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FreeThoughtAction Hero Of The Day - 11/30/07
 Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910) According to Wikipedia, Clemens, "better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humanist, humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is also known for his quotations. During his lifetime, Twain became a friend to presidents, artists, leading industrialists and European royalty. "Twain enjoyed immense public popularity, and his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. American author William Faulkner called Twain 'the father of American literature'.... "After his death, Twain's family suppressed some of his work which was especially irreverent toward conventional religion, notably Letters from the Earth, which was not published until 1962. The anti-religious The Mysterious Stranger was published in 1916, although there is some scholarly debate as to whether Twain actually wrote the most familiar version of this story. Twain was critical of organized religion and certain elements of Christianity through most of his later life." A few Twain quotes: Faith is believing what you know ain't so.
The gods offer no rewards for intellect. There was never one yet that showed any interest in it.
I cannot see how a man of any large degree of humorous perception can ever be religious -- unless he purposely shut the eyes of his mind & keep them shut by force.
God's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn.
Surely the ass who invented the first religion ought to be the first ass damned.
If Christ were here there is one thing he would not be -- a Christian.
Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.
When one reads Bibles, one is less surprised at what the Deity knows than at what He doesn't know.
[The Bible] is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies.
Somalia Offensive After Attacks
Scientists Spot The Furnace In A Star Factory
Nebula hosts super-hot gas cloud that may influence planetary systems. More...
Pre-Human Dating Scene Was A Real Jungle
Bin Laden Urges Europe To Stop Aiding U.S.
(CBS/AP) Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden called on Europeans to stop helping the United States in the war in Afghanistan, according to excerpts of a new audiotape broadcast Thursday on Al-Jazeera television. More...
Feds: Sears Tower Plotters Eyed Qaeda Ties
(AP) A construction worker commanded a homegrown terrorism cell that sought an "unholy alliance" with al Qaeda to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb several FBI offices, a federal prosecutor said Thursday in closing arguments at the group's trial. More...
'Teddy Bear' Teacher Gets 15-day Prison Term In Sudan
KHARTOUM, Sudan (CNN) -- A Sudanese court found a British teacher guilty of insulting religion and sentenced her to 15 days in prison Thursday for allowing a teddy bear to be named "Mohammed," British authorities and her lawyer reported. More...
Anger Over Church Advert Which Puts Jesus' Face On Beer Glass
An advertisement featuring the face of Jesus as a 'miraculous' apparition on a beer glass has caused anger among critics who say it undermines anti-binge drinking campaigns. More...See also: Image Of Jesus And Mary Seen On A PancakeEarlier this year... Vatican rejects woman's Virgin Mary claimHundreds flock to holy 'weeping tree' oddityVirgin Mary Sighted At Local ChurchPurported image of Christ on altar in TexasVirgin Mary on a baking sheetIs This Pope John Paul II?Jesus Smudged on Garage FloorSealant Smudge Resembling Jesus Sells for $1,525 on eBay (Updated story to the one above.) Older... Christian Faithful Find a Miracle on Highway OverpassFaithful Call Image On Underpass Wall 'Beautiful' (Same sighting as above, different report.) 'Virgin Mary' toast fetches $28,000And just to show it isn't only Christians... Miracle? Dream? Prank? Fish Talks, Town BuzzesChicken lays mystery Allah eggCollections of more sightings HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Oral Roberts University Gets A Lifeline
TULSA, Okla. -- Oral Roberts University, the debt-ridden evangelical institution riven by scandal, has been handed a $70 million lifeline. More...
Boy Dies Of Leukemia After Refusing Treatment For Religious Reasons
Boy dies of leukemia after refusing treatment for religious reasons. Because of his faith, Dennis Lindberg, 14, didn't want vital transfusions; his biological parents did. A judge sided with the son, who died last night. More...
