The Evolutionary Power of Religion?

Daniel Dennett's book, Breaking the Spell examines religion, based on the knowledge that it has come about as a human phenomenon as a result of evolution.

What about the evolutionary pressure exerted on man by religion?

After all if you live in a society where atheists are killed, then your survival chances are enhanced if you carry genetic traits which give you a strong tendancy to either believe what you are told to believe, or at least say you do.

Tags evolution, religion, danieldennett, atheism

Why Creationism is wrong and Evolution is right

Tuesday nights lecture by Prof Steve Jones is now available on line.

It was so popular the live stream was overloaded and there were apparently around 400 people turned away on the night.

(Unfortunately the realplayer sound is out of phase and the WM version doesn't seem to work)

Tags evolution

From April's Freethinker

From the paper version of The Freethinker:-

Google have been censoring a video of a song called "It's in the Koran", but it's still avaliable at Little Green Footballs.

Dr Wafa Sultan - a secular ex-muslim's interview on Al Jazera has brought death threats after her blunt comments - coverage in New York Times.

Tags freethinker

March for what?

The so called "March for Free Expression" has now become uncomfortable with Free Expression.

A movement which was formed in support for the Danish cartoonists is now effectively banning the display of the cartoons at the rally, because it will offend Muslims....

The event has lost my support.

Blogging meets Memetics UK

Susan Blackmore the writer of The Meme Machine has joined the Comment Is Free blog. Susan writes about The selfish gene's birthday and Breaking the spell of faith

Tags susanblackmore, memes,

Freedom

We need a society in which the freedom of each person is compatible with the freedom of other persons. The compatibility of my freedom with yours depends on our both renouncing violence towards each other. I won't knock you down, and you won't knock me down.
Karl Popper "Reflections on the theory and practice of the democratic state"
quoted in "Critical Mass" by Philip Ball.

Tags atheist, cartoons, secular, free speech, religious extremists, infidels, freedom
(The Logic of Scientific Discovery)

Creationism Invades UK Science Syllabus

It seems that Ruth Kelley and Tony Blair are giving their fundamentalist friends the excuse to teach religious dogma in science lessons in this country.

from BBC News

A spokesperson for the exam board said candidates needed to understand the social and historical context to scientific ideas both pre and post Darwin's theory of evolution.

"Candidates are asked to discuss why the opponents of Darwinism thought the way they did and how scientific controversies can arise from different ways of interpreting empirical evidence," he said.

"Creationism and 'intelligent design' are not regarded by OCR as scientific theories. They are beliefs that do not lie within scientific understanding."

The area is contentious, with critics claiming that inclusion of creationist or intelligent design theories in science syllabuses unduly elevates them.

James Williams, science course leader at Sussex University's school of education, told the Times Educational Supplement: "This opens a legitimate gate for the inclusion of creationism or intelligent design in science classes as if they were legitimate theories on a par with evolution fact and theory.

"I'm happy for religious theories to be considered in religious education, but not in science where consideration could lead to a false verification of their status as being equal to scientific theories."

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, which oversees the development of the national curriculum, in effect guiding exam boards, said discussions of "intelligent design" or "creationism" could take place in science classes.

Richard Dawkins got a brief quote via phone on Radio 4 this evening.

Tags meaningoflife, religion, childabuse, richarddawkins

Winner of the Egg and Sperm Race

Are our police going mad, or are they being driven by a mad government?

from the NSS

POLICE IN T-SHIRT TANTRUMS

Police have ordered a shopkeeper to remove a toddlers’ T-shirt from his window display because its slogan “Winner of the Egg and Sperm Race” was deemed offensive. Tim Price, who has run the Ju-Ju clothes shop in Brighton for 11 years, said yesterday that he was stunned when officers began telling him what T-shirts he could and could not display. “Apparently, someone had found the word ‘sperm’ offensive. Is sperm a swear word?” he asked. Mr Price initially left the T-shirts in the window but covered up the offending words and replaced them with less offensive ones. The move, however, only brought another visit and another warning from the police.

Tags police, evolution,

Brutal assault on women celebrating International Women's Day in Iran

Via God is for Suckers

from Doug Ireland

IRAN’S BRUTAL ASSAULT YESTERDAY ON WOMEN CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY


Tags women, iran, religion

Sexual abuse by the Irish Catholic Church

More than 100 Catholic priests in the Dublin region of Ireland are suspected of having abused children in the last 66 years, according to a new report.

And what goes on in the other religions?

Dawkins is right, religion really is a form of child abuse, in many different and cruel ways.

Tags religion, childabuse, richarddawkins