"Can a Scientist believe in God?" Debate Event
Thursday, 9 February 2012 from 18:00 to 21:00 (ET) OISE, Toronto, Ontario
This February, Power to Change (otherwise known as Campus Crusade for Christ, I think - be aware)
will be hosting a debate on the topic of Science in regards to its applicability within a Christian worldview as well as a naturalistic one. It is going to be an exciting opportunity for anyone who considers themselves a freethinker to see the scheduled debaters argue how best to include science under their respective frameworks. There will be a $2 entrance fee.
Arguing from the Christian position is Christian apologist Kirk Durston. His Ph.D. (Biophysics) was completed at the University of Guelph, specializing in the identification, quantification, and application of functional information to protein structure. His M.A. (Philosophy) was completed at the University of Manitoba, specializing in the problem of evil. He has publications in journals of philosophy and of science. If you would like a more complete bio, please click on the link http://www.newscholars.com/staff.html
Arguing from the naturalistic position is Dr. James Robert Brown, professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto. Dr. Brown has published eight books on the topic of science and philosophy in addition to having published a number of articles in various scientific and philosophy journals. He received his B.A and M.A at Guelph University and earned his Ph.D at the university of Western Ontario. If you would like a more complete bio, please click on the link http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~jrbrown/
If you are theist (Christian or not) please come and have your faith intellectually examined as well as strengthened by the expectantly well thought out arguments to be put forward by Dr. Durston. If you are not quite sure what you believe but desire to learn more on the subject, this will the perfect opportunity to have a well proportioned explanation of two well regarded paradigms of thought. If you are a firm Atheist with a love for science, don't shy away from this chance to hear the best arguments from a well versed professional in areas of scientific and philosophic naturalism as well as have those views challenged by quite a capable apologist.
Thursday
Friday
Harper attacks legality of same sex marriage
Despite legal about-face, Harper has ‘no intention’ of reopening same-sex marriage - The Globe and Mail
The Harper government has served notice that thousands of same-sex couples who flocked to Canada from abroad since 2004 to get married are not legally wed.
But speaking in Halifax Thursday, the Prime Minister said the issue was not on the agenda for his majority Conservatives. “We have no intention of further re-opening or opening this issue,” Stephen Harper told reporters when asked about The Globe and Mail’s report.
The reversal of federal policy is revealed in a document filed in a Toronto test case launched recently by a lesbian couple seeking a divorce. Wed in Toronto in 2005, the couple have been told they cannot divorce because they were never really married – a Department of Justice lawyer says their marriage is not legal in Canada since they could not have lawfully wed in Florida or England, where the two partners reside.
“In terms of the specifics of the story this morning, I will admit to you that I am not aware of the details,” Mr. Harper said. “This I gather is a case before the courts where Canadian lawyers have taken a particular position based on the law and I will be asking officials to provide me more details”
The government’s hard line has cast sudden doubt on the rights and legal status of couples who wed in Canada after a series of court decisions opened the floodgates to same-sex marriage. The mechanics of determining issues such as tax status, employment benefits and immigration have been thrown into legal limbo.
The Harper government has served notice that thousands of same-sex couples who flocked to Canada from abroad since 2004 to get married are not legally wed.
But speaking in Halifax Thursday, the Prime Minister said the issue was not on the agenda for his majority Conservatives. “We have no intention of further re-opening or opening this issue,” Stephen Harper told reporters when asked about The Globe and Mail’s report.
The reversal of federal policy is revealed in a document filed in a Toronto test case launched recently by a lesbian couple seeking a divorce. Wed in Toronto in 2005, the couple have been told they cannot divorce because they were never really married – a Department of Justice lawyer says their marriage is not legal in Canada since they could not have lawfully wed in Florida or England, where the two partners reside.
“In terms of the specifics of the story this morning, I will admit to you that I am not aware of the details,” Mr. Harper said. “This I gather is a case before the courts where Canadian lawyers have taken a particular position based on the law and I will be asking officials to provide me more details”
The government’s hard line has cast sudden doubt on the rights and legal status of couples who wed in Canada after a series of court decisions opened the floodgates to same-sex marriage. The mechanics of determining issues such as tax status, employment benefits and immigration have been thrown into legal limbo.