Dogs Can Classify Complex Photos In Categories Like Humans Do
ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2007) -- Like us, our canine friends are able to form abstract concepts. Friederike Range and colleagues from the University of Vienna in Austria have shown for the first time that dogs can classify complex color photographs and place them into categories in the same way that humans do. And the dogs successfully demonstrate their learning through the use of computer automated touch-screens, eliminating potential human influence. More...
Dave Silverman On "Answers In Atheism" Internet Radio
Dave Silverman, Communications Director for American Atheists will be the guest tomorrow night (Thursday,November 29, 2007) on the "AnswersinAtheism" internet radio show. Hosted by Edwin Kagin (co-founder of Camp Quest), "AnswersinAtheism" can be heard on the internet beginning at 7:00 PM ET. Their program is archived for those who are unable to log on to the website, which is frequently over-loaded with calls and listeners. Silverman serves as national Communications Director for American Atheists, and is a veteran of numerous news-talk and public affairs programs. He runs the NoGodBlog ( http://www.nogodblog.com/). You can call in to the show on a toll-free number, 877-814-9287 (local: 859-384-7000) or send your e-mail questions/comments to TheShow@answersinatheism.net .
Ill. Mall Bomb Plotter Pleads Guilty
Additionally, authorities say Shareef was connected to Hassan Abujihaad, a former sailor with the U.S. Navy who is facing charges that he allegedly passed military secrets about naval movements through waters in the Middle East to al Qaeda-related Web sites during the spring of 2001, several months after terrorists attacked the USS Cole in Yemen. More...
Female Suicide Bomber Wounds 7 U.S. Troops
(CBS/AP) A woman wearing an explosives belt blew herself up near an American patrol northeast of Baghdad - a rare female suicide bombing that wounded seven U.S. troops and five Iraqis, the U.S. military said Wednesday. More...
Musharraf Relinquishes Army Post
The Pakistan army has faced an unprecedented number of suicide attacks this year, largely seen linked back to Islamic militants connected to al Qaeda and the Taliban. The most recent two attacks, earlier this month, targeted a security checkpoint outside the Pakistan army's headquarters in Rawalpindi and a bus carrying junior employees of Inter Services Intelligence, an elite intelligence service. More...
Saudi: 200 Held Over 'Terror Plots'
Story Highlights:Saudi officials: 200 militants arrested over alleged involvement in terrorism Alleged plots included assassinations and an attack on oil facility Official said 112 of those arrested were linked to transport of militants to Iraq More...
Israeli Airstrike Hits Gaza As Peace Talks Continue In U.S.
Story Hightlights:Two Hamas members killed by airstrike, Hamas sources say Israel says this week's airstrikes are response to mortars, rockets fired into Israel Militants in Gaza fire rockets into Israel every three hours, on average, Israel says Israeli PM, at peace talks in U.S., calls ongoing rocket attacks "a warning sign" More...
'Death Warrant' Author Offered Safe Haven After Thousands Riot
An exiled Bangladeshi author, in hiding in India from Islamic extremists, today gained an unexpected ally when a hardline Hindu nationalist leader offered her a safe haven. More...
Turkey Probes Atheist's 'God' Book
Pupil Defends Teacher In Muhammad Teddy Furore
In Study Of Brain Evolution, Zeal And Bitter Debate
While many anthropologists are convinced the Hobbit represents a new species of human, some argue vociferously that it is a microcephalic Homo sapiens with nothing new to say about evolution. More...
Study Finds Reproductive Edge For Men With Deep Voices
A man with a deep voice may have a survival advantage, a better chance of passing on his genes. More...
The Dance Of Evolution, Or How Art Got Its Start
Perhaps the most radical element of Ms. Dissanayake's evolutionary framework is her idea about how art got its start. She suggests that many of the basic phonemes of art, the stylistic conventions and tonal patterns, the mental clay, staples and pauses with which even the loftiest creative works are constructed, can be traced back to the most primal of collusions -- the intimate interplay between mother and child. More...
