Butterflies and Wheels update
Ophelia Benson
New in "Latest News"
Jesus and Mo shocked that paganism is being taught
Druidry as part of Religious Education in Cornwall? Whatever next?
Filed: May 9, 2012
Queen’s speech announces libel reform bill
The bill will open the way to ending libel tourism and protecting free expression for journalists, writers, bloggers and scientists around the world.
Filed: May 10, 2012
Responding to the libel reform announcement
Simon Singh, Dara O Briain, Ben Goldacre, David Allen Green, many more.
Filed: May 10, 2012
Brooklyn district attorney has special rules for rabbis
Many of the rabbis consider sexual abuse accusations to be the business of rabbinical authorities, who often do not report their conclusions to the police.
Filed: May 11, 2012
India’s god laws fail the test of reason
In the decades since independence, these laws have been regularly used to hound intellectuals and artists who questioned religious beliefs.
Filed: May 11, 2012
Jakarta Post on Irshad Manji
Hundreds of members of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council attacked the LKiS publishing office in Yogyakarta where she was speaking about her book on Wednesday night.
Filed: May 12, 2012
Indonesia’s record on human rights has tainted its image
"The government has obviously failed to guarantee basic freedom for the people, which is the freedom from fear."
Filed: May 12, 2012
Indonesia: politician says attacking people is wrong
Members of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council, who initiated the attack, have defended their action.
Filed: May 12, 2012
“You slut, how dare you take my wife to the beach”
Ismail Belghar slapped his sister-in-law across the face because she and her sister went to the beach.
Filed: May 12, 2012
Richard Carrier interviews Susan Haack
A must read.
Filed: May 12, 2012
Philip Kitcher on “scientism”
Since the conclusions reached in analyses of human behavior will be socially consequential, the evidence for them deserves to be closely scrutinized.
Filed: May 12, 2012
Four Iranian men due to be hanged for sodomy
"The judicial denial of same-sex relationships in Iran stems from its relationship to Shari’a law and patriarchy," says Gorji Marzban of Austrian-based Oriental Queer Organization.
Filed: May 13, 2012
Iranian cartoonist sentenced to 25 lashes for drawing MP
His sentence has triggered outcry among Iran's online community with many calling on cartoonists to draw new caricatures of the MP.
Filed: May 13, 2012
Men are the real victims of sexism
Never mind all those men at the top; look at all those men on the bottom.
Filed: May 13, 2012
Another religion as curate’s egg article
Parts of it are excellent, therefore we mustn't reject it.
Filed: May 13, 2012
Pertussis epidemic in Washington state
Washington State has the highest percentage of parents in the nation who voluntarily exempt their children from one or more vaccines.
Filed: May 13, 2012
Witchcraft: Man kills mother, sets house on fire
A source told PUNCH Metro that 36-year-old Jonathan had been frustrated with his life and had accused his mother of being responsible for his inability to make progress.
Filed: May 14, 2012
Afghan women falling off the White House radar
Suzanne Nossel of Amnesty International USA said it was "really worrying" that Obama only made a passing reference to women on his trip to Afghanistan last week.
Filed: May 14, 2012
TV show condones murder for blasphemy
A British TV channel that broadcast a talk saying it is acceptable to murder someone who has shown disrespect to Muhammad faces a heavy fine or potential closure by Ofcom.
Filed: May 14, 2012
Martin Robbins on sexual correctness
Sexual correctness is a fundamental failure of journalism, and not just in the moralistic right-wing end of the press.
Filed: May 15, 2012
“Gove promised Catholic schls cn oppose gay marriage”
Sections 406-7 of the Education Act 1996 forbids ‘the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject in the school’.
Filed: May 15, 2012
Burkina Faso moves to help women accused of witchcraft
Women driven from their homes will have access to legal and psycho-social support, as well as financial assistance to re-establish their livelihoods.
Filed: May 15, 2012
New in "Articles"
2012 Global Atheist Convention – Redux
By Bruce Everett
. People could wear little paper hats with Twitter account names on them...
Filed: May 11, 2012
New in "Flashback"
Tarek Fatah on death threats over free speech
The celebrated and controversial Canadian author Irshad Manji received the first “Mansoor Hallaj Freedom of Speech Award” by the Muslim Canadian Congress.
Filed: May 12, 2012
New in "Notes and Comment Blog"
- No one dares distinguish
Filed: May 9, 2012 - And another interview
Filed: May 9, 2012 - With an instrument
Filed: May 9, 2012 - Even now, I have Atheist friends
Filed: May 9, 2012 - A wholly new institution
Filed: May 10, 2012 - The river of Christian orthodoxy
Filed: May 10, 2012 - Index on Censorship says: we did it!
Filed: May 10, 2012 - A misguided species
Filed: May 10, 2012 - Advanced groveling
Filed: May 10, 2012 - Bishops v Girl Scouts
Filed: May 10, 2012 - What you can see on a walk
Filed: May 10, 2012 - About the questions being asked
Filed: May 11, 2012 - A pattern
Filed: May 11, 2012 - The bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth
Filed: May 11, 2012 - We won’t be silent
Filed: May 11, 2012 - Ew, girl cooties
Filed: May 11, 2012 - A much more conservative vibe in the capital
Filed: May 12, 2012 - They hid behind masks & helmets while beating up ordinary people
Filed: May 12, 2012 - The clerics who have sucked the joy out of our lives for centuries
Filed: May 12, 2012 - The in-laws
Filed: May 12, 2012 - Whoops
Filed: May 12, 2012 - Particularly hard to take in a woman
Filed: May 12, 2012 - Another hanging
Filed: May 13, 2012 - Not this again
Filed: May 13, 2012 - No teaching pseudoscience please
Filed: May 13, 2012 - A neglected form of sexism
Filed: May 13, 2012 - The state will not be mocked
Filed: May 13, 2012 - Not entirely out of the norm
Filed: May 14, 2012 - Chuckle chuckle chuckle
Filed: May 14, 2012 - Dude, get out of my face
Filed: May 14, 2012 - Citing a “duty” to kill those who insult Mohammed
Filed: May 14, 2012 - Don’t throw stones in my face
Filed: May 14, 2012 - What do you mean “if”?
Filed: May 15, 2012 - According to our local imam
Filed: May 15, 2012 - The pope actually mentioned women, for a second, sort of
Filed: May 15, 2012 - Almost always women
Filed: May 15, 2012