A book slight in both length and substance…… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Leo Igwe on Child Rights and ‘Witchcraft’
Aug 7th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Thousands of children alleged to be witches have been tortured, thrown out, abandoned or killed by family members.… Read the rest
Childhood in Nigeria
Aug 6th, 2009 5:38 pm | By Ophelia Benson… Read the restAfter being feted in Britain for exposing the appalling abuse of children accused of being witches, a Nigerian charity is apparently being intimidated by its own government. The headquarters of Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN), which works with the British fund Stepping Stones Nigeria, was raided by a group of men claiming to be police officers earlier this month…These shadowy figures then went on to beat children kept in the care of the charity after they protested against the intimidation…It has since become apparent that the police were accompanied by a lawyer from Lagos, Gary says. This is the same lawyer who has been representing Evangelist Helen Ukpabio in the law suits that she has
More From Leo Igwe
Aug 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Condemnation of the recent campaign of terror inflicted upon the so-called ‘child witches’ at CRARN.… Read the rest
Gerald Cohen on Philosophy Bites
Aug 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Can differences in income be morally justified? Should we expect rich people to give their money to the poor? G A Cohen discusses.… Read the rest
Raid on ‘Witch’ Children’s Shelter in Nigeria
Aug 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Raiders accompanied by lawyer who represents evangelist Helen Upkabio, who spreads belief in ‘witches.’… Read the rest
Child Abuse in Nigeria
Aug 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
In Akwa Ibom State children were labeled witches, abused and thrown out into the streets. … Read the rest
Nigeria: Church Attacks Humanist Conference
Aug 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Leo Igwe was attacked by church members at a conference he organised on ‘Child Rights and Witchcraft.’… Read the rest
Bill Cooke on Paul Kurtz
Aug 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Kurtz’s attempts to articulate a positive, active and compassionate humanism are a constructive contribution.… Read the rest
Susan Neiman on Moral Clarity
Aug 6th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Rejections of the Enlightenment result in premodern nostalgia or postmodern suspicion.… Read the rest
Journalistic standards
Aug 5th, 2009 12:25 pm | By Ophelia BensonAndrew Brown has no shame.
[Sam[ Harris has had an op-ed in the New York Times, in which, in his bold and exhilarating way, he makes the case against appointing a Christian scientist, Francis Collins, to the important American government post of Director of the National Institutes of Health. This is not because Collins is a bad scientist…But he is, unashamedly, a Christian. He’s not a creationist, and he does science without expecting God to interfere. But he believes in God; he prays, and this is for Harris sufficient reason to exclude him from a job directing medical research.
That’s false. It’s flatly, demonstrably, brazenly, offensively, in your facely, unprofessionally, what journalistic ethics?y false. The fact that Collins believes … Read the rest
Atheist and Out in Alabama
Aug 5th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘People in the grocery store say “Do you know Jesus?” And your boss asks what church you attend.’… Read the rest
Nesrine Malik on Lubna Hussein
Aug 5th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Some 50 female protesters braved tear gas and baton beatings from police outside court yesterday.… Read the rest
The Wisdom of Crowds
Aug 5th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Research into how people behave at mass gatherings shows that crowds act in a highly rational way.… Read the rest
Potions to Prevent Swine Flu
Aug 5th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
You don’t get swine flu because you’re out of shape or under stress.… Read the rest
Vatican Cracks Down on RC Sisters in US
Aug 5th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A ‘distrust of women who are not directly and submissively under male, ecclesiastical control.’… Read the rest
Reply to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Aug 5th, 2009 | By Eric MacDonaldThe Rev’d Canon Eric MacDonald
The Redoubt
26 Katie Court
P.O. Box 3638
Windsor
NS, B0N 2T0
Canada
The Most Rev’d. Rowan Williams
Archbishop of Canterbury
Lambeth Palace
London, SE1 7JU
United Kingdom
1 August 2009
Dear Archbishop Williams,
Thank you for your response to my letter.
You may not want to start a correspondence with me, but you can scarcely expect me not to respond to some of the things that you said, and the claims that you made, since your response to my letter comes in the form of an argument so stunningly biased that it deserves, in my view, not much more than a fairly curt dismissal. (I will try to provide more than that, but you … Read the rest
The royal prerogative
Aug 4th, 2009 5:15 pm | By Ophelia BensonGood old Prince Cholls – he plans to question publicly the Food Standards Agency’s conclusion that expensive organic food is no better for you than produce from intensive farms. His dedication to keeping his subjects entertained is impressive. (His care for their health not so much. And as for his critical thinking skills…)
“This study hasn’t changed His Royal Highness’s views one bit,” one of the Prince’s friends tells me. “Charles thinks it’s ludicrous to suggest that vegetables treated with chemicals or meat raised with antibiotics can be as good for you as proper food.”
And he comes to this conclusion via…well they don’t say.
… Read the restLord Melchett, who is the policy director of the Soil Association and a close
Police Beat Women Protesting Lubna Hussein Trial
Aug 4th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Hussein said she would take the issue all the way to Sudan’s constitutional court if necessary.… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre on Soil Association’s Bad Arguments
Aug 4th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
SA seek to undermine the public’s understanding of what a ‘systematic review’ is.… Read the rest