Megachurches Add Local Economy To Their Mission
Although community outreach is almost always cited as the primary motive, these economic initiatives may also indicate that giant churches are seeking sources of revenue beyond the collection plate to support their increasingly elaborate programs, suggested Mark A. Chaves, a religious sociologist at Duke University. More...
Dutch Lawmaker Planning Film Criticizing The Quran
THE HAGUE, Netherlands: A Dutch conservative lawmaker said Wednesday he is making a film to highlight what he describes as "fascist" passages in the Quran, his latest high profile criticism of Islam. More...
FreeThoughtAction Hero Of The Day - 11/27/07
Edwin Frederick Kagin, J.D. (born November 26, 1940) According to Wikipedia, Kagin "is an attorney at law in Union, Kentucky, and a founder of Camp Quest, the first secular summer camp in the United States for the children of freethinkers....
"Kagin was also a founder and board member of Recover Resources Center, which provides an alternative addiction recovery program to the religiously-oriented Alcoholics Anonymous. He currently serves on the national advisory board of the Secular Student Alliance, is Kentucky state director for American Atheists, and on January 13, 2006, was named national legal director for American Atheists, replacing the retiring Duane Buchholtz."His personal website is located HERE.
'Holiday Tree' Or 'Christmas Tree' In State Capitol?
Wisconsin -- Rep. Marlin Schneider wants to pass a resolution that renames the State Capitol 'holiday tree' as a 'Christmas tree.' More...NOTE:According to Wikipedia, "In Germany and northern Europe, the practice of decorating coniferous trees originated in pagan times, when the trees were seen as phallic symbols representing the fertility of the nature gods. The practice was associated with the Winter Solstice (around December 21) which was seen as the date of the rebirth of the Sun God. Tree decoration was later adopted into Christian practice after the Church set December 25th as the birth of Christ, thereby supplanting the pagan celebration of the solstice."The Puritans and most Protestants (including the Baptists) in early America didn't approve of the celebration of Christmas and there were even local laws passed against it because of these pagan influences. Even today, there are some Christians who reject the Christmas holiday, and reject the "Christmas tree" specifically because of Jeremiah 10:2-4:"Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not." (KJV) So the "Christmas" tree has pagan origins and some Christians will be offended if it's called a "Christmas tree" and some will be offended if it's not. Do I put up a tree? Of course I do. I hang it from the ceiling...  The one above is from about five years ago, the one below is from at least 10 years ago when I went to a little more trouble (the picture is turned upside-down): 
Second Trial In Priest Molestation Case Gets Under Way
James Turner, 46, of Virginia Beach, Va., claims former Rev. Alfred Willis performed a sex act on him in a Latham, N.Y., motel room following a religious ceremony for Turner's brother, who was about to become a priest. More...
High Court Declines Mich. Faith-Based Program Case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to get involved in a dispute between Michigan officials and a faith-based program for troubled youths. The Michigan Family Independence Agency imposed a moratorium on Teen Ranch Inc., in Marlette in the Thumb area, from participating in a government-financed program for abused, neglected and delinquent children, saying the ranch coerced the 11- to 17-year-olds into religious activities. More...
