Director of Theos, Paul Woolley, said the overall aim is to put God ‘back’ into the public domain.… Read the rest
Archbishops Attack Secularism
Nov 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonClaim ‘public atheism is itself an intolerant faith position.’… Read the rest
Eric Alterman on Salah Choudhury
Nov 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonMSM ignoring the case, leaving it to right-wingers and Jewish-oriented publications. What’s up with that?… Read the rest
Media Yawn at Violence Against Women
Nov 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWomen by the millions are systematically targeted for attack because they are women; ho hum.… Read the rest
Blair Says Creationism is no Biggy
Nov 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonTold scientists their worries about creationism were exaggerated; they felt lots better.… Read the rest
Unearned access to the microphone
Nov 7th, 2006 12:11 am | By Ophelia BensonTony’s been teasing Chuck. Excellent.
… Read the restTony Blair attacked the “anti-science brigade” yesterday for threatening Britain’s path to the future. He condemned the “outrageous distortion” of campaigners against pioneering technologies, insisting that they had to be defeated. His remarks at the King’s Centre, Oxford, will be taken as a thinly-veiled swipe at the Prince of Wales. Prince Charles has dismissed GM-food trials as unethical…Scientists would have a role in all the “big questions of our time – climate change, the spread of infectious diseases, water supply, biodiversity, terrorism,” said Mr Blair who confessed that he was a science “refusenik” at school. But he stressed the need to win the “irrational public debate” often surrounding scientific research. Without referring to Prince
Hitchens Attends Arendt Centenary Conference
Nov 6th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘What an awful season of pseudo-fights and distractions.’… Read the rest
‘Faith’ Schools Allowed to Discriminate
Nov 6th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonGovernment drops long-standing legal bans on discrimination against staff who have different or no religion.… Read the rest
Multiculturalism Discussed
Nov 6th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonYasmin Alibhai-Brown, Candace Allen, Ted Cantle, Dreda Say Mitchell.… Read the rest
Lack of Clarity About Multiculturalism
Nov 6th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonMany anti-racists are so used to resisting attacks on minorities that they will defend all differences.… Read the rest
Grayling Puts Religion on the Stage
Nov 6th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonGrayling and director Mick Gordon co-wrote play with contributions from theologians, clerics, atheists.… Read the rest
The Christian conscience
Nov 5th, 2006 7:45 pm | By Ophelia BensonIn a startling warning to the Government, senior church and political figures have backed a report advocating force to protest against policies that are “unbiblical” and “inimical to the Christian faith”.
The Telegraph cites the ‘menacing language’ of the report and says ‘Lord Mawhinney, the Tory peer, Andy Reed, the Labour MP, and the Rt Rev Peter Forster, the Bishop of Chester, helped to produce’ it.
… Read the restThe report from the Evangelical Alliance says “violent revolution” should be regarded as a viable response if government legislation encroaches further on basic religious rights. The church is urged to come to a consensus that “at some point there is not only the right but the duty to disobey the state”…Proposals to
We feel special today
Nov 5th, 2006 6:47 pm | By Ophelia BensonMore pondering on this question of what is good and for whom. Compassion is an important human virtue, but would it be an important virtue, or a virtue at all, if humans were different kinds of entities? If we were conscious but immortal and perfect, if we never suffered, if we had no vulnerability of any kind (and didn’t know of any entities that did), would compassion be a virtue? Would we see it as a good thing? I tend to doubt it.
I had similar doubts and questions about some things Keith Ward said in a discussion with Anthony Grayling in Prospect last year.
… Read the restThe scientific perception of the cosmos is that it is an intelligible, law-like, mathematically
Anti-Censorship Conference at National Theatre
Nov 5th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAppignanesi, Mortimer, Hytner, others to confront growing danger to theatre in the UK.… Read the rest
Muslims Join Xians to Bully Gays in Scotland
Nov 5th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘There is a momentum building against the secular parties’ says founder of ‘pro-family’ ‘pro-life’ party.… Read the rest
Church Group Report Offers Threats
Nov 5th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonTory peer, Labour MP, Bishop of Chester helped to produce the menacing report.… Read the rest
Blair Criticizes ‘Anti-science Brigade’
Nov 5th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonCondemns ‘outrageous distortion’ of campaigners against pioneering technologies.… Read the rest
Haggard Fired for ‘Sexually Immoral Conduct’
Nov 5th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonNoisy opponent of gay marriage admits having a massage from a gay masseur, denies inhaling. … Read the rest
Lords Report on Science Decline in Schools
Nov 5th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonPsychology, media studies, photography considered more fun, also easier.… Read the rest
Mock Mock Mock
Nov 5th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonRationalists on crusade. Very droll.… Read the rest