Pat Robertson: God Told Me Romney Will Be A Two Term President

One week before the election, Pat Robertson said God told him Mitt Romney will win the election and be a successful two term president

The Big Questions: Are Religions Unfair to Women?

May 5, 2013 on BBC One

This is a special edition from King Edward VI Handsworth School in Birmingham and Nicky Campbell asks just one Big Question: Are religions unfair to women?

Taking part are: Francesca Stavrakopoulou, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Religion at the University of Exeter; Cole Moreton, author of Is God Still an Englishman?; Christina Rees, who sits on The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England; the theologian Vicky Beeching; the feminist Kate Smurthwaite; Liz Weston from Christ Church, Southampton; Sarah de Nordwall from Catholic Voices; Eunice Olumide, a convert to Islam; Rania Hafez from Muslim Women in Education; Rabbi Shmuel Arkush, Director of Lubavitch in the Midlands; and Bharti Tailor, President of the Hindu Forum for Europe.

Dawkins, Krauss Preview 'The Unbelievers' | Global News Canada

April 29, 2013 on Global News (Canada)

Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss are on The Morning Show to talk about The Unbelievers, which explores the importance of science and reason in the modern world.

http://UnbelieversMovie.com/

Dawkins, Krauss on CNN to Discuss New Documentary 'The Unbelievers'

April 28, 2013 on CNN

Lawrence Krauss and Richard Dawkins discuss religion in the modern world and debate science in their new film "The Unbelievers"

Attacked Ex-Bangladeshi Atheist Blogger Sharif Ahmed Speaks Out

by CFI Canada

Ex-Bangladeshi Blogger Sharif Ahmed suffered attack, torture, religious psychological training and was eventually nearly hung to death because of his atheism. He escaped to Canada as a refuge fearing for his life. He joins Justin Trottier for an exclusive interview on Think Again! TV to discuss his story and the plight of atheists in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has recently been at the center of a human rights crisis as authorities have detained several prominent bloggers for "hurting religious sentiments," followed by the arrest of a newspaper editor who printed quotations from the targeted bloggers, and two more young people for making "derogatory remarks" about Islam on Facebook. Tens of thousands of people have rallied in the country's capital to demand more arrests, tougher blasphemy laws, and have threatened violence if their demands are not met by April 25.

An international coalition of atheist and humanist organizations, led by the Center for Inquiry and our partners the International Humanist and Ethical Union and American Atheists, will protest the arrest and persecution of atheist bloggers and other dissenters in Bangladesh with demonstrations in New York, Washington, London, Ottawa, and other cities around the world on Thursday, April 25.

These global demonstrations will be unprecedented for the freethought movement, as secularists around the world express their solidarity with those jailed for speaking their minds about religion. Protesters will draw the world's attention to the plight of those persecuted for exercising their rights to freedom of belief and expression, and attempt to spur the international community to take action and compel the government of Bangladesh to change course. Up-to-date information on protest events can be found at bit.ly/defenddissent.

The Great Debate: The Storytelling of Science

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The Origins Project at ASU presents the final night in the Origins Stories weekend, focusing on the science of storytelling and the storytelling of science. The Storytelling of Science features a panel of esteemed scientists, public intellectuals, and award-winning writers including well-known science educator Bill Nye, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, theoretical physicist Brian Greene, Science Friday's Ira Flatow, popular science fiction writer Neal Stephenson, executive director of the World Science Festival Tracy Day, and Origins Project director Lawrence Krauss as they discuss the stories behind cutting edge science from the origin of the universe to a discussion of exciting technologies that will change our future. They demonstrate how to convey the excitement of science and the importance helping promote a public understanding of science.

New Zealand Lawmakers Break Into Maori Love Song As Parliament Approves Same Sex Marriage

From National Post:

Hundreds of jubilant gay-rights advocates celebrated at New Zealand’s Parliament on Wednesday as the country became the 13th in the world and the first in the Asia-Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage.

Lawmakers voted 77 to 44 in favor of the gay-marriage bill on its third and final reading.

People watching from the public gallery and some lawmakers immediately broke into song after the result was announced, singing the New Zealand love song “Pokarekare Ana” in the indigenous Maori language.
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'science' of the gaps

by TheraminTrees

BBC Panorama: Are Sharia Councils Failing Vulnerable Women?

From BBC News:

BBC Panorama has uncovered fresh evidence of how some Sharia councils in Britain may be putting Muslim women "at risk" by pressuring them to stay in abusive marriages.

In a small terraced house in east London, a woman and her husband argue before an Islamic scholar who sits on a dais above them in a room that looks and feels like a court.

This is Leyton Islamic Sharia Council, and Dr Suhaib Hasan will decide if the woman can have a divorce. Her husband is refusing to grant her one and the couple have been coming here for a year.

She accuses him of refusing to work, ignoring the children and verbally abusing her. He vehemently denies it. When Dr Hasan orders the husband to leave the room, the woman breaks down in tears.

"I hate him, I can't even bear to look at him, he has ruined my life," she sobs.

Dr Hasan sends the couple away for another month to try to save their marriage, with the help of Allah.
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David Attenborough: First Life | BBC

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In more than fifty years of broadcasting, Sir David Attenborough has travelled the globe to document the living world in all its wonder. Now, in the landmark series First Life, he goes back in time in search of the very first animals.

David Attenborough’s First Life is told with stunning photography, state of the art visual effects and the captivating charm of the world’s favourite naturalist. It was first broadcast as a two-part series in the UK on BBC Two in November 2010, and as a two-hour special by Discovery Channel in the US. It is now being shown by broadcasters around the world, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Filmed over the course of a year, the companion film Attenborough’s Journey is a remarkable portrait of the world’s leading natural history broadcaster as completes his latest series. As he faces the challenges of a complicated filming shoot, David Attenborough revisits parts of the world that have had special meaning for him throughout his career.