Harris County Loses Lawsuit Over Bible Monument
Humanists To Honor "Golden Compass" Author
(Washington D.C., November 27, 2007) The American Humanist Association announced today that Philip Pullman, esteemed author of the controversial book, "The Golden Compass"--which has been made into a movie scheduled for release December 7--will be honored with the International Humanist Award in Washington DC in June. The award decision comes near the end of a two-month protest by the Catholic League, which has charged that the book and film are "anti-Catholic" and that the film, by being less confrontational, is part of a deceitful "stealth campaign" to promote an "anti-religious" book series. "We didn't hear complaints about a pro-evangelical stealth campaign when C.S. Lewis' 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' was made into a film," noted Fred Edwords, American Humanist Association director of communications. "No humanists organized protests nor did the Catholic League complain of evangelical Protestant deceit. So why must we hear this nonsense now? Philip Pullman has provided humanistic fantasy stories that cut across religious barriers and can be enjoyed by most everyone." English author Philip Pullman is a longtime humanist. He is a supporter of the British Humanist Association and an honorary associate of the National Secular Society, both headquartered in London. Now he has consented to receive this prestigious humanist award in Washington DC. The conference theme is "E Pluribus Unum: Reclaiming Humanist Values" and will bring humanists together from all over the world. Conducted jointly by the American Humanist Association and the International Humanist and Ethical Union, the conference will take place June 5-8, 2008, and will also feature Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA), Feminist Majority Foundation President Eleanor Smeal, and Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin (d-20). Other leading humanists are being lined up as speakers and will be announced on the American Humanist Association Web site at http://www.americanhumanist.org/ as they are confirmed. Pullman will receive his award and speak Saturday evening, June 7. "My family enjoyed Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association and father of two. "These books teach civic values like opposition to tyranny, family values like love and kindness, and the values of character like courage and intellectual curiosity. So we are all looking forward to seeing the film and meeting Mr. Pullman." Regarding religious protests of Pullman's work, Edwords added, "While anyone has a right to protest anything they're against, we can't allow ourselves to forget how it used to be, in the mid-twentieth century, when religious objections resulted in actual bans in this country. We don't ever want to go back to those days, when certain books and films could be blocked simply because powerful religious lobbies could stop what they didn't like. Therefore, today, when any pressure group wants to keep you from seeing a film, you may be justified in pushing back and doing the opposite. In the case of 'The Golden Compass,' we encourage Americans to see the film and judge for themselves." Also see my earlier post directly below...
Golden Compass Author Hits Back
The author of the book on which the new film The Golden Compass is based has hit back at critics who accuse him of peddling "candy-coated atheism". More...Warning: This story contains plot spoilers See also: 'Holy War' Looms Over Kidman FilmUPDATE:ELLEN JOHNSON, President of American Atheists, will be the guest tomorrow (Wednesday, November 28, 2007) on the CBS network's "The Early Show." Her interview segment will air sometime between 7:00 AM and 7:30 AM ET -- please check local listings. Ellen will be talking about efforts by the Catholic League to boycott the forthcoming movie "The Golden Compass" based on the novel of the same title by writer Philip Pullman. Pullman is hitting back at his critics who are accusing him of promoting "candy coated atheism." Later...Ellen will be the guest on the Peter Heck Radio Show on WIOU coming out of Kokomo, Indiana tomorrow -- Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007 beginning at 4:15 ET. Check local listings. You'll be able to hear the program on WIOU 1350AM if you live in the broadcast area. The complete show will then be archived and available on Peter Heck's web site, http://www.peterheck.com/ . Ms. Johnson will be discussing Atheism, the recent Utah Christian cross case, the flap over the "Golden Compass" and much more.
First Americans All From Siberia
Humans somehow made their way into the Americas from distant lands, but knowing precisely when and from where they made the journey are matters of heated scientific debate. New genetic evidence, however, backs up a chilly northwestern arrival to North America from Siberia about 12,000 years ago, via a temporary land bridge spanning the Bering Strait. The findings further challenge an alternative idea that humans sprinkled in to both North and South America on open sea voyages 30,000 years in the past. More...
Japanese Robot Gets More Life-Like
TOKYO (Reuters) - A pearly white robot that looks a little like E.T. boosted a man out of bed, chatted and helped prepare his breakfast with its deft hands in Tokyo on Tuesday, in a further sign robots are becoming more like their human inventors. More...
Palestinians Rally Against "Doomed" Summit
(CBS/AP) Tens of thousands of people in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip rallied Tuesday against the Mideast peace conference under way in the U.S., while the group's top leader in Gaza insisted the summit is "doomed to failure." More...
Taliban Bombings Rock Kabul
A suicide bomber struck the Afghan capital today, killing two, injuring four, and highlighting once again the devastating decline in security that has wracked Kabul over the past year. More...
New Message From Bin Laden On The Way
(CNN) -- Al Qaeda's TV production unit promised on Monday a new message from Osama bin Laden would be made public soon. More...
