Mark Turner was born and raised as a Catholic in the North East of England, UK. He attended two Catholic schools between the ages of five and sixteen. A product of a moderate Catholic upbringing and an early passion for science first resulted in religious apathy and by mid-teens outright disbelief.
@markdturner
The election in November between President Obama and Mitt Romney could have important consequences for the peace process. I believe that the uncertainty over who will win the election could and perhaps should convince the Palestinians that it would be in their own best interest to restart the peace process as soon as possible. Those are the words of World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder. This thinly veiled threat comes ahead of Mitt Romney’s planned visit to Israel to meet with… Read more
A couple of weeks ago, I posted an update to the story of Sanal Edamaruku, head of the Indian based Rationalist International, who has been forced into hiding in Finland. In case you forgot, Sanal had debunked a supposed “miracle” at a Catholic church in Mumbai and faced arrest for “deliberately hurting religious feelings.” Sanal has said repeatedly that he would welcome being charged and put on trial as it would be a chance to put some of his accusers and… Read more
According to that great bastion of honest and impartial reporting, FOX News has revealed that 66 Republicans have signed a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta alleging that the U.S. Air Force is “hostile” to religion. The letter cites several incidents which they claims shows that the Air Force is taking separation of church and state “too far” — how you can take such a concept too far is a little beyond me… The letter accuses the Air Force of bowing to pressure from… Read more
Just a quick update with some better news about Sanal Edamaruku, the Indian skeptic who faces jail time for exposing a “miracle.” After being repeatedly asked to turn himself in to the nearest police station, Sanal has decided to whisk himself off to Finland and he is currently staying in Helsinki while he appeals the decision not to grant him “anticipatory bail” (which would keep him in jail until his trial). This means the threat of arrest and imprisonment has gone for… Read more
Way back in March of this year, the President of the Indian-based skeptic organization, Rationalist International, was invited by an Indian TV channel (TV-9) to visit the Church of Our Lady of Velankanni in Vile Parle, Mumbai to offer his opinion on a supposed miracle. The President, Sanal Edamaruku, is like the Indian version of James Randi or Penn Jillette. He is well known in the country and has been debunking miracles for over 30 years. The miracle in question… Read more
