Category Archives: Atheism

Richard Dawkins loses ‘humanist of the year’ title over trans comments

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American Humanist Association criticises academic for comments about identity using ‘the guise of scientific discourse’, and withdraws its 1996 honour

The American Humanist Association has withdrawn its humanist of the year award from Richard Dawkins, 25 years after he received the honour, criticising the academic and author for “demean[ing] marginalised groups” using “the guise of scientific discourse”.

The AHA honoured Dawkins, whose books include The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion, in 1996 for his “significant contributions” in communicating scientific concepts to the public. On Monday, it announced that it was withdrawing the award, referring to a tweet sent by Dawkins earlier this month, in which he compared trans people to Rachel Dolezal, the civil rights activist who posed as a black woman for years.

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‘Hell to pay’: Church of Satan mourns arson at New York ‘Halloween House’

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  • Addams Family-style home in Poughkeepsie burns
  • Member Isis Vermouth promises hex on culprit

Members of the Church of Satan are grieving the destruction of a historic “Halloween House” north of New York City that authorities say was set ablaze by an unidentified arsonist.

Related: Hell freezes over: how the Church of Satan got cool

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Fears for Nigerian humanist held for blasphemy in sharia state

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Mubarak Bala, head of humanist association, taken to Kano after Facebook posts criticising Islam

A prominent Nigerian humanist accused of blasphemy has been arrested and taken to the northern city of Kano, according to figures close to him.

Mubarak Bala, the president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was taken from his home on 28 April in neighbouring Kaduna state and taken to Kano, where a warrant for his arrest was issued, Leo Igwe, a fellow Nigerian humanist and human rights advocate, said.

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The Sultan’s Trail was good practice for lockdown | Adrian Chiles

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My experience on the Sultan’s trail found that two Christians, two Muslims, a Jew and two atheists could live peaceably together, although the mountain scenery seems a lifetime away now

Back in early autumn I went on a pilgrimage from Belgrade to Istanbul with six others to film a television programme that airs on Friday. At the best of times, the mountains of Bulgaria would feel a lifetime away, but now it all feels so much further.

I took part because I enjoy talking about faith, and love walking. Our route was part of the Sultan’s Trail, a long-distance footpath from Vienna to Istanbul. It marks the 16th-century marches taken by Suleiman the Magnificent and his Ottoman armies as they conquered Belgrade and most of Hungary before the Viennese held out against them. The trail is styled the “path of peace”, along which all cultures and religions can come together.

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‘Creepy, Crazy and Weird’: Texas Church Gunman Devin…

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Former classmates of Texas church shooter Devin Kelley say he was a 'creepy', 'crazy' and 'weird,' person who preached about atheism on the internet. On Sunday, Kelley opened fire inside First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, outside of San Antonio, killing 26 people and injuring 24. Patrick Boyce, who attended New Braunfels High School with the killer, told DailyMail.com: 'He had a kid or two, fairly normal, but kinda quiet and lately seemed depressed.

Distrust of the non-religious runs deep in American history

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The idea that the ungodly are not up to the demands of virtuous citizenship has been a concern since the beginning Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama recently raised eyebrows during his confirmation hearing for attorney general when he expressed doubts that secular people respected the truth as much as did those with religious convictions. Even as he insisted that there should be no religious tests for holding public office, Sessions was queasy about the potential dangers of the secular worldview.

In God We Don’t Trust: Growing American Secular Movement Rallies in D.C. This Week

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They may be the most invisible interest group in American politics: secular Americans who now make up nearly a quarter of the American population, according to recent Gallup and Pew Research polls. But attendees of the "Reason Rally" at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, where as many as 30,00 atheists, agnostics, freethinkers and their allies are expected to attend, want to see that change.