Sacred Places
U.S. News & World Report's latest issue has a number of articles on sacred places and religion. An overview page is located HERE.
Jerusalem Divided
Over years of strife, Jerusalem's Arab and Israelis have perfected their radar for telling each other apart and for knowing when they've strayed too far into hostile territory. More...
What Makes Us Moral
The deepest foundation on which morality is built is the phenomenon of empathy, the understanding that what hurts me would feel the same way to you. And human ego notwithstanding, it's a quality other species share. More...
Taslima Nasreen: The Great Indian Dilemma
Many Indian Islamic Fundamentalists opposed Nasreen's presence in the country and also offered a bounty of Rs 5,00,000 for her beheading. But the Indian government was clear and firm on giving a 'home' to her in India. More...See also: Citizen Taslima
Fortune-Tellers Popular In Islamic Iran
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Clerics in the Islamic Republic of Iran frown on the practice, but Nazanin says she has more customers than ever wanting their fortunes told. Sitting behind a computer in her Tehran apartment, she predicts the future based on her knowledge of "jyotish" -- the science of light -- a practice related to astrology which she said is thought to have originated in ancient Persia. More...
Virtual Antarctica Revealed In High Definition
An international science team unveiled a new high-definition, interactive map of Antarctica on Tuesday, capping an eight-year satellite mapping project. The Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica, or LIMA, is the most geographically accurate depiction of the full continent ever made -- and it's being made freely available over the Web. More...
'Muhammad' Teddy Teacher Arrested
SUDAN -- A British schoolteacher has been arrested in Sudan accused of insulting Islam's Prophet, after she allowed her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad. More...
FreeThoughtAction Hero Of The Day - 11/26/07
 Charles Monroe Schulz(November 26, 1922 - February 12, 2000) According to Wikipedia, Schulz "was a 20th-century American cartoonist best known worldwide for his Peanuts comic strip.... "Peanuts ran for nearly 50 years without interruption and appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries.... "Schulz, reared in the Lutheran faith, had been active in the Church of God (Anderson) as a young adult and then later taught Sunday school at a United Methodist Church. But, he remained a member of the Church of God (Anderson) until his death. "In an interview in the late 1980s, however, Schulz stated that his philosophical views had evolved over the years: 'I do not go to church anymore... I guess you might say I've come around to secular humanism, an obligation I believe all humans have to others and the world we live in.'"
FreeThoughtAction Hero Of The Day - 11/25/07
 Andrew Carnegie (November 25, 1835 - August 11, 1919) According to Wikipedia, "Carnegie is known for having built one of the most powerful and influential corporations in United States history, and, later in his life, giving away most of his riches to fund the establishment of many libraries, schools, and universities in America, Scotland and other countries throughout the world....
"By the time he died, Carnegie had given away $350,695,653 (approximately $4.3 billion, adjusted to 2005 figures). At his death, the last $30,000,000 was likewise given away to foundations, charities, and to pensioners."Carnegie was a "self-made" man, immigrating to the United States from Scotland at 13, he began his career as a telegraph messenger for $2.50 a week. From humble beginnings, he went on to become one of the richest men in the world. He distanced himself from religion and identified himself as a positivist. ["Positivism is a philosophy that states that the only authentic knowledge is scientific knowledge, and that such knowledge can only come from positive affirmation of theories through strict scientific method." source]
Sunday School For Atheists
The pioneering Palo Alto program began three years ago, and like-minded communities in Phoenix, Albuquerque, N.M., and Portland, Ore., plan to start similar classes next spring. The growing movement of institutions for kids in atheist families also includes Camp Quest, a group of sleep-away summer camps in five states plus Ontario, and the Carl Sagan Academy in Tampa, Fla., the country's first Humanism-influenced public charter school, which opened with 55 kids in the fall of 2005. Bri Kneisley, who sent her son Damian, 10, to Camp Quest Ohio this past summer, welcomes the sense of community these new choices offer him: "He's a child of atheist parents, and he's not the only one in the world." More...