Wednesday
Write for Rights: Your help is needed to close Guantanamo
Write for Rights: Your help is needed to close Guantanamo
Your voice is urgently needed to end human rights abuses at the notorious detention centre at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Like you, we can't believe it's still open, still making a mockery of human rights.
You’ve probably seen the headlines: shocking human rights concerns including torture, arbitrary detention, secret detention, ill-treatment, renditions and unfair trials.
It's so important that you sign the petition. Ten years on from those first detainees arriving in the aftermath of 9/11, more than 150 people still remain in captivity. Most are in indefinite detention without charge or trial.
President Obama has already broken his promise to close Guantánamo, and he recently signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which allows horrific detention provisions. The US government needs to meet its human rights obligations. Ten years is simply too long – your voice is needed to end a decade of damage to human rights.
Will you sign our petition today? We will deliver it to President Obama before his 2012 State of the Union address.
Human Rights and Wrongs Jan 13 2012
Human Rights and Wrongs Jan 13 2012
Human rights and wrongs:
Religion and creed in the public sphere
1:30 – 2:30 pm
Fri Jan 13, 2012
U of T Multi-Faith Centre
569 Spadina Ave
For Directions http://www.multifaith.utoronto.ca/Contact-Us--Book-Space.htm#Directions
Contesting the boundaries for the expression and accommodation of religious/creed belief and practice in the public sphere with:
Prof. Richard Moon, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor, past President of the Canadian Law and Society Association.
Prof. Iain Benson, Senior Associate Counsel with the Litigation Practice Group and Senior Research Fellow with the Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of religion and Public Life, University of Alberta.
Religion and creed in the public sphere
1:30 – 2:30 pm
Fri Jan 13, 2012
U of T Multi-Faith Centre
569 Spadina Ave
For Directions http://www.multifaith.utoronto.ca/Contact-Us--Book-Space.htm#Directions
Contesting the boundaries for the expression and accommodation of religious/creed belief and practice in the public sphere with:
Prof. Richard Moon, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor, past President of the Canadian Law and Society Association.
Prof. Iain Benson, Senior Associate Counsel with the Litigation Practice Group and Senior Research Fellow with the Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of religion and Public Life, University of Alberta.
Human Rights, Religion, and the Law
Human Rights, Religion, and the Law
All are welcome to join an engaging evening exploring whether religion can be defined in law and the Canadian social and historical trends that inform our understanding of law, religion and human rights.
When: Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Refreshments at 6:30 pm
Lecture at 7:30 pm
Where: U of T Multi-Faith Centre
1st Floor Auditorium
569 Spadina Ave
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2J7
Directions
https://www.multifaith.utoronto.ca/Contact-Us--Book-Space.htm#Directions
With
Winnifred Sullivan, Director of the Law, Religion and Culture Program, University of Buffalo, the State University of New York, &
David Seljak, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, University of Waterloo.
Opening remarks by Barbara Hall, Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and Pamela Klassen, Director of the Religion in the Public Sphere program in the Department of the Study of Religion, University of Toronto.
All are welcome to join an engaging evening exploring whether religion can be defined in law and the Canadian social and historical trends that inform our understanding of law, religion and human rights.
When: Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Refreshments at 6:30 pm
Lecture at 7:30 pm
Where: U of T Multi-Faith Centre
1st Floor Auditorium
569 Spadina Ave
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2J7
Directions
https://www.multifaith.utoronto.ca/Contact-Us--Book-Space.htm#Directions
With
Winnifred Sullivan, Director of the Law, Religion and Culture Program, University of Buffalo, the State University of New York, &
David Seljak, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, University of Waterloo.
Opening remarks by Barbara Hall, Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and Pamela Klassen, Director of the Religion in the Public Sphere program in the Department of the Study of Religion, University of Toronto.
A Touch of Spring for LGBT Arabs
A Touch of Spring for LGBT Arabs - IPS ipsnews.net
By Simba Shani Kamaria Russeau
CAIRO, Jan 11, 2012 (IPS) - With a yearning for human rights playing a vital role in the Arab revolts; putting an end to discriminatory LGBT laws may determine how the future democratic process unfolds..."On the other hand, social anxiety brought about by homosexuality is not all that different from conservative fears that arise from the promotion of women’s rights and freedoms."
