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The faithful must learn to respect those who question their beliefs | Lawrence Krauss | Science | guardian.co.uk
Tensions between religion and science will persist unless believers recognise that skepticism is a hallmark of science Issues of personal faith can be a source of respectful debate and discussion. Since faith is often not based on evidence, however, it is hard to imagine how various deep philosophical or religious disagreements can be objectively laid to rest. As a result, skeptics like myself struggle to understand or anticipate the vehement anger that can be generated by the mere suggestion that perhaps there may be no God, or even that such a suggestion is not meant to offend. Last week, police in Rhode Island had to be called to suppress an angry crowd at a school board meeting, and a 16-year-old atheist had to take time off school after being threatened and targeted by an online hate campaign. She was even described on the radio by a state representative as an "evil little thing".
Archive | Project Reason
Results from the largest study on intercessory prayer performed at Harvard in 2006 show that prayer bestows no benefit on patients, and patients who knew that others were praying for them fared worse. Christopher Hitchens, a sharp-witted provocateur who used his formidable learning, biting wit and muscular prose style to skewer what he considered high-placed hypocrites, craven lackeys of the right and left, “Islamic fascists” and religious faith of any kind, died Thursday from esophageal cancer. The finding that religion scarcely influences moral intuition undermines the idea that a godless society will be immoral, says Philip Ball. Whether it ‘explains’ religion is another matter. Earlier this year, Andrew Zak Williams asked public figures why they believe in God. Now it’s the turn of the atheists – from A C Grayling to P Z Myers – to explain why they don’t.
Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association. It is astounding – as various churches and religious groups are feted as lynchpins of the ‘Big Society’ and handed our public services, as state-funded schools find themselves converted to religious status in increasing numbers, as Bishops look set to stay in the Lords while another opportunity for reform hurtles by, and as religious leaders of all stripes are invited to Downing Street (this Wednesday) for one of the most outrageously pious government “outreach” events in recent times – that despite all this, one Cardinal Keith O’Brien felt it necessary to use his Easter sermon to tell Christians to unite “in the face of aggressive secularism to maintain our Christian heritage and culture in our great country”. Once again, to ask for nothing more than a neutral civic space is to be branded “aggressive”; to contest religious privilege is to be branded “enemies”.
UK: Happy Easter, aggressive secularists everywhere - Secular Europe Campaign -
debates
David Christian: Big history - David Christian - TED - RichardDawkins.net
Backed by stunning illustrations, David Christian narrates a complete history of the universe, from the Big Bang to the Internet, in a riveting 18 minutes. This is "Big History": an enlightening, wide-angle look at complexity, life and humanity, set against our slim share of the cosmic timeline. TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts.
The Vatican
Religion in the US
So here we are again, talking past one another on the subject of condoms, Aids and Africa. Tanya Gold says the pope's got it all wrong . Giuseppe Caramazza defends the pontiff, under the headline " the condom is no cure for Aids in Africa ".
The Catholic church's Lazarus complex over HIV-Aids | Elizabeth Pisani | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
Christian fundamentalism and HIV seem both to be on the upswing in Uganda. I’ve remarked before that enthusiastic support for abstinence-only programmes has undermined previously successful HIV prevention efforts in the country. But now it seems over-zealous preachers are threatening the success of treatment efforts, too. Robert Ochai, director of the trailblazing AIDS support organisation TASO, has noticed that some of group’s the 23,000 treatment clients are giving up their HIV drugs because they have been “cured” by faith healers, according to a report in The Monitor . Apparently, faith healing has become big business in Uganda.
Halleluliah! (not). Faith healing could spread HIV | HIV / AIDS, science, sex, drugs
(Photo by H.koppdelaney ) Tim Prowse was a United Methodist pastor for almost 20 years, serving churches in Missouri and Indiana. Tim earned a B.A. from East Texas Baptist University, a Master of Divinity (M.Div) from Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri, and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) from Chicago Theological Seminary.
Life Without God : An Interview with Tim Prowse : Sam Harris
Why don’t you believe in God? I get that question all the time. I always try to give a sensitive, reasoned answer. This is usually awkward, time consuming and pointless.
A Holiday Message from Ricky Gervais: Why I’m An Atheist | Project Reason
Column: Science and religion aren't friends - USATODAY.com
Atheist books such as The God Delusion and The End of Faith have, by exposing the dangers of faith and the lack of evidence for the God of Abraham , become best-sellers. Science nibbles at religion from the other end, relentlessly consuming divine explanations and replacing them with material ones. Evolution took a huge bite a while back, and recent work on the brain has shown no evidence for souls, spirits, or any part of our personality or behavior distinct from the lump of jelly in our head.