Friday Religion and Freethought Digest 11/21

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10 commandments, abuse, asia, atheists, blacks, books, china, christianity, communist, conservatives, court, creationist, death, duggar family, FEMEN, free will, hindu, hinduism, interfaith, irs, israel, ken ham, mao, marxism, multi-culturalism, nonbelievers, palestine, parents, pastors, philosophy, politics, pope, religion, sex abuse, sikhs, taxes, values, vatican, war, whites, wisdom

Religion is Not Main Cause of War, Research Suggests

War is caused by clashes between different groups, bad government, high levels of corruption and poor relations with neighbouring countries. [Read more]

What’s the Biggest Threat to Asia? Atheism, This Cardinal Says

Hong Kong’s retired prelate Cardinal Joseph Zen said that amid decades of communist rule in China, human values are at stake in all of Asia and can only be salvaged by fervidly preaching the gospel. [Read more]

China’s Communist Party Reaffirms Marxism, Maoism, Atheism

The Communist Party of China (CPC) is letting its members know that the party’s official adherence to militant atheism has not changed; Party members are not allowed to be Christians, or to hold any other religious beliefs. [Read more]

Everybody’s Religion, Or Lack of, Should Be Treated Equally

I believe that governments in the United States should treat Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and all other believers and their congregations equally. [Read more]

Multicultural Christmas Jumper Goes on Sale That Represents Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Atheism

A spokesperson for the company said: ‘For us, the festive season is a time for celebration and togetherness. And we think that now more than ever, the world could use a little more unity. [Read more]

Religion, Not Lack of It, Is Source of Problems

I cannot believe the article written by Michelle Malkin, who wrote about how religion should be allowed in schools and blaming the lack of religion for all our young people’s woes. [Read more]

Austrian Bill Would Ban Foreign Funding for Mosques, Imams

The new bill, championed by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Integration Sebastian Kurz, forbids foreign funding of mosque construction or of imams working in the country and requires a unified German-language translation of the Quran. [Read more]

Carrying On: Religion Inciting Inner Conflict

Religion is an active part of culture in today’s Russia. Most surprisingly, however, was not the number of gaudy orthodox cathedrals, but the number of devout Russians who frequented these cathedrals. [Read more]

4 Reasons Conservatives Should Join Liberals in Opposing the Duggars

Michelle Duggar is the matriarch of the popular conservative Christian homeschooling family featured on The Learning Channel’s 19 Kids and Counting. [Read more]

Do White People Think Black People Are Magic?

One test showed that subjects associated the words “ghost,” “paranormal,” “spirit,” “wizard,” “supernatural,” “magic,” and “mystical,” more frequently with black faces. [Read more]

Creationist Ken Ham’s Noah’s Ark Theme Park Under Fire as Atheists Asks IRS to Investigate

An atheist activist group is urging the Internal Revenue Service to investigate two nonprofit organizations that are involved in the building of a new theme park based on Noah’s ark and the Bible. [Read more]

The Strange Religious Future

Whatever ultimately comes of the Francis era in Catholicism, nobody making predictions about the future of Catholicism circa 2010 expected Benedict’s resignation and Francis’s accession, let alone anything that’s followed. [Read more]

Religious Charities Face Charity Commission Investigations

Three Christian charities have recently faced investigations or “operational compliance cases” from the Charity Commission for a range of offences, including fraud and accounting irregularities. [Read more]

Another Unconvincing Redefinition of Free Will

All Gifford lectures deal with the intersection of science and religion, but aren’t Templeton-esque since they’ve included explicit critics of religion like Steve Pinker and Carl Sagan. [Read more]

Mixing Politics and Religion Leads to Lively Discussion at Miami Book Fair

The fair welcomed journalist Barbara Ehrenreich, who discussed her memoir Living With a Wild God: An Unbeliever’s Search for the Truth About Everything. [Read more]

Appeals Court Rules Against Atheists, Leaving in Place Tax-Free Housing for Pastors

Freedom From Religion Foundation has been in a legal battle to end the “Parsonage Exemption” that allows ministers to deduct the cost of rent for their church-owned houses from their taxable income. [Read more]

Clergy, Interfaith Activists Aim To Prevent ‘Religious War’ Among Israelis And Palestinians

Debates over access to sites in Jerusalem’s Old City, where Muslims say the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven and where Jews believe their holy ancient temples were located, have spurred accusations of both sides provoking a religious war. [Read more]

Religion Drove Beatings of Boy, 7, Until He Died, Mother Testifies

When he lied, they beat him. When he didn’t read the Bible, they beat him. When he fell asleep reading, they beat him. When he came home with a bad grade, they beat him. [Read more]

Pope Aims to Expedite Sex Abuse Rulings

The announcement addresses criticism the Vatican has received for moving too slowly in deciding the fate of the accused clergymen. [Read more]

Baby Born with Four Arms and Four Legs Has Been Dubbed God Boy By His Parents

The child has been named God Boy, as multiple limbs are common among Hindu deities, and people are travelling from across the region to the city in West Bengal State to get a glimpse of the child. [Read more]

Femen Protesters at the Vatican Simulate Anal Intercourse with a Crucifix

In what they described as a protest over Pope Francis’s upcoming visit to the European Parliament, three members of the group appeared on St Peter’s square wearing only leather mini-skirts and flower garlands in their hair. [Read more]

Love, Wisdom and Wonder: Three Reasons to Celebrate Philosophy

Philosophy is commonly painted as a discipline defined by ivory tower musing and abstraction. We don’t often celebrate philosophy and many question its value. What makes philosophy so special? [Read more]

10 Commandments for Atheists: A Guide for Nonbelievers Who Want to Explore Their Values

Halfway through, at No. 5, the authors conclude: “There is no God.” Once over that hurdle, the non-commandments become less controversial — an ethical society is good, as is moral behavior. [Read more]