PETERSBURG, Kentucky (AFP) – For a group of paleontologists, a tour of the Creation Museum seemed like a great tongue-in-cheek way to cap off a serious conference. But while there were a few laughs and some clowning for the camera, most left more offended than amused by the frightening way in which evolution -- and their life's work -- was attacked. "It's sort of a monument to scientific illiteracy, isn't it?" said Jerry Lipps, professor of geology, paleontology and evolution at University of California, Berkeley. "Like Sunday school with statues... this is a special brand of religion here. I don't think even most mainstream Christia ... Read More »

A Skeptic's take on souls, spirits, ghosts, gods, demons, angels, aliens and other invisible powers that be. Souls, spirits, ghosts, gods, demons, angels, aliens, intelligent designers, government conspirators, and all manner of invisible agents with power and intention are believed to haunt our world and control our lives. Why? The answer has two parts, starting with the concept of "patternicity," which I defined in my December 2008 column as the human tendency to find meaningful patterns in meaningless noise. Consider the face on Mars, the Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich, satanic messages in rock music. Of course, some patter ... Read More »

Charles Darwin's masterpiece, "On the Origin of Species", shook society to its core on publication in 1859. Darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke but he would surely have raised an incredulous eyebrow at the controversy still raging a century and a half later. Evolution is accepted as scientific fact by all reputable scientists and indeed theologians, yet millions of people continue to question its veracity. In "The Greatest Show on Earth", Richard Dawkins takes on creationists, including followers of 'Intelligent Design' and all those who question the fact of evolution through natural selection. Like a ... Read More »

Western culture is a kaleidoscope of cultural and religious diversity. We're not just talking about Christian vs. Atheist or Religious vs. Secular, but we’re talking about Christians, Secularists, Evangelicals, Baptists, Atheists, Muslims, Jews, Naturalists, Pagans, Adventists, Protestants, etc… you get my drift. In my opinion, religious groups falsely demonize “secularity” because they believe it has an agenda which is equal to their own. I.e. The Christian agenda is equal to the Muslim agenda is equal to the Secular agenda. I reject this idea and I’ll explain why. By the very nature of our diverse culture, the general population hol ... Read More »

A fundamental but elusive step in the early evolution of life on Earth has been replicated in a laboratory. Researchers synthesized the basic ingredients of RNA, a molecule from which the simplest self-replicating structures are made. Until now, they couldn't explain how these ingredients might have formed. "It's like molecular choreography, where the molecules choreograph their own behavior," said organic chemist John Sutherland of the University of Manchester, co-author of a study in Nature Wednesday. RNA is now found in living cells, where it carries information between genes and protein-manufacturing cellular components. Scientis ... Read More »

In accordance to Christian doctrine a person can only be saved and allowed into Heaven if they simply believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as their personal savior. The real emphasis here is on belief because without a belief in Jesus you cannot truly accept him into your heart as a personal savior. Belief however is NOT a choice; people cannot choose what they believe in or what they do not believe in. It is based strictly on whether or not a person has been convinced, either they are convinced or not, it is not up to choice. The vast majority of this world's population does not believe in the Christian god. Their reasons for disbelief ... Read More »

What is Shunning? "Shunning is the act of deliberately avoiding association with, and habitually keeping away from an individual or group. It is a sanction against association often associated with religious groups and other tightly-knit organizations and communities. Targets of shunning can include, but are not limited to apostates, whistleblowers, dissidents, people classified as "sinners" or "traitors" and other people who defy or who fail to comply with the standards established by the shunning group(s). Shunning has a long history as a means of organizational influence and control. Extreme forms of shunning and related practices have ... Read More »