ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 82

Religious Far Right Mounts Anti-Abortion Attack on COVID-19 Vaccine

By Emily Shugerman As universities and pharmaceutical companies race to put out the first COVID-19 vaccine, some sectors of the religious right are gearing up to fight it, based on tenuous ties to what they call “the abortion industry” and a biblical teaching about “the mark of the beast.” LifeSite News, a Catholic, anti-abortion website, has …

Q Ideas, Gabe Lyons host talk claiming essential oils can stop coronavirus

By Jack Jenkins A Christian group hosted talks promoting what experts say are unfounded claims that alternative health methods such as practicing gratitude and consuming essential oils can combat or even prevent contracting the novel coronavirus, sparking pushback from at least one ally of the group. The talks took place on platforms affiliated with Gabe …

Anti-vaccine movement could undermine efforts to end coronavirus pandemic, researchers warn

By Philip Ball As scientists work to create a vaccine against COVID-19, a small but fervent anti-vaccination movement is marshalling against it. Campaigners are seeding outlandish narratives: they falsely say that coronavirus vaccines will be used to implant microchips into people, for instance, and falsely claim that a woman who took part in a UK …

Muslims ‘immune to coronavirus’ some imams in Somalia say, putting public at risk

By Emily Judd Some imams in Somalia are saying Muslims are immune to COVID-19, going against senior Muslim scholars who have insisted the coronavirus pandemic is a severe threat to all people around the globe. A medical worker in the country told Al Arabiya English the rumor is putting Somalis at risk and working against efforts to …

Wisconsin salon owner claims coronavirus shutdown order violates freedom of religion

By Morgan Gstalter The owner of a faith-based hair salon in Wisconsin filed a federal lawsuit arguing the state’s coronavirus safer-at-home order violates her First Amendment rights to freedom of religion, speech and assembly, WBAY reported Wednesday. The suit from Jessica Netzel, owner of Kingdom Kuts in Appleton, Wis., named defendants as Gov. Tony Evers (D), Appleton Police …

Churches can reopen soon in parts of Virginia and Maryland. But many will keep their doors shut.

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey and Michelle Boorstein Starting Friday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) will allow houses of worship in the southern and western parts of the state to resume indoor services for groups larger than 10. But it will take far more than that for the Rev. Barry Absher to open his church doors …

We’re All Casualties of Trump’s War on Science

By Michelle Goldberg In 2004, “60 Minutes” aired a segment on what it called “virus hunters,” scientists searching for bugs that can leap from animals to humans and cause pandemics. “What worries me the most is that we are going to miss the next emerging disease,” said a scientist named Peter Daszak, describing his fear …

One Supreme Court Decision Could Shut Down Abortion Clinics in 15 States

By Dennis Carter The U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming decision in June Medical Services v. Russo could give anti-choice politicians in 15 states the green light to drastically reduce abortion access. If the conservative justices ignore precedent to rule in favor of Louisiana’s admitting privileges requirement, a wave of laws designed to shutter abortion clinics under the guise of patient …

Trump The Anointed?

By Paul A. Djupe and Ryan P. Burge Last fall, we wrote about the extent to which white Protestants believed Donald Trump was anointed by God to be president of the United States. Just 21% believed this, but evangelicals were more likely to believe it (29%), and Pentecostals were the most likely (53%). This belief didn’t …

Yes, It Can Be Hard to Be an Atheist in America; Now We Have the Data

By Chrissy Stroop Are the nonreligious a marginalized group in America? When I brought this question up to a friend who lives in New York the other day, he was skeptical. Practically everyone he knows is an atheist, he says, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. As someone who grew …