Douglas Murray on Homophobia in Mosques *

Mar 4th, 2010 | Filed by

‘Only in a mosque in Britain could routine hatred like this pass by unnoticed and largely unobjected to.’… Read the rest



Teach the Controversy, on Everything *

Mar 4th, 2010 | Filed by

If somebody somewhere contradicts a scientific claim, that’s a controversy, so add it to the curriculum.… Read the rest



The Origin of Atheism *

Mar 4th, 2010 | Filed by

If theistic belief comes naturally, then it is atheism that needs to be explained.… Read the rest



Lawyers’ Fees in Libel Cases Reduced *

Mar 4th, 2010 | Filed by

Scientists and journalists will be able to write in the public interest without giant legal bills.… Read the rest



Madrid: Israel Protests Anti-Semitic Postcards *

Mar 4th, 2010 | Filed by

The Israeli embassy received postcards from schoolchildren accusing it of killing Palestinian babies.… Read the rest



The Spirituality of an Atheist

Mar 4th, 2010 | By Andrzej Koraszewski

Do atheists have any spirituality? A certain internaut wracked his brain about this problem in a comment to one of our articles, and he was not alone. I used to get this question at various meetings and was met with astonishment when I asked for a definition of spirituality.

Spirituality seems to imply a soul. It is not mentioned in a passport, but if there were a place for it, in mine I would have to write: N/A. But can there be a soulless spirituality? An atheist has consciousness, but you may search and search for a soul. Moreover, he/she is skeptical about the existence of a soul in a believer as well, and this skepticism shades into irony or … Read the rest



Australian Xian Schools Find Science ‘Strident’ *

Mar 3rd, 2010 | Filed by

School board requires ‘teaching of science as an empirical discipline’ – oh yes, that is pretty strident.… Read the rest



Religion-based Homophobia Spreading in Africa *

Mar 3rd, 2010 | Filed by

Christian and Muslim clerics have publicly condemned homosexuality for years, calling it a sin.… Read the rest



How Culture Affects Genes and Vice Versa *

Mar 3rd, 2010 | Filed by

Any species that can change the environment can be viewed through the lens of ‘niche construction.’… Read the rest



UK: Catholic Church Issues Report on Morality *

Mar 3rd, 2010 | Filed by

‘The Church says society will rediscover its ability to trust by practising virtue.’ Yes, really.… Read the rest



Caste Discrimination May Exist in the UK *

Mar 3rd, 2010 | Filed by

House of Lords is discussing an amendment to Equalities Bill to make such discrimination illegal.… Read the rest



Next up: Prince Cholls lectures on empiricism

Mar 3rd, 2010 11:36 am | By

Good old religion, well-known source of every virtue.

Since a Ugandan MP proposed the death penalty for some gay people, homophobia has been on the rise in other parts of Africa…Monica Mbaru, from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, describes these crackdowns as a ripple effect from the Uganda situation. She says many African leaders and communities remain hostile to gay people because of pressure from religious leaders. “Our politicians have great respect for religious leaders and are careful not to disagree with them, especially not on homosexuality,” she says.

So a bloc of people is tormented and hounded and persecuted for no good reason, on the say-so of ‘religious leaders.’

One of the most extreme examples

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Saudi Woman Sentenced to 300 Lashes *

Mar 2nd, 2010 | Filed by

And 1.5 years in jail, for filing harassment complaints without a male guardian present.… Read the rest



Louis Menand: Can Psychiatry be a Science? *

Mar 2nd, 2010 | Filed by

The epistemology of depression is confusing.… Read the rest



HRW: Egypt Should Drop Charges Against Blogger *

Mar 2nd, 2010 | Filed by

Ahmad Mostafa, a student charged with blogging about corruption, is being prosecuted in a military court.… Read the rest



Ninjas in Birmingham *

Mar 2nd, 2010 | Filed by

‘Islamic dress is partly an assertion of a challenged identity.’… Read the rest



The Many Theories of Evolution *

Mar 2nd, 2010 | Filed by

There are currently twelve, including Madame Blavatsky’s. … Read the rest



I can haz viktimhood?

Mar 2nd, 2010 11:22 am | By

There is a view, however minority, that Chris Mooney is a man more sinned against than sinning – that he is a victim, the object of an unfair onslaught of criticism from a bunch of internet bullies. His co-author (not very surprisingly) takes that view.

Needless to say, while I was not surprised at the response to Chris’ announcement, I am extremely dismayed. Discussion of each post is anticipated, but baseless personal attacks demonstrate the trouble with blogging…In just the past few years, we’ve watched the number of science bloggers swell, while the tone of much of the commentary changed. Most disheartening, the relationships between bloggers fractured across once cohesive networks as small friendly communities chose sides in a

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And in conclusion

Mar 1st, 2010 12:19 pm | By

A little more on Monsieur Poisson. I know – it’s silly – it’s a waste of time – it’s just ol’ Stash – who cares. But it’s also the New York Times, albeit only its blog, and ol’ Stash is a Name, and it’s interesting to notice how pervasive his tricksiness is. There is tricksiness in every paragraph, and often in every sentence. It’s interesting that a reputable academic allows himself to be so…disingenuous. He sets up a strawman version of ‘secular reasons’ in the first sentence and then gives variations on it throughout the rest of the article – thus vitiating the whole piece.

A somewhat less stringent version of the argument permits religious reasons to be

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Flogged for Drinking a Beer While Female *

Mar 1st, 2010 | Filed by

In Malaysia caning is not permitted under civil law, but it is allowed under the Shariah Criminal Code.… Read the rest