Crucifixes Allegedly Made In Sweatshop
(CBS/AP) A labor rights group alleged Tuesday that crucifixes sold in religious gift shops in the U.S. are produced under "horrific" conditions in a Chinese factory with more than 15-hour work days and inadequate food. More...
Afghan Suicide Blast Kills 7
KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide attack targeting Italian soldiers building a bridge resulted in the deaths of one soldier and six Afghans, including three children who had gathered to watch the construction Saturday, officials and witnesses said. More...
IRAQ: Extremists Fuel Anti-Women Violence In Basra
BAGHDAD, 20 November 2007 (IRIN) - Anti-women violence in Basra, Iraq's second largest city, about 600 km south of the capital, Baghdad, has increased markedly in recent months and has forced women to stay indoors, police and local NGOs have said. "Basra is facing a new type of terror which leaves at least 10 women killed monthly, some of them are later found in garbage dumps with bullet holes while others are found decapitated or mutilated," the city's police chief Maj. Gen. Abdel Jalil Khalaf told IRIN in a telephone interview. "The perpetrators are organised gangs who work under religious cover pretending to spread instructions of Islam but they are far from this religion. They are trying to impose a life style like banning women from wearing western clothes or forcing them to wear head scarf," Khalaf said. In September, Khalaf added, police found the body of a decapitated woman with that of her also decapitated six-year-old son lying beside her. More...
ACLU: Senate Prayers Could Lead To New Suit
The Indiana Senate's decision Tuesday to open its proceedings with a prayer to Jesus Christ has drawn more legal threats from the ACLU of Indiana. More...
Priests Fail To Coax Out Suicide Cult
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Priests have tried unsuccessfully to persuade members of a doomsday cult to leave a cave in southern Russia where they remain barricaded inside despite the intervention of their leader. More...
Former Preacher Advocates A Secular Country
A former preacher and children's music composer turned atheist spokesman said last week that the nationwide increase in secularism is a good thing for the country. More...
Controversy Erupts After Schools Pull 'Atheist' Book
The Centre for Inquiry and the Canadian Secular Alliance is calling an Ontario school board's decision to remove a children's book from its library shelves, "an overt example of the discrimination against atheists by the religious." More...
Rock Of Ages, Ages Of Rock
Creationist geologists are thriving, paradoxically, at a moment when evangelicals are becoming more educated, more prosperous and more open to scientific progress. And though they are a lonely few among Christian academics, they have an influence far out of proportion to their numbers. More...
Sex Scandal Hits Atlanta-Area Megachurch
Decatur, Ga. (AP) -- The 80-year-old leader of a suburban Atlanta megachurch is at the center of a sex scandal of biblical dimensions: He slept with his brother's wife and fathered a child by her. More...
$50 Million Settlement In Priest Sexual Abuse Cases
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A Roman Catholic religious order has agreed to pay $50 million to dozens of Alaska Natives who were victims of sexual abuse by Jesuit priests, their lawyer said Sunday. More...
Sisters Behead Uncle And Aunt In Front Of Their Children
An Iraqi couple were beheaded in front of their children by their cousins because the man wore Western-style trousers. Three suspected al Qaeda militants, including two sisters, beheaded their uncle and his wife, forcing the couple's children to watch, according to Iraqi police. The killing came because the school guard Youssef al-Hayali was considered an infidel because he did not pray and wore western-style trousers. More...
Unholy Row Over University Lecture Event
DUNDEE UNIVERSITY has been accused of "antagonising Christians" with a forthcoming Christmas lecture that challenges one of the central tenets of the faith. Second-year dental student Emily Mackie said the university's decision to call its inaugural Dundee Christmas Lecture "Why Evolution is Right ... and Creationism is Wrong" is badly timed and insensitive to Christians. More...
Today Is Evolution Day!
