According to the L.A. Times, the first episode of Cosmos, a Spacetime Odyssey, drew 5.8 million viewers on Fox last night. Not horrible, but hardly a, um, stellar performance. Read more
Just wait till you see how God’s Plan works… If there really is a Plan, then God is one wicked character. Thankfully, there isn’t, and we’re all better off because of that. (via Pie Comic and Exploring Our Matrix) Read more
Yes, how dare Western moviemakers try to provoke moviegoers’ emotions! The Darren Aronofsky-produced “Noah,” with its depiction of the divinely inspired deluge and the building of an ark that saves surviving species, is the target of a fatwa issued by Al Azhar, a leading Sunni Muslim institution. Read more
You can understand why some Christians would feel threatened by the attention given to atheism over the past several years. Atheist authors tend to spawn headlines with every book and we’re quick to respond when religion is found at the scene of societal ills. In True Reason: Confronting the Irrationality of the New Atheism, edited by Tom Gilson and Carson Weitnauer, a group of Christian writers attempt to refute some of the popular claims made by popular atheists. In the excerpt below, apologist Sean McDowell answers the question: “Are Science and Christianity at odds?” (Note: Normally, I don’t post excerpts from Christian books — certainly ones that contain ideas I strongly disagree with — but I thought I would make an exception in this case because the editors have agreed to read your comments and respond to them at a later date.) Read more
You might know the Irish actor Chris O’Dowd from the TV series The IT Crowd and various movies, including This is 40 and Gulliver’s Travels. On his side of the Atlantic, actors who are atheists, like O’Dowd and Daniel Radcliffe, appear to be able to speak their minds with less caution and equivocation than their American counterparts, such as Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Consider these remarks O’Dowd made to GQ in the U.K.: Read more
When Michael McCracken and his wife wanted to donate $12,500 to Purdue University’s School of Mechanical Engineering, he asked for a plaque honoring his parents to be installed outside one of the conference rooms: To those who seek to better the world through the understanding of God’s physical laws and innovation of practical solutions. In honor of Dr. William ‘Ed’ and Glenda McCracken. Purdue, as a public institution, didn’t want to appear to be endorsing religion (or open the door to other donors making similar demands, I figure), so they said they couldn’t accept the dedication as written. So McCracken did what any generous donor would do: He threatened to sue, making sure the school’s legal costs would undo any money he ever gave them. Read more
So far, Hank Campbell, the founder of the Science 2.0 website, is not too impressed with ‘Cosmos,’ the 13-part documentary presented by Neil deGrasse Tyson and executive-produced by Seth MacFarlane that launched last night. Read more
After hearing the homophobic version of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ hit “Same Love” by Christian rapper Bizzle, YouTuber Jaclyn Glenn decided to sing her own version of his song (NSFW lyrics): Read more
