ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 86

Scores of coronavirus vaccines are in competition — how will scientists choose the best?

By Ewen Callaway Less than five months after the world first learnt about the new coronavirus causing fatal pneumonia in Wuhan, China, there are more than 90 vaccines for the virus at various stages of development, with more announced each week. At least six are already being tested for safety in people. Now, developers, funders and other …

Turkish students increasingly resisting religion, study suggests

By Bethan McKernan Twenty-two-year old Esra, from Mersin, is even more bored than usual this Ramadan. Universities are shut and Turkey has taken the unusual step of placing under-20s, as well as over-65s, under a curfew, because many Turkish families live in intergenerational households. As a result, Esra can’t see any of her friends. And a few …

Few Americans say their house of worship is open, but a quarter say their faith has grown amid pandemic

By Claire Gecewicz The COVID-19 pandemic, which has transformed virtually every aspect of public life in America, also has touched a very intimate part of Americans’ lives: their religious faith and worship habits. Some Americans say their religious faith has strengthened as a result of the outbreak, even as the vast majority of U.S. churchgoers report …

When religion is dangerous for your health

By Daniel Burke The coronavirus pandemic has brought out the best and worst aspects of religion. Faith has inspired countless acts of generosity and goodwill while helping believers get through an extraordinarily scary and difficult time. But some believers, from Christians to Hasidic Jews, have flouted social-distancing guidelines, insisting that God will protect their congregation. And as in …

OPEN DISCUSSION MAY 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 …

A Strange Dinosaur May Have Swum the Rivers of Africa

By Kenneth Chang An enigmatic predatory dinosaur that lived in northern Africa about 95 million years ago possessed a long, powerful tail that may have propelled it through water, new fossils suggest. If true, this beast, close to 40 feet long and not yet fully grown when it died, was a rarity: a dinosaur that …

Germany to set out rules for religious services including singing ban

By Kate Connolly Germany is to set out guidelines for holding religious services during the coronavirus pandemic with a list of strict restrictions expected to include a ban on singing. Religious services have been banned since the start of Germany’s lockdown in mid-March and some worshippers have expressed fury at the government’s apparent slowness in plotting …

Few U.S. sermons mention abortion, though discussion varies by religious affiliation and congregation size

By Dennis Quinn Abortion remains a contentious issue among U.S. Christians. But when millions of churchgoers file into the pews each week, what do they really hear? A new Pew Research Center analysis finds that just 4% of sermons shared on U.S. church websites in the spring of 2019 discussed abortion even once – and when they …

Turkish president backs cleric who said homosexuality ‘brings disease’

By the Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday threw his weight behind Turkey’s top Muslim cleric, who caused a storm by claiming homosexuality “brings disease and causes this generation to decay.” In his first sermon during the holy month of Ramadan on Friday, Ali Erbas also maintained that hundreds of …

Pope Pius XII, accused of silence during the Holocaust, knew Jews were being killed, researcher says

By Tom Heneghan (Religion News Service) —The long-awaited opening of Pope Pius XII’s wartime records lasted only a week before the coronavirus outbreak shut down the Vatican archives. But that was long enough for documents to emerge that reflect badly on the pontiff accused of silence during the Holocaust, according to published reports. In that week alone, …