The Freethinker - Page 5 of 418 - The voice of atheism since 1881

NY religious leaders vehemently oppose teaching practical subjects

January 31, 2019 By Barry Duke

NEW York State’s education authorities want pupils in religious and independent schools to be taught subjects such as maths, English and science but faith leaders are complaining that these will interfere with religious studies. Two Orthodox Jewish educators, for example, are quoted as saying that that the state’s educational demands would require so much time that: It crowds out Torah study, our sacred mission. Leaders of religious schools, determined put indoctrination ahead of education, say they will not cooperate with… Read more

Defiant UK designer won’t withdraw Hindu goddess garments

January 31, 2019 By Barry Duke

22 Comments

DESPITE having been accused of disrespecting Hinduism by featuring a goddess on a range fashion garments, London fashion designer Sera Ulger, 30, has refused to withdraw the design. Ulger, above, who runs a fashion company in the city, insisted that taking her range out of production “is not going to happen”. But: I do want to sincerely apologise to the Hindu community for offending them without meaning to. I had no intention to hurt anyone during my design process. My brand is… Read more

Christian bigot may face probe for refusing to print a gay brochure

January 30, 2019 By Barry Duke

104 Comments

THE owner of a print shop in Chicago may face an investigation by the Illinois Department of Human Rights for refusing to produce a brochure for the city’s LGBT Community Fund. The proprietor of the Yorke Printe Shoppe, Brad Scull, above, explained his refusal in this report: I’m a Christian, I believe in Scripture, and my faith is really important to me. I have nothing against any of those people. I have an issue when stuff gets into the promotion… Read more

Christian Concern launches junk science book on gay parenting

January 30, 2019 By Barry Duke

31 Comments

GOOGLE the name Walter Schumm, a professor of applied family science at Kansas State University, and here are some of the words you will read about his research into same-sex parenting: ‘dangerous’, ‘bogus’, ‘false’, ‘disgraceful’ and ‘shoddy’. Yet on Monday Christian Concern, a virulently anti-gay outfit in the UK, gleefully tweeted: This Tuesday will see the launch of Walter Schumm’s Same-Sex Parenting Research. Schumm’s extensive research lead him to question the widely-held view that same-sex parenting is equivalent to parenting… Read more

Brexit forces UK Jews to apply for German citizenship

January 29, 2019 By Barry Duke

4 Comments

THE grandson of a 93-year-old UK woman who survived the Holocaust is among thousands of British Jews who have applied for German citizenship as the UK prepares to leave the European Union. Simon Wallfisch grew up in London as the grandson of Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, above, an Auschwitz survivor who swore to never return to the country that murdered her parents and six million other Jews. Wallfisch, 36, a well-known classical singer and cellist who received his German passport in October… Read more

Vatican has ‘one of the largest homosexual communities in the world’

January 29, 2019 By Barry Duke

8 Comments

A new book – In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy – exposes ‘the rot at the heart of the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church today’ – and, according to this LifeSiteNews report, is expected ‘to shake the Church and the world’. LSN reported that a press release is to be be published today in several different languages that contains more disclosures about the book authored by French journalist Frédéric Martel, above. According to the French version of… Read more

Op-ed: Protestors behaving badly

January 28, 2019 By Ophelia Benson

8 Comments

IF nothing else, the Covington Catholic High School boys have given us a nudge to find out more about the Black Hebrew Israelites. No, I’m not going to say more about Nick Sandmann and whether he was or wasn’t smirking at the Native American man, whether he was or wasn’t being a racist shit, whether he was or wasn’t a foot soldier in Trump’s war. I will say that I don’t think Catholic schoolboys (or adult men for that matter)… Read more

The War of the Noses: Malaysia comes out the loser

January 27, 2019 By Barry Duke

5 Comments

MALAYSIA’S Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, 93, above, sees nothing offensive about calling Jews ‘hook-nosed’. Last year the world’s oldest political leader said: They are hook-nosed. Many people called the Malays fat-nosed. We didn’t object, we didn’t go to war for that. Well, his fat nose has just been put out of joint because Malaysia has today been stripped of the right to host a major international swimming competition after refusing to allow Israeli athletes to compete. Athletes from around… Read more

UK pilgrims & Brexit: concerns raised about future visits to Lourdes

January 27, 2019 By Barry Duke

15 Comments

IF the UK crashes out of the European Union without a deal in a few weeks time, this may have an adverse effect on pilgrims wanting to travel to Lourdes, where all manner of miracles have allegedly taken place. Concerns have been raised by the Hosanna House and Children’s Pilgrimage Trust (HCPT) a UK Catholic charity that offers pilgrimage holidays to Lourdes in the south of France to: Disabled and disadvantaged people from around the UK and further afield. HCPT,… Read more

Jewish family allege religious discrimination over BO incident

January 26, 2019 By Barry Duke

43 Comments

AMERICAN Airlines have been accused of religious discrimination for asking a family to leave a plane in Florida because their body odour offended passengers and crew. Yossi Adler, above, a 36-year-old business consultant from Michigan, accused the airline of singling out his family because they are Jewish. American Airlines denied the accusation. The airline said in a statement: The Adler family were asked to deplane last night after several passengers, along with our crew members, complained about their body odor…. Read more