afrah Nasser Houthi authorities in Yemen continue to detain several members of the Baha’i religious minority group despite a senior Houthi leader having ordered their release in March. The detainees are being held solely because of their religion and include Hamad Kamal Haydara, who was arrested in 2013 and sentenced to death in 2018. The March 25 public statement …

SpaceX’s Historic Crewed ISS Launch Postponed After Dramatic Day

By Becky Ferreira and Jordan Pearson Elon Musk’s SpaceX was set to make history on Wednesday with the scheduled launch of its crewed flight to the International Space Station, which would have been the first space launch from U.S. soil in 9 years and marked the beginning of an era of private sector spaceflight, had it …

Malaysia’s top court approves legal challenge to Islamic ban on homosexuality

By Alex Bollinger Malaysia’s top court has approved a man’s challenge to the nation’s Islamic ban on homosexuality, allowing his case to go forward. The plaintiff – whose name has not been made public – is a Muslim man in his 30’s, according to his lawyer. He was arrested in 2018 for allegedly having sex …

Atheists Settle Lawsuit Involving Son’s Forced Baptism By Court-Approved Mentor

By Hemant Mehta A lawsuit involving the forced baptism of a special needs child has finally been settled. It took several years to get to this point, but it’s the outcome the family wanted. Here’s the backstory: Normally, having a mentor from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program is supposed to be an educational, uplifting …

The Perils of Religious Freedom

By Joel Looper The internationally-known evangelical and Calvinist pastor John MacArthur announced on Friday, May 22, that his church, Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, would be reopening. In a press conference the same day, President Trump had called churches “essential” and said he would “override” governors who defy him, so Grace Community Church said …