ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 84

White House tells CDC to butt out of religion

By Mark Silk Preachers are periodically moved to inform their congregations that the Ten Commandments are not the Ten Suggestions. Well, as part of its coronavirus reopening plan, the Centers for Disease Control came up with a few dozen suggestions for faith communities and the White House has rejected them as commandments that infringe on religious rights. You think …

Report: 9,000 Catholic Churches Receiving Taxpayer Money Meant For Small Businesses

By Michael Stone Tax The Church: In a clear violation of common sense and the separation of church and state, at least 9,000 Catholic churches are receiving taxpayer money meant to help small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. CBS News reports: More than 12,000 Catholic churches in the U.S. applied for PPP loans – and …

Jurassic Park got it wrong: Research indicates raptors didn’t hunt in packs

By Natalie Johnson, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh A new University of Wisconsin Oshkosh analysis of raptor teeth published in the peer-reviewed journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology shows that Velociraptors and their kin likely did not hunt in big, coordinated packs like dogs. The raptors (Deinonychus antirrhopus) with their sickle-shaped talons were made famous in the 1993 blockbuster movie …

Forced exorcisms touted as ‘cure’ for LGBT Indonesians

By the AFP Andin is haunted by memories of being forced into an exorcism to “save” her from being transgender — a ritual that could become mandatory for Indonesia’s LGBT community if a controversial new law is passed. For two decades she has endured harassment and abuse as her family desperately tried to “cure” her. …

George Pell knew about child sex abuse allegations for decades, Royal Commission documents reveal

By Hilary Whiteman Nearly three years after the release of a damning national report into child sexual abuse, the Australian government has published dozens of previously redacted pages of text relating to Cardinal George Pell. Three unredacted reports published Thursday reveal for the first time the commission’s findings into what Pell knew about allegations of …

Former Pope: Same-Sex Marriage Comes From the Antichrist

By Trudy Ring The former Pope Benedict XVI has called same-sex marriage a product of the Antichrist and said society has become so hostile to Christian doctrine that it will shun anyone who opposes equal marriage rights. The statement comes in a new authorized biography of Benedict by German journalist Peter Seewald. Titled Benedict XVI: The …

A Black Hole Is ‘Almost on Our Doorstep’

By Marina Koren In the night sky, far south of the equator, there’s a curious collection of faint constellations embedded in the tapestry of stars. They do not bear the names of myths and legends, because the ancient Greeks couldn’t see them from the Northern Hemisphere. These constellations were charted later, in the mid-18th century, …

Right-Wing Christians Got Kansas City to Reverse Sensible COVID Precautions

By Hemant Mehta Officials in Kansas City, Missouri have caved under pressure from lying right-wing Christians and modified a local order that would have prevented the spread of COVID-19. I mentioned last week how Christian legal group Liberty Counsel released a statement denouncing Kansas City’s plan to allegedly force “every church to submit a list of members and attendees along with …

Bill Gates Comments on COVID-19 Vaccine Inflame “Mark of the Beast” Worries in Some Christian Circles

By Christopher James Blythe If the worries of most quarantined Christians in the United States center on health and when they might resume their lives, there is a segment that wonders whether this moment has greater biblical significance. These apocalyptic-minded Christians seem to have become increasingly less concerned about the disease itself and more concerned …

Pakistan’s dangerous capitulation to the religious right on the coronavirus

By Madiha Afzal Perform your ablutions at home. Bring your own prayer mats, place them six feet apart. Wear masks. Use the provided hand sanitizer. No handshakes or hugs allowed. No talking in the mosque. No one over 50 years old can enter. No children allowed. These guidelines are part of a list of 20 standard operating …