It’s ok to be wrong in science, but error should not include scientific fraud or misrepresentation.… Read the rest
Remember Them!
Feb 3rd, 2010 | By Maryam NamazieI want you to remember two names – Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmanipour.
They were two young men who were executed by the Islamic regime of Iran at dawn this past Thursday, January 28 for the ‘crime’ of ‘enmity against god’.
Yet another two beloved, murdered for protesting medievalism and theocracy…
And whilst this act of barbarity will leave many of us outraged and ‘speechless’(see writer Jim Herrick’s act of solidarity against the executions), we can only do them justice if we keep the pressure on.
The Islamic regime of Iran is on its last legs and will do anything it can to maintain power just a while longer. It is flexing its muscles to intimidate and … Read the rest
Wendy Kaminer on Science and Public Opinion 
Feb 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
People may express respect for science in general without being open to persuasion by scientific evidence.… Read the rest
BBC Slightly Less Excited About Pope’s Visit
Feb 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Peter Tatchell called Pope’s comments a coded attack on legal rights of women and gay people.… Read the rest
Harman Defends Equality Legislation
Feb 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Harman expects religious organisations to obey UK law like anyone else. … Read the rest
BBC Totally Excited About Pope’s Visit
Feb 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He’ll visit Birmingham! And Scotland! In ever such a pretty white dress.… Read the rest
Lisa Bauer on Escaping Islam
Feb 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Islam reinforced the weakest aspects of my personality. Indeed it sacralized them.’… Read the rest
A short way with dissenters
Feb 1st, 2010 4:15 pm | By Ophelia BensonHey, why not ask the pope to host Point of Inquiry? He’s a reasonable guy – rational, thoughtful, fair-minded, generous, liberal.
The Pope confirmed today that he will make an official state visit to Britain this September – and immediately launched an attack on the Government’s plans to introduce stronger equality legislation for gay men and women. In the first official announcement from the Vatican that the head of the Roman Catholic Church will tour Britain, Pope Benedict XVI called on his bishops to continue campaigning against the Equality Bill which he said threatened religious freedom.
That’s nice, isn’t it? A German fella who’s the boss of a large church based in Rome is telling British bishops to campaign against … Read the rest
Maybe Conan would like to do it?
Feb 1st, 2010 2:44 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe Center for Inquiry has announced that there will be three new hosts for its popular podcast, Point of Inquiry. Joining the podcast are Chris Mooney, Karen Stollznow, and Robert Price…Mooney is expected to host about half of the approximately 50 new shows per year.
DJ Grothe, who was the host, left in December for a job as President of the James Randi Foundation. I was pleased at the time for DJ and for JREF, but worried for Point of Inquiry. DJ was a very good host.
Chris Mooney seems to me to be a very peculiar choice for that job. (He and Matthew Nisbet were both protégés of Paul Kurtz’s – … Read the rest
Aceh: WLUML Call for Repeal of Qanun Jinayah
Feb 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Stoning to death would be codified and Islamic jurisdiction would be expanded into criminal law.… Read the rest
CFI Announces 3 New Hosts for Point of Inquiry
Feb 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Chris Mooney, Karen Stollznow, and Robert Price. … Read the rest
Telegraph Joins Pope in Demanding Theocracy
Feb 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Religious freedom nowadays seems to take second place to other sorts of freedom.’… Read the rest
Reactionary Pope Meddles With Secular Law
Feb 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Joins bishops in demanding right to impose religious law everywhere.… Read the rest
Pope Attacks UK’s Equality Legislation
Feb 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘The truth revealed through scripture and tradition and articulated by the Church’s Magisterium sets us free.’… Read the rest
Real Men Think Church is Too Girly
Feb 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Men like to be waited on – if they are not made to feel guilty. So tell the women to serve them! And smile!… Read the rest
Summer camp or boarding school
Jan 31st, 2010 5:27 pm | By Ophelia BensonTen members of an American Baptist Church are to appear in a Haitian court this morning after being accused of running an illegal adoption scheme. The group from Idaho said that they were carrying out a rescue mission and had accompanied more than 30 children as part of a plan to take at least 100 orphans out of Port-au-Prince to an orphanage that they run in the neighbouring Dominican Republic…She said that the group had documents from the Dominican Governmen but did not seek any paperwork from the Haitian authorities…
Why not? Did they try? Was it impossible in the circumstances? The article doesn’t say. At any rate clearly documents from another government do not amount to … Read the rest
Church Will Fight to Keep ‘Divine Right’ to Children
Jan 31st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
In Ireland the bishops and priests who controlled the schools behaved like dictators for generations.… Read the rest
Catholicism Shrinking in South Jersey
Jan 31st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It’s a start.… Read the rest
Haiti: Idaho Church Group Accused of Abduction
Jan 31st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
One girl, aged 8 or 9, was crying and saying, ‘I’m not an orphan. I still have my parents.’… Read the rest
