ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 88

Televangelist Copeland Thanks Gullible Rubes For Buying Him New Jet Airplane

By Michael Stone Jesus Needs Money: After warning his followers that even if they lose their job because of the coronavirus pandemic they must keep giving him money because Jesus needs money, sleazy televangelist Kenneth Copeland thanks his donors for buying him a new jet airplane. Right Wing Watch reports: Multi-millionaire televangelist Kenneth Copeland tells …

As country begins to open, Italian Bishops argue against continued ban on Masses

By Claire Giangravé After nearly 50 days of a nation-wide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Italian government is beginning to outline “Phase Two,” which will allow the opening of some businesses and freedom of movement for currently home-bound citizens — but which will not allow Masses. The leading coalition in Italy has …

Incredible New Map of Moon Shows Its Every Nook and Cranny

By Ryan F. Mandelbaum Hot damn, look at the freakin’ Moon! Scientists led by the United States Geological Survey’s Corey Fortezzo have released what they call the “Unified Geologic Map of the Moon—an authoritative map of lunar geology. The map, built from six Apollo-era maps and updated with more recent satellite data, lists the names of features and …

Trump Administration Diverting WHO Funds To Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse

By Michael Stone Despicable: Trying to distract from his failure in leadership during the COVID-19 crisis, Trump is scapegoating the World Health Organization (WHO) and diverting their funding to Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse, an anti-gay conservative Christian hate group. The New York Post reports: The White House budget office has told federal agencies to redirect World Health Organization …

Conservative group calls for ‘ReOpen Church Sunday’

By Jack Jenkins A conservative law firm launched a “ReOpen Church Sunday” initiative this week, calling on churches to begin gathering in person again despite reports of the deadly novel coronavirus being spread during worship services. The campaign is organized by Liberty Counsel, which created a website for the initiative encouraging Christian leaders to begin holding in-person …

Appeals Court: Atheist’s Lawsuit Against Qur’an-Burning Fire Station Can Proceed

By Hemant Mehta In 2016, atheist Jeffrey Queen filed an unbelievable lawsuit against the city of Bowling Green (Kentucky) based on what he witnessed while working for the fire department. The lawsuit only came after his complaints were ignored, some by Deputy Chief Dustin Rockrohr (also named in the lawsuit), and after he was formally discharged. Here’s a list of most of …

An Extreme Weather Pattern May Have Triggered The Dramatic Kīlauea Eruption in Hawaii

By Peter Dockrill Kīlauea was taking its time. In 1983, the volcano on the island of Hawaii began to erupt, and it didn’t stop for 35 years, culminating in the longest-running eruption of its kind in centuries. In 2018, when this decades-long outpouring finally quit, Kīlauea ended things with a bang. A series of new eruptive fissures tore …

How Can Joe Biden Win More Votes from Non-Religious Americans?

By Hemant Mehta We already know that most American voters with no religious affiliation support Democrats. Roughly 68% of the “Nones” supported Hillary Clinton in 2016. But that’s lower than the percentage of white evangelicals who backed Donald Trump (81%) even though our numbers are roughly the same. (Nones, evangelicals, and Catholics are each about 23% of the population.) That means …

Church giving down more due to COVID-19 than during recession, survey shows

By Adelle M. Banks Sixty-five percent of churches have seen a decline in giving since mid-March as congregations have halted in-person services due to the coronavirus, according to a new survey. The “State of the Plate” survey released Wednesday (April 22) by the National Association of Evangelicals found that a third of churches — 34% …

Faith leaders call out Gov. Inslee as battle grows over religious freedoms during shutdown

By Matt Lorch Some faith leaders are sharing their frustration with Governor Jay Inslee and his stay home order. Pastor Kevin Gerald from the Champions Centre Church, which has five locations across the state, says Governor Inslee is ignoring them and their congregations. “How long are we going to be stuck streaming?” Gerald said. “What if …