Gillard won’t play religion card Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she has no intention of pretending to believe in God to attract religiously-inclined voters. Former prime minister Kevin Rudd was a regular at Canberra church services and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is known as a devout Catholic. In contrast, Ms Gillard says that while she [...]

Swedish cartoonist returns to place of attack Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who in 2007 sparked controversy with a drawing of Prophet Mohammed, has been reinvited to speak at Uppsala University, where he was attacked two weeks ago. “The department (of philosophy) has reached a wise decision. Lars Vilks must be allowed to hold his lecture,” [...]

I can dream, can’t I? Richard Dawkins: I will arrest Pope Benedict XVI RICHARD DAWKINS, the atheist campaigner, is planning a legal ambush to have the Pope arrested during his state visit to Britain “for crimes against humanity”. Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, the atheist author, have asked human rights lawyers to produce a case for [...]

Quebec shows the way In May 2005, the province of Quebec showed leadership when its legislature voted unanimously to pass a motion against permitting shariah law to be used in the province’s legal system. Moving the historic motion in the Quebec National Assembly, Muslim member Fatima Houda-Pepin said, “The application of shariah in Canada is [...]

Religion ban in Quebec’s public daycares welcomed Publicly funded daycare operators in Quebec are welcoming the province’s announcement it will ban religious instruction in government-subsidized daycares. Quebec Family Minister Tony Tomassi made the announcement Wednesday, one day after saying he would not prevent daycare centres from teaching religious beliefs. “The mission of [early-childhood education centres] [...]

Amazing that someone would want to become a Geneticist, while being a creationist..  how does that even work? Academics fight rise of creationism at universities A growing number of science students on British campuses and in sixth form colleges are challenging the theory of evolution and arguing that Darwin was wrong. Some are being failed [...]

Good.

Irish atheists challenge blasphemy law An atheist group in the Irish Republic has defied a new blasphemy law by publishing a series of anti-religious quotations on its website. Atheist Ireland says it will fight any action taken against it in court. The quotations include the words of writers such as Mark Twain and Salman Rushdie, [...]

LAPD Ends Relationship with Boy Scouts, Cites Anti-Gay Policy A youth program associated with the Los Angeles Police Department will no longer be affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, due to the BSA’s policy of excluding gays, atheists, and agnostics. The Explorer’s Program, which the Boy Scouts created in 1949, has served since 1962 [...]

Scientology a ‘criminal organisation’ The Church of Scientology says allegations made in Federal Parliament by Independent Senator Nick Xenophon are an abuse of parliamentary privilege. Senator Xenophon used a speech in Parliament last night to raise allegations of widespread criminal conduct within the church, saying he had received letters from former followers detailing claims of [...]