Thursday Religious and Agnostic News Headlines 10/30

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Seattle’s New Sunday Assembly Church is No Mars Hill

As Mars Hill retreats from the U District, a new, secular church – started by two London comics – moves in. [Read more]

The 20 Most Out-There Religious Beliefs

Test your knowledge of which belief belongs to which mainstream religion. [Read more]

‘Fields of Blood’ Asks if Religion Fuels Violence

Scanning history from the beginnings of mankind up through 9/11, author Karen Armstrong argues that it is a ‘dangerous oversimplification’ to blame terrorism on faith. [Read more]

Violence and Religion

Once again, anti-Muslim rhetoric has found its way back into parts of the American media as a distorted discourse eclipses the sincere meaning of the faith. Political personalities. [Read more]

On Despising Mormon Polygamy

To say that polygamy has been a singular nuisance to the church is an understatement. [Read more]

Westboro Baptist Church Files Motion to Ban Gay Marriage in Kan.

Members of the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, headquartered in Kansas, have taken matters into their own hands when it comes to the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. [Read more]

Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee Are on a Collision Course as Evangelicals Audition 2016 Contenders

Social conservatives are desperate to settle on a single candidate earlier than ever to avoid another “moderate” as the GOP nominee. [Read more]

Evangelical Conference Struggles with Response to ‘Moral Revolution … At Warp Speed’ on Gay Marriage

More than a thousand evangelical pastors and others were asked a simple question: How many live in a state that recognizes same-sex marriage? [Read more]

Letter Urges People of Faith to Make Poverty a Voting Issue

Hundreds of individuals representing more than 20 religious traditions have signed on to a public letter calling on people of faith to make poverty a priority issue when they cast their ballots in the Nov. 4 elections. [Read more]

Evangelical Alliance Urges: Join Global Prayer Day for the Persecuted

The World Evangelical Alliance has invited churches and Christians around the world to observe the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on Sunday, November 2 or 9. [Read more]

Atheist Group Targets Public School for Allowing Student-Requested Baptisms

In its most recent assault on religion in the public sphere, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, an atheist group, has issued a complaint against Russellville High School. [Read more]

The Day Jesus Redefined Marriage

This week in Nashville, folks from the Southern Baptist Convention have been gathering for the 2014 Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission National Conference. [Read more]

Why the Term ‘Biblical Marriage’ Is Misleading

While same-sex marriage is not endorsed in the Bible, neither is a loving, mutually agreed upon union of a man and woman. [Read more]

Yoga Recognized as ‘State Religion’ in School

“This school district has essentially adopted a state religion and is forcing it upon our young children by requiring this class to be taken,” said Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute. [Read more]

I’m a Muslim With a Beard—What’s So Scary About That?

Since growing some rather impressive facial hair I’ve noticed Muslims are more open to me, but others view me with suspicion. [Read more]

Can Religious Leaders Be a Source for Science Education?

A couple in southern California asked Daniel Somboonsiri one of the hardest questions he’s ever faced as a spiritual leader: Is it OK to use in vitro fertilization to design a desirable child? [Read more]

The Cognitive Science of Religion

Religion is a ubiquitous cultural phenomenon that has inspired and perplexed philosophers, psychologists, and social commentators for centuries. [Read more]

Creationism Conference at Michigan State Ties Hitler Policies to Evolution, Sparks Faculty Ire

Creation Summit executive director Mike Smith said he wants the conference to focus on the scientific evidence for creationism instead of religious doctrine. “We want to show the scientific evidence that shows intelligent design,” he said. [Read more]

Stop Celebrating the Pope’s Views on Evolution and the Big Bang. They Make No Sense

Evolution has been an accepted scientific fact since about 1870, roughly a decade after the theory was proposed by Darwin in 1859. And there are mountains of evidence supporting it. [Read more]

You Don’t Have to be an Atheist to Be An Authentic Progressive

Internationally, progressives want full recognition of human rights. Secularism is seen as the only way to achieve these ends, since institutional religions — fundamentally conservative and traditional — are reactionary, a protector of the status quo. [Read more]

Amazing: Pope Believes in Evolution and Says God Is Not a Magician

The pontiff admits he believes in evolution and the Big Bang, says science and religion can peacefully coexist. [Read more]

The FFRF, Dawkins, and I Criticize a Georgia Professor Who Teaches Creationism in a Public University

A team of us, including Richard Dawkins, Professor Ceiling Cat, and the FFRF, have gotten together to protest the religious proselytizing of a professor at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, Emerson T. McMullen. [Read more]

Rev. David Rives: Atoms Mentioned in the Bible

The actual title for it is Bible Knows Best: Atoms, the Dust of the World? The rev reveals the place in the bible where atoms are mentioned. [Read more]

Scientists Still Can’t Find UFOs, And They Should Stop Trying

Science is like oil drilling in that it sometimes hits dry holes or the reservoirs of insight run out. Plenty of promising theories prove dead wrong. [Read more]

Mind Maze: How Your Memory Deceives You

Even the people with the very best memories fall prey to false recollections. Last year, UC-Irvine memory researcher Lawrence Patihis studied people who have what researchers call highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM). [Read more]

James Woods Hopes to be First Open Atheist Elected to Congress

James Woods is running as a Democrat in Arizona, an area typically controlled by Republicans, and he is openly an atheist.

[Read more]