Archbishop says religion is getting stronger despite ‘coolness’ of atheism

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has said the growing popularity and ‘coolness’ of atheism has not led to a decrease in the number of those who describe themselves as religious.

The Archbishop’s statement comes before the much-anticipated October release of famed atheist Richard Dawkin’s new book, The Magic of Reality.

"I'd want to know how many atheists The God Delusion created," Williams insisted during a recent public conversation. "The book sold, but did it make a difference to the number of people who were actually committed one way or the other?"

"I'm not avoiding the point that the coolness of atheism is very much in evidence,” said the head of the Church of England. “The problem is it's become a bit of a vicious circle. Atheism is cool, so books about atheism are cool."

Williams added the publishing industry favoured books about atheism, while ignoring books that challenge them.

"They get a high profile, and books that say Richard Dawkins is wrong don't get the same kind of publicity because atheism is the new cool thing," he said. "It's difficult to break into that, but plenty of people are trying."

The archbishop used the findings of a survey conducted by Opinion Research Business (ORB) to back his argument. The survey discovered that the number of atheists has fallen from 18 percent to 16 percent, despite the popularity of prominent atheist writers like Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.

Google cuts churches from nonprofit programme

The search and software giant Google has long offered its office software and Gmail for free or discounted use to qualifying nonprofits. While eligibility requirements varied by products, the discount was open to all nonprofit groups.

Now Google has launched “Google for Nonprofits,” which unites an exciting set of tools in one programme, but also excludes some nonprofits including churches, schools, political thinktanks, proselytizing groups, and any group that use religion or sexual orientation as a consideration in hiring decisions.

Lloyd Mayer, a professor at Notre Dame Law School says that Google is "trying to avoid anything that would reflect negatively on them" by avoiding potentially polarizing causes that might alienate customers.

This is similar to the decision taken earlier this year by Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, who withdrew as the keynote speaker from the Willow Creek Leadership Summit because of a threatened protest by gay-rights groups who claim the church behind the summit is anti-gay. This charge that was strenuously denied by the church in question.

Televangelist tells man to leave wife with Alzheimer’s

Conservative televangelist Pat Robertson has issued more than his fair share of controversial statements over the years, including asserting that the September 11 terrorist attacks were God's punishment because America tolerates abortion and homosexuality. However, Robertson’s latest controversial statement seems to have offended even his most faithful conservative followers as he recently urged a man to leave his wife who was suffering with Alzheimer’s, reports the LA Times.

Robertson was hosting his "700 Club" program on Christian Broadcast Network when a caller asked about a friend who had begun dating other women while his wife lies seriously ill with Alzheimer's, and is justifying it by saying that "his wife, as he knows her, is gone."

Robertson told the caller he agrees with his friend: "What he says basically is correct. I know it sounds cruel, but if he's going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again, but make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after her."

Robertson’s co-host seemed shocked by this point of view and mentioned it violated the marriage vows - "till death us do part." Robertson responded saying that Alzheimer's "is a kind of death" and added, "I certainly wouldn't put a guilt trip on you" for choosing divorce in such a scenario.

Since his comments Robertson has been roundly criticised by other Christians on social networks.

On Twitter, Walter Price, who identifies himself as a pastor, said: "Pat Robertson is WRONG on his alzheimers statement. Un-Christlike; unbiblical; dead wrong! So sad!"

Another well-known conservative pastor, John Piper, of Desiring God Ministries, also commented on Twitter, writing, "Pat Robertson's view of how Christ loves the church and gives himself for her. Leave her for another."

And Russell D. Moore, dean of the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., wrote in an article at Baptist Press News,  "This is more than an embarrassment. This is more than cruelty. This is a repudiation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

The LA Times reports that Robertson refused an interview request with them in connection with this incident.

Habitat for Humanity urges governments to improve housing conditions

Habit for Humanity has urged the public to support their call to governments around the world to focus on improve housing conditions.

Following a recent report linking inadequate housing to serious ill health, the charity believes housing should become a priority for all governments.

The World Health Organisation’s report showed that inadequate housing is responsible for more than 100,000 annual deaths in Europe alone, while perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty.

