Homophobic US 'Pastor' wants homosexuals to be placed in electrified pens
It is amazing, in this day and age, that people still believe this shit. Him and his 'church' should be put in the pens instead.......
Richard Dawkins expresses disbelief over slave trader ancestor story
via guardian.co.uk
Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and prominent atheist, is used to criticism from those who do not share his views on religion or the origins of mankind.
But he has expressed surprise at the latest attack which claims the scientist faces awkward questions because some of his ancestors were slave owners.
An article in the Sunday Telegraph reported that Henry Dawkins had amassed more than 1,000 slaves in Jamaica by the time of his death in 1744 and quoted campaigners calling on Dawkins to pay reparations.
But writing on his blog, Dawkins hit back, describing the interview and subsequent article as "surreal".
"At the end of a week of successfully rattling cages, I was ready for yet another smear or diversionary tactic of some kind," said Dawkins, who clashed on the BBC Today programme with Giles Fraser, formerly canon chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral on Tuesday. "But in my wildest dreams I couldn't have imagined the surreal form this one was to take."
Writing on his blog Dawkins stated: "As it happens, my ancestry also boasts an unbroken line of six generations of Anglican clergymen, from the Rev William Smythies (born 1635) to his great great great grandson the Rev Edward Smythies (born 1818). I wonder if [the reporter] thinks I've inherited a gene for piety too."
He added: "I can't help wondering at the quality of journalism which sees a scoop in attacking a man for what his five-greats grandfather did. Is there really nothing more current going on?"
Government changes Free School agreement to ban creationist schools
The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed a new revision of the model funding agreement for Free Schools by the Government in order to preclude ‘the teaching, as an evidence-based view or theory, of any view or theory that is contrary to established scientific and/or historical evidence and explanations.’ This highly significant change has been made in order to ban creationism from being taught in Free Schools, and prevent creationist groups from opening schools. The change follows the BHA coordinating the ‘Teach evolution, not creationism!’ campaign, which called for this precise change.
In September, the BHA came together with thirty leading scientists and science educators including Sir David Attenborough, Professor Richard Dawkins and Professor Michael Reiss, and five national organisations to launch ‘Teach evolution, not creationism!’, which called on the government to introduce statutory guidance against the teaching of creationism and garnered significant press coverage.
TAKE ACTION!
Join over 20,000 others in sign the BHA’s government e-petition, ‘Teach evolution, not creationism’, at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/1617
Be afraid, be VERY afraid: a beginner's guide to Rick Santorum
via guardian.co.uk
Mitt Romney may have – just – emerged as the victor in Tuesday's Republican caucus in Iowa but, for many, the night belonged to his rival Rick Santorum, the most socially conservative of all the Republican candidates.
Gay marriage
During the Iowa campaign Santorum explained that not only would he support a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, but he would also be in favour of annulling all currently legal same-sex unions.
Birth control
Santorum raised eyebrows on Monday when he reiterated his opposition to a supreme court ruling that prevented the state of Connecticut from banning contraception. In an interview with Jake Tapper on ABC News, he said he believed all states should have the right to ban birth control. "I don't think it works. I think it's harmful to women," he said. "I think it's harmful to our society to have a society that says that sex outside of marriage is something that should be encouraged or tolerated, particularly among the young."
Evolution
According to Santorum, there are "legitimate problems and holes in the theory of evolution", a position which has led to his firm support for the intelligent design (ID) movement, even though that appears to have softened since writing in the Washington Times in 2002 that ID "is a legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in science classes".
St Paul's brought to its knees by confusion and indecision
via guardian.co.uk
Interesting article here about the whole mess that St. Paul's has got itself into.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/31/st-pauls-knees-confusion-indecision?...
I can't help but think that it just goes to show that the hierarchy of the Church of England are so massively out of touch with real life, especially in the completely cut off world of a Cathedral (I have first hand experience of this existence, so I know).
I also can't help but think that the Bishop of London (right) looks just like our gardener.
James Ridgway
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