Saudi Arabia and Sweden clash over human rights violations

This is truly great news, Saudi Arabia is starting to really feel the heat and Sweden is leading the charge. The UK’s Guardian reports … A clash between Sweden’s progressive foreign policy and the harsh realities of the Middle East has escalated with Saudi Arabia’s withdrawal of its ambassador after Stockholm tore up an arms … Read more

The inevitable decline of religion really is happening

My Daughter was telling me yesterday about a dialog within her RE class in school. The teacher (a “really” Christian lady for the understandable reason that is perhaps a requirement for the role), had been delving into the topic of various ethical questions. One example was of a baby who had been born with no brain, was on life support, and … Read more

Scientists pledge to increase interference with the Church

Oooh this sounds exciting, Dean Burnett, a doctor of neuroscience, writes in the UK’s Guardian all about an exciting new initiative that involves scientists interfering in the daily affairs of religion. So why are they doing this? Well because … The Catholic Church and Church of England have recently been urging MPs to vote against the introduction of mitochondrial … Read more

peace on earth: Is the world becoming a better place, or worse?

A rather common religious claim is that by default humans are violent and that without the moral guidance of a god, our natural instincts will lead to great darkness and evil … cue citations for Hitler, Stalin, Mao, etc… and you are then advised either implicitly or even explicitly that this would be you if you do … Read more

What is the very Best way to respond when faced with Bigotry and hatred?

Derren Brown, the famous illusionist, came out as gay back in 2007. At the time the rather inevitable happened; because he is famous, some of the tabloids ran with it …. In 2007 he did a “discreet” interview with The Independent where he officially came out.  “If you don’t do anything at all then suddenly it’s … Read more

Letting go of religious hatred – escaping into a better world

At a deep psychological level people tend to flow with the cultural tide, and so we have the observation that the religious belief people embrace tells us a great deal about their geographical location and the micro-cultures they inhabit, and not much else. Those born into a Sunni family will generally tend to be Sunni … Read more