The health consequences of poor housing include cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, physical injury, stress and depression, lung cancer, lead poisoning, infections, allergic symptoms and food poisoning.

Habitat for Humanity’s Fundraising Director Mark Collyns shared the example of a Cambodian woman.

"She is HIV positive and living in a home that is infested with woodworm and on the brink of collapse, without access to clean water, sanitation or electricity," he said.

"When it rains the roof leaks and she gets wet and cold. In the rainy season she and her family catch Dengue fever, and in the hot season they suffer from stomach complaints and diarrhoea.

"When she is ill she cannot work. The medicines the family needs are expensive and so the cycle perpetuates.

“The home is absolutely vital to human development and it should be a safe, healthy place.”

Habitat for Humanity works on with families on housing projects in 80 different countries.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial to be officially dedicated

Following a postponement due to Hurricane Irene, a new date has been set for the official unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The dedication ceremony will now take place on the National Mall on Oct. 16, reports The Associated Press.

The original dedication was planned to coincide with the 48th anniversary of King's "I Have A Dream" speech on Aug. 28, but organizers had safety concerns due to the high winds and rains from Irene.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He became an iconic figure for his insistence on non-violent methods of resistance and his brilliant oratory.

The 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner is depicted with a stern gaze and crossed arms in the 30-foot memorial. On each side of the statue quotations from King's writings and speeches are inscribed.

King was murdered in 1968 in Memphis, Tenn., and will be the first non-white person to be honored with a memorial on the National Mall. It sits alongside monuments to Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. President Barack Obama will speak at the event.

Thousands of people have already visited the site, many of whom have been deeply affected.

"I feel like crying, but I don't want to," Jeffrey Tyler, a 16-year-old student at Cleveland's Lincoln West High School, informed the AP after viewing the memorial on Aug. 28.

"To see a black man up there, it made me feel really proud of myself," he added.

‘Super-Earths’ discovered by astronomers

European astronomers announced on Monday the discovery of 50 new planets, including 16 ‘Super-Earths,’ one of which they believe may be habitable.

The astronomers were using the High Accuracy Radical velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) telescope in Chile to make these discoveries. HARPS has assisted astronomers in discovering 150 new planets over the last eight years.

The astronomers were particularly excited about the Super-Earths, which are bigger than our planet, but not as large as “ice giant” planets like Neptune. One of these worlds, HD 85512 b, has a mass of approximately 3.6 times that of the earth. That planet rotates close enough to its star that liquid water, which is considered essential for life, may be present.

“The detection of HD 85512 b is far from the limit of HARPS and demonstrates the possibility of discovering other super-earths in the habitable zones around stars similar to the Sun,” says Michel Mayor, the leader of the HARPS team, who is based at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.

HD 85512 b is about 35 light-years away in the constellation of Vela. The temperature on the planet is estimated to be around 25 degrees Celcius, although it is believed to be extremely humid, which will push temperatures up to around 49 degrees Celcius.

(For the original article, go to www.mashable.com).

British MP wants to force churches to perform same-sex unions

A British Parliamentarian has called upon his government to ban Christian churches from performing marriage ceremonies if they refuse to perform same-sex unions.

The Conservative MP for Hove, Mike Weatherley, recently wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron insisting, “As long as religious groups can refuse to preside over ceremonies for same-sex couples, there will be inequality.”

Same-sex unions were legalized in 2004 in Britain but Churches were not compelled to marry couples if it did not fit in with their beliefs. Weatherley wrote that this law only acted as an “uneasy truce between those wishing to preserve the religious significance of marriage and those fighting for equality.”

Weatherley’s constituency includes many same-sex households, which makes him “increasingly concerned about the inequality which exists between the unions of same-sex couples and those of opposite-sex couples in this country.”

Weatherley wants the law to compel churches to register civil partnerships along the same lines of an earlier set of laws that compelled 11 Catholic adoption agencies to provide adoption services for same-sex couples.

Weatherley argued that until “we untangle” marriage and “religion in this country, we will struggle to find a fair arrangement.”