 Today marks the anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species on November 24, 1859. According to Wikipedia: "Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (published 1859) is a seminal work in scientific literature and arguably the pivotal work in evolutionary biology. The book's full title is On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. It introduced the theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. It was controversial because it contradicted religious beliefs which underlay the then current theories of biology. Darwin's book was the culmination of evidence he had accumulated on the voyage of the Beagle in the 1830s and expanded through continuing investigations and experiments since his return.
"The book is readable even for the non-specialist and attracted widespread interest on publication. The book was controversial, and generated much discussion on scientific, philosophical, and religious grounds. The scientific theory of evolution has itself evolved since Darwin first presented it, but natural selection remains the most widely accepted scientific model of how species evolve. The at-times bitter creation-evolution controversy continues to this day."More...
Faith-Based Spending Goes Relatively Unchecked
For the past six years, President George W. Bush's administration has spent billions of dollars to largely aid Christian faith-based groups, in assisting prison inmates as well as the poor and less-fortunate persons here and worldwide. Yet many experts and investigators nationwide agree government controls auditing this spending, or checking into whether the religious groups are illegally using this federal funding to promote their faiths, are weak or nonexistent. More...
Oral Roberts University President Quits Amid Lawsuit
(CNN) -- Richard Roberts, the embattled president of Oral Roberts University and the son of its namesake evangelist founder, stepped down Friday, according to the school's Board of Regents. More...
Deadly Blasts Rock Indian Cities
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Blasts outside courts in three northern Indian cities on Friday, have killed at least eight people, CNN-IBN TV has reported. The near-simultaneous blasts detonated in Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad, all in Uttar Pradesh state. The Associated Press reported officials saying as many as 13 people had died, all lawyers. --snip-- In August, at least 44 people were killed and scores were wounded in bombings in the southern city of Hyderabad. Those were described as terror attacks carried out by Islamic militants. More...
Bombings In Baghdad, Mosul Claim 22 Lives
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A suicide car bomb slammed an Iraqi police patrol in Mosul, Iraq, on Friday afternoon, killing nine people and wounding 21, according to a police official. More...See also: Bombing at Baghdad pet market kills 13
Foreign Fighters In Iraq Are Tied To Allies Of U.S.
BAGHDAD -- Saudi Arabia and Libya, both considered allies by the United States in its fight against terrorism, were the source of about 60 percent of the foreign fighters who came to Iraq in the past year to serve as suicide bombers or to facilitate other attacks, according to senior American military officials. --snip-- "The bad imams tell the young people to go to Iraq and fight the American Army, because if you kill them or they kill you, you will go to paradise," Sheik Adnan Khames Jamiel, a leader of the Albu Alwan tribe in Ramadi, said in an interview. More...
Devout Muslims And Jews Mull Dividing Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- From opposite sides of the wall that once divided Jerusalem, Israeli Shlomo Yirmiyahu and Palestinian Yakoob Arrajabi watched in 1967 as the Jewish state seized the Arab east of the city in a blaze of gunfire. More...
Pakistan's Taliban At The Gates
The local police precinct in the village of Matta has a new sign: Taliban Station. The same thing in the village of Kabal -- in fact, nine of the twelve districts in the picturesque Swat Valley, 100 miles from Pakistan's capital, have been taken over by militants, who have torched music shops, barred girls from going to school, forced women to wear burqas and decreed that men must grow beards. As if to complete the flashback to Taliban-era Afghanistan, the new overlords have even attempted to blow up centuries-old Buddhist monuments. More...See also: Musharraf May Quit Army by SaturdaySuicide Bombers Kill 35 in PakistanSuicide attacks kill dozens in Pakistan
More Than Half Of Afghanistan 'Under Taliban'
More than half of Afghanistan is back under Taliban control and the Nato force in the country needs to be doubled in size to cope with the resurgent group, a report by the Senlis Council think-tank says. A study by the group found that the Taliban, enriched by illicit profits from the country's record poppy harvest, had formed de-facto governments in swathes of the southern Pashtun belt. |
