Really. Don’t worry about it. Just ponder the infinite possibilities of the unknown, and it will all fall into place.… Read the rest
Welcome to our archive of news stories relevant to the project of fighting fashionable nonsense. The stories are drawn from the electronic pages of the world’s media. On this page, you’ll find links to those stories that have been featured on Butterflies and Wheels during the current year. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find links to separate archives of stories from previous years.
We’re always pleased to hear about news stories that you think should be featured on Butterflies and Wheels. Just send an email here, if you want to point one out to us.
A note about links
Inevitably links go out of date. We suggest, therefore, that you make hard-copies of the stories that particularly interest you.
Niqab and shorts video protests burqa ban 
Oct 3rd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
I thought it was protesting the burqa, but no, it’s protesting the ban. The logic escapes me.… Read the rest
In defense of secularism
Oct 3rd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Those who wish to engage in public debates on morality or ethics will find a far healthier environment in secular societies than in religious ones.… Read the rest
3 British schools require girls to wear the niqab
Oct 3rd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
All three are independent, fee-paying, single-sex schools for girls aged 11 to 18.… Read the rest
Open letter to American Museum of Natural History
Oct 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
There is no reason why children who come to the museum to learn about the theory of evolution should hear scientists proclaiming their belief in God.… Read the rest
Jesus heeds the archbishop, Mo groans
Oct 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.… Read the rest
Joe Hoffmann on 3 fewer things to say about atheism
Oct 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“I have always liked to refer to myself as Sartre’s grandmother: ‘Only her skepticism kept her from being an atheist.'”… Read the rest
NY Times on more drama at the Center for Inquiry
Oct 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Is it a feud between humanism and “negative, angry atheism” or a mismatch between academics and lawyers or Lear battling the winds?… Read the rest
James Ley reviews Eagleton on evil
Oct 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Eagleton is happy to attribute positive human characteristics, such as aesthetic preferences and a capacity for love, to pure nothingness when it suits his argument.
Ed Miliband doesn’t believe in god shock-horror
Oct 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Yes, it’s true, he doesn’t believe in god. Other people do, and he does not. Blair and Brown do, and he does not. Really. It’s true.… Read the rest
Times Higher on science ‘n’ religion
Oct 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They’re the best of friends and it’s only those stupid militant atheists who think otherwise so nyah.… Read the rest
Audio of Humanisterna seminar in Stockholm
Oct 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Remember, this was after 19 hours of travel time, so I’m crap at first, but it gets better.… Read the rest
Why atheists should be feminists
Oct 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
As atheists, we ought to have a particularly easy time recognizing the harm done to women in the name of God.… Read the rest
Joe Hoffmann on 5 good things about atheism
Oct 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Atheists are required to assume moral responsibility fully. Religious people are not.… Read the rest
DR Congo rape victims speak to UN panel
Sep 30th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The aim of the hearings is to improve the treatment, support and compensation currently given to victims.… Read the rest
Court rules Babri Masjid site should be divided
Sep 30th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Muslims would get one third, Hindus another third, and the remainder going to a minority Hindu sect.… Read the rest
Fake ACORN Pimp O’Keefe Tries to Frame CNN Reporter
Sep 30th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
CNN frequently played O’Keefe’s doctored videos smearing ACORN, without ever making a correction.… Read the rest
Larry Moran issues a challenge
Sep 30th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Show us the very best 21st century, sophisticated (or not), arguments for the existence of God.… Read the rest
The atheist rabbi on “sophisticated theology”
Sep 30th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It isn’t.… Read the rest
The Pew religious knowledge survey
Sep 30th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Data from the survey indicate that educational attainment is the single best predictor of religious knowledge. No really?!… Read the rest
