Pat Robertson Makes You A Millionaire

February 28, 2013 on CBN

Rumors Link Pope Resignation to Sex, Money Scandal

February 23, 2013 on CNN

The Psychology of Belief - Bias and the Brain

by The Thinking Atheist

Caleb Lack, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, professor, and writes the "Great Plains Skeptic" column.

In this clip, Dr. Lack addresses the biases that so often inform religious (and non-religious) worldviews.

The Big Questions: Does Hell Exist? - BBC

February 24, 2013 on BBC One

Pat Robertson Dismisses "Nutty" Climate Scientists

February 21, 2012 on CBN

“Only in Princeton would people say nutty things like that,” Robertson said. “You know, they get to be PhDs and they wonder where they’ve studied and learned all these things. But I tell you, if you’re a true believer bad things will happen because you see them coming.”

(via RWW)

BBC: Religious TV Show Miracle Hour 'Risking Lives'

From BBC News:

TV shows made in London that encourage viewers to believe they are cured of life-threatening illnesses by prayer have been condemned by charities.

Charities criticised an episode of the Miracle Hour show, on Faith World TV, during which a diabetic caller was told he was "set free" from the disease.

"It is particularly dangerous and puts his life at risk," said African Health Policy Network head Francis Kaikumba.

UKWET, which produces the show, said it was "reviewing" its "new programmes".

The organisation, whose full name is the UK World Evangelical Trust, said: "We are now reviewing our new programmes to make sure our standards meet good practice."
Read more

New Study Raises Questions About Religion As Deterrent Against Criminal Behaviour

From Vancouver Sun:

A provocative new study is challenging assumptions about the deterrent effect of religion on criminal behaviour.

The U.S. study found that through “purposeful distortion or genuine ignorance,” hardcore criminals often co-opt religious doctrine to justify or further their crimes.

The findings could have important implications, the researchers say, for how faith-based services are administered within the corrections system.

Prison ministries shouldn’t just be about presenting religious doctrine because some inmates might take religious teachings to excuse their behaviour, lead author Volkan Topalli, a criminal justice professor at Georgia State University, said in an interview Monday.

“People have to understand that presenting religious doctrine to people isn’t enough to change their behaviour,” he said. “(Faith-based services) have to be systematic and about behaviour change — religion has to be a vehicle, rather than the goal.”

The research of Topalli and his colleagues was published this month in the journal Theoretical Criminology in an article titled With God on My Side: The Paradoxical Relationship Between Religious Belief and Criminality Among Hardcore Street Offenders.

(Thanks @VolcanTopalli)

A Monkey That Controls A Robot With Its Thoughts

Filmed at TEDMED 2012

Can we use our brains to directly control machines -- without requiring a body as the middleman? Miguel Nicolelis talks through an astonishing experiment, in which a clever monkey in the US learns to control a monkey avatar, and then a robot arm in Japan, purely with its thoughts. The research has big implications for quadraplegic people -- and maybe for all of us.

FOX: Missouri University Honours Wiccans, Pagans

February 17, 2013 on Fox News with Tucker Carlson and Tammy Bruce

Horrible Histories - Charles Darwin Evolution Song - BBC

Lawrence Krauss on CNN Discussing Meteorite Explosion Over Russia

February 15, 2013 on CNN's AC360

First nominee for the 2013 Golden Crocoduck - Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar)

by Potholer54

The Golden Crocoduck is awarded every year for the biggest breach of the ninth commandment in pursuit of the creationist cause. Voting is in September, and the winner is announced on October 28, the feast day of St. Jude Thaddeus, patron saint of lost causes

Pope Betty the First

by Mrs. Betty Bowers

CNN: Why is Atheism on the Rise? - Youtube's "The Amazing Atheist" Meets William Lane Craig

February 11, 2013 on CNN
See also: CNN: Atheist Movement Grows in U.S.

Darwin Day 2013: What You May Not Know About Charles Darwin, Father of Evolution

Pope Resigns: Benedict XVI Stuns Vatican and Roman Catholic Church

From New York Times:

VATICAN CITY — The decision, delivered in Latin and in unemotional tones by Pope Benedict XVI to a gathering of cardinals on Monday, came “like a bolt out of the blue,” one of the participants said, and it soon ricocheted around the world.

During what was supposed to be a routine meeting to discuss the canonization of three potential saints, Benedict read a statement that said, in part, that after examining his conscience “before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise” of leading the world’s one billion Roman Catholics. He was resigning on Feb. 28, he said, becoming the first pope to do so in six centuries.
Read more

Is Faith Compatible With Reason? - The Big Questions - BBC

February 10, 2013 on BBC One

CNN: Atheist Movement Grows in U.S.

February 7, 2013 on CNN

CNN's Carol Costello reports on the growing number of Americans who don't believe in God.

The Unbelievers (2013) - Official Movie Trailer (Richard Dawkins & Lawrence Krauss)

www.UnbelieversMovie.com

'The Unbelievers' follows renowned scientists Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss across the globe as they speak publicly about the importance of science and reason in the modern world - encouraging others to cast off antiquated religious and politically motivated approaches toward important current issues.

The film includes interviews with celebrities and other influential people who support the work of these controversial speakers, including:

Ricky Gervais, Woody Allen, Cameron Diaz, Stephen Hawking, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Werner Herzog, Tim Minchin, Eddie Izzard, Ian McEwan, Adam Savage, Ayaan Hirsi-Ali, Penn Jillette, Sam Harris, Dan Dennett, James Randi, Cormac McCarthy, Paul Provenza, James Morrison, Michael Shermer, David Silverman... and more.

Richard Dawkins: If I Meet God When I Die

(via RDnet)

Football as a Religion: The Church of Maradona

For a lot of fans, football is religion. To Hernan and Alejandro Veron, Argentine player Diego Maradona is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. As founders of the Church of Maradona, Alejandro and Hernan have reinvented the idea of a fan club, creating instead a full-fledged religion around their idol. We pay a visit to their place of worship in the city of Rosario to see how Alejandro and Hernan pay homage to the player responsible for the greatest goal in the history of the sport.

Mr. Deity Superbowl Extravaganza 2013

by Mr. Deity