God did not create the universe, says Hawking God did not create the universe and the “Big Bang” was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book. In “The Grand Design,” co-authored with U.S. physicist Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking says a new series of [...]

Fla. Church Denied Permit to Burn Qurans Gainesville city officials have denied a burn permit for a church that plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11. Interim Fire Chief Gene Prince said Wednesday that an open burning of books is not allowed under the city’s burning ordinance. The Dove World Outreach Center [...]

Obama Is Wrong – Sam Harris After weeks of dodging the issue, at a White House Ramadan dinner Friday night, President Obama came out in support of Park51, the planned Muslim community center and mosque two blocks away from the World Trade Center site. While the project may represent religious tolerance, it also highlights the [...]

Pope Benedict rejects Irish bishop’s resignation In a move that has stunned critics Pope Benedict XVI has rejected the resignations of two Dublin auxiliary bishops. Bishop Raymond Field and Bishop Eamonn Walsh had both tendered their resignations in 2009 in the wake of the Murphy report into clerical child abuse. Both men had come under [...]

Sick woman who went to Lourdes to cure cerebral palsy returns with two broken legs A disabled woman went on a healing pilgrimage to Lourdes – and returned with broken legs. The family of cerebral palsy sufferer Patricia Mitchell have launched legal action against the organisers of the trip after she fell 4ft from a [...]

Family Asks Doctors To Wait For Prayers To Work FORT WORTH — A North Texas family is racing to stop a hospital from amputating a patient’s foot, saying the procedure violates their religious rights. The situation is now so tense that Angela Wright’s husband has been barred from the hospital where she is being treated. [...]

Horray for pointlessly dangerous rituals! Baby Drowns During Baptism A priest in eastern Europe has been accused of drowning a baby boy as he baptised him. Police are investigating Father Valentin for accidential homicide after witnesses at the ceremony said the priest did not cover the baby’s mouth during the ritual, The Sun newspaper reports. Father [...]

Faith healing in Oregon: A picture worth a thousand words We’ve talked long enough about faith healing in Oregon. We’ve shared countless earnest conversations about religious liberty and parental rights. The time for words is over. Now it’s time for pictures. Another couple from the Followers of Christ church in Oregon City stand accused of [...]