ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 85

Utah is the second most biased state against nonreligious residents, survey says

By Peggy Fletcher Stack It may come as no surprise that Utah respondents to a newly released survey by the American Atheists deemed their state the most religious in the country. It was, after all, settled in the 19th century as a religious haven for Mormons fleeing persecution in the Midwest and remains the headquarters …

Scientists discover evidence of ancient, nitrogen-rich Martian groundwater hiding in Antarctica

By Rafi Letzter A bit of 4-billion-year-old rock blasted off the Martian surface about 15 million years ago and eventually landed in Antarctica, where explorers found it in 1984. In the decades since, organic compounds found in that meteorite have been sources of controversy: Did they come from Mars, or did the meteorites get contaminated on Earth? Now, …

Democrats Cite Pandemic Response “Irrationality” in “Day of Reason” Resolution

By Hemant Mehta Beginning in 2015, Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) introduced a formal resolution in support of the National Day of Reason. His defeat in 2016, despite coming at the hands of another Democrat, put future versions of that legislation in peril. But fellow Californian Rep. Ted Lieu picked up where Honda left off, introducing similar legislation in 2017. In 2018. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), now the only …

Why religious freedom stokes coronavirus protests in the U.S., but not Canada

By Pamela E. Klassen Religious freedom, cherished as an American ideal, has been frequently invoked in the United States during protests against COVID-19 public health measures. In Canada, forms of protests — including by churches — are more likely to focus on the systemic underfunding of long-term care and homeless shelters or the lack of sufficient medical and water …

Survey: Nonbelievers, Especially LGBTQ Nonbelievers, Face Significant Discrimination and Stima

By John Riley A newly published survey of Americans who identify as nonreligious finds that more than half say they’ve experienced negativity — including, at times, a lack of support — from family members, and, as a result, are more likely to experience depression or feelings of loneliness. Specifically, of those who experienced familial rejection …

Profile of a killer: the complex biology powering the coronavirus pandemic

By David Cyranoski In 1912, German veterinarians puzzled over the case of a feverish cat with an enormously swollen belly. That is now thought to be the first reported example of the debilitating power of a coronavirus. Veterinarians didn’t know it at the time, but coronaviruses were also giving chickens bronchitis, and pigs an intestinal …

New Orleans Archdiocese Files for Bankruptcy, Citing Expensive Sex Abuse Cases

By Hemant Mehta I don’t even know if this qualifies as news anymore, but the Archdiocese of New Orleans announced on Friday that it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in large part due to all the sexual abuse of children: The move was necessitated by the growing financial strain caused by litigation stemming from decades-old incidents of …

Trump Brings Religion Into the Coronavirus Culture War

By David Frum The antiviral lockdowns have banned most large gatherings: baseball games, sales conferences, college graduations, and religious services. Religious services are governed by the same rule as other large gatherings. They are neither specially targeted nor specially exempted. Justice Antonin Scalia explained the justification for applying general rules to religious groups in a …

Just because the economy is reopening doesn’t mean churches should

By Jamie Aten and Kent Annan Some states are beginning to lift COVID-19 restrictions, like releasing residents from stay-at-home orders, reopening retail and hospitality businesses with limited capacities, and even allowing elective surgeries. Research has shown that many people are struggling with feelings of isolation and loneliness. People are longing to get back to life as “normal” …

Supreme Court to hear 2 cases about when religious employers can ignore civil rights laws

By Ian Millhiser Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel, are difficult cases, which the Court will hear in a rare teleconferenced oral argument next Monday. They concern whether two Catholic school teachers qualify as “ministers,” and are therefore beyond the reach of workplace civil rights laws. In Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC (2012), the …