There is a growing unscrupulousness about the way some of the top faithful choose to conduct their arguments.… Read the rest
God Gave Us Physicians, Cleric Notes 
Mar 26th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Rev. Ted Nelson said they did what’s best in their heart. Rev. Steve Brice respects anyone who follows their conscience.… Read the rest
Important Not to Judge, Says Professor of Ethics
Mar 26th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘They believe they’re helping their child; they love their child, and they believe prayer has an effect.’… Read the rest
Girl Dies After Parents Fail to Get Medical Help
Mar 26th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They prayed instead. She died after 30 days of nausea, vomiting, thirst, loss of appetite, weakness.… Read the rest
Richard Dawkins on ‘Lying for Jesus’
Mar 26th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Goals don’t come more own than this.… Read the rest
Colin Blakemore on Stem-cell Research
Mar 26th, 2008 | By Jeremy StangroomThis is part of an interview of Colin Blakemore by Jeremy Stangroom which took place in 2004. The whole interview appears in What Scientists Think, Routledge 2005.
The issue of animal experimentation is not the only area of dispute in the field of medical science. There is also, for example, considerable public debate about the use of stem cells – roughly speaking, cells which have the capacity to differentiate into cells of any type – in medical research. What, I ask Blakemore, is the importance of stem cell research?
‘It’s very easy to slip into hype when answering this question, but even so, I would say that the discovery of stem cells, and of their potential to transform … Read the rest
Amsterdam Protest Against Wilders Film
Mar 25th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘The film has already been condemned by several Muslim countries, including Iran and Pakistan.’… Read the rest
What Would Mill Advise on Wilders’s ‘Fitna’?
Mar 25th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The problem with the Wilders film is that we do not know whether the situation of the corn dealer applies.… Read the rest
Michael Walzer on the Value of Voting Twice
Mar 25th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
University graduates are as likely as anyone else to be hasty, prejudiced, and self-regarding.… Read the rest
‘Unscientific’ to Scorn ‘Complementary’ Medicine
Mar 25th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Madeleine Bunting goes all sciencey.… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre on Hadacol
Mar 25th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Hadacol was made from B vitamins and alcohol in barrels behind the barn. It was a miracle.… Read the rest
Bishops Deny Misleading the Public
Mar 25th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘If you stop obeying God you start to limit the rights of human beings and this is a case in point.’… Read the rest
Pick of Day: Ben Goldacre on Lifestyle Nutritionists
Mar 25th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
You’ll particularly enjoy the segment about John Harvey Kellogg, the enema-obsessed cornflake-inventor.… Read the rest
The Counter-Enlightenment
Mar 25th, 2008 | By Max DunbarHis pockets were stuffed with fifty different kinds of conflicting literature – pamphlets for all seasons, rhetoric for all reasons. When this man handed you a tract you took it no matter what the subject: the dangers of atomic power plants, the role played by the International Jewish Cartel in the overthrow of friendly governments, the CIA-Contra-cocaine connection, the farm workers’ unions, the Jehovah’s Witnesses (If You Can Answer These Ten Questions ‘Yes’, You Have Been SAVED!) the Blacks for Militant Equality, the Kode of the Klan. He had them all, and more, too. [Stephen King, The Stand]
The man (although not really a man) in the extract above is Randall Flagg, an agent of chaos and destruction who … Read the rest
If you stop obeying God you go all wrong
Mar 25th, 2008 11:36 am | By Ophelia BensonThe Bishop of Lichfield explains about embryos.
It’s a very important part of our society and a very important part of the Christian faith that you should have respect for human embryos.
Is it? How does that play out in real life? Where in our society do we see respect for human embryos being performed or exemplified? What does it look like? What does it make happen? Do embryos enroll in school? Do they get promotions? Do they take part in athletic competitions? Do they win prizes? Do they run for office? In what situations do people get an opportunity to show respect for them, and what is it that the respect respects?
And in what sense is that … Read the rest
Bishop’s ‘Frankenstein’ Attack Smacks of Ignorance
Mar 24th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘The Bill is not about creating monsters or mocking the sanctity of human life,’ says Colin Blakemore.… Read the rest
Winston Disputes Cardinal on Embryo Research
Mar 24th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Winston, an authority on human reproductive health, said the cardinal was deliberately misleading the public. … Read the rest
News From Nasim Fekrat in Afghanistan
Mar 24th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Situation of women terrible. No free media in Afghanistan. Basir Ahang safe in Italy.… Read the rest
Charities Urge MPs to Support Research Bill
Mar 24th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Cancer Research, British Heart Foundation among more than 200 charities urging support.… Read the rest
Those whose sensitivity relates to their faith
Mar 23rd, 2008 5:36 pm | By Ophelia BensonCancer Research and other charities are urging MPs to support the pre-embryonic cell research bill. But that doesn’t mean an end to bullshit.
Alan Johnson told Sky News: “I believe… once we have discussed all these issues and seen all the safeguards in the bill, that there will not be a split. But there will be an accommodation for those who have a particular sensitivity around this, including those whose sensitivity relates to their faith.”
Why? Why should there be an accommodation for ‘particular sensitivity’ about nothing? Suppose some people developed a fixed belief that sewage treatment violated the will of their deity? Should there be an accommodation for that? Why is there all this deference for completely absurd … Read the rest