"As a gay Arab, I feel represented in these protests in every way and I'm confident that one day there will be a gay rights movement sweeping the Arab streets," 22-year-old Egyptian biology student, Khaled tells IPS. "But to get there we have to achieve other levels of freedom such as transparent governments and building institutions where no human rights crime will go unpunished.
"Religion and certain traditions still play a major role amongst the protesters and once new governments are formed I believe that the issue of gay rights will continue to be unacceptable and we’ll need a hundred more revolutions to at least be able to discuss the issue openly."
In the past, governments have used homosexuality as an excuse to maintain a conservative society.
"Sexuality has always been a politically tense battlefield. On the one hand, one of the more common accusations leveled at local groups working towards the rights of LGBT persons to discredit them is that they are Western cultural imports, or harbingers of Western imperialism," says Moumneh.
"On the other hand, social anxiety brought about by homosexuality is not all that different from conservative fears that arise from the promotion of women’s rights and freedoms."
After many years of oppression under authoritarian regimes, Islamists have emerged as a major force that could shape the region’s future.
Following the ouster of long-time Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and the al-Nour party are leading in the third round of Egypt's parliamentary elections.
The moderate Ennahda party, which dominated October's historic elections in Tunisia, is now poised to form an interim government and write the new constitution. In Morocco, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) became the first Islamist party to run the Arab world's oldest monarchy after garnering the most seats in last November's elections. However, the fact that the pro-democracy movements were led by Arab youth has lessened a fear that progress towards human rights and democracy will be halted with the rise of Islamists.
"Repression of Arab LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) individuals under previous regimes no doubt existed. Having a non-Islamist government is no guarantee against the persecution of individuals for sexual and gender non-conformity," Middle East and North Africa researcher for the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) Rasha Moumneh tells IPS.
"However, the fear over what is being called an Islamist 'takeover' completely ignores what is actually happening on the ground. The Tunisians had free and fair elections for the first time in decades. In Egypt, the primary concern is the abhorrent behaviour of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and not the Islamists."
In most countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), homosexuality is a criminal offence.
Sodomy laws such as Tunisia's penal code article 230 criminalise same-sex acts for both men and women with a punishment of up to three years imprisonment.
Although Egyptian law does not criminalise homosexuality, authorities use a 1961 law on the Combat of Prostitution, which carries a custodial sentence of between three months to three years in prison and is tried in criminal rather than state security courts.
In the Queen Boat arrests in Egypt in 2001, 52 men were arrested at a club and charged with debauchery and blasphemy. The torture they suffered in detention under the Mubarak regime was well documented by human rights groups.
In the past, governments have used homosexuality as an excuse to maintain a conservative society.
"Sexuality has always been a politically tense battlefield. On the one hand, one of the more common accusations leveled at local groups working towards the rights of LGBT persons to discredit them is that they are Western cultural imports, or harbingers of Western imperialism," says Moumneh.
"On the other hand, social anxiety brought about by homosexuality is not all that different from conservative fears that arise from the promotion of women’s rights and freedoms."
By Simba Shani Kamaria Russeau
CAIRO, Jan 11, 2012 (IPS) - With a yearning for human rights playing a vital role in the Arab revolts; putting an end to discriminatory LGBT laws may determine how the future democratic process unfolds..."On the other hand, social anxiety brought about by homosexuality is not all that different from conservative fears that arise from the promotion of women’s rights and freedoms."
"As a gay Arab, I feel represented in these protests in every way and I'm confident that one day there will be a gay rights movement sweeping the Arab streets," 22-year-old Egyptian biology student, Khaled tells IPS. "But to get there we have to achieve other levels of freedom such as transparent governments and building institutions where no human rights crime will go unpunished.
"Religion and certain traditions still play a major role amongst the protesters and once new governments are formed I believe that the issue of gay rights will continue to be unacceptable and we’ll need a hundred more revolutions to at least be able to discuss the issue openly."
In the past, governments have used homosexuality as an excuse to maintain a conservative society.
"Sexuality has always been a politically tense battlefield. On the one hand, one of the more common accusations leveled at local groups working towards the rights of LGBT persons to discredit them is that they are Western cultural imports, or harbingers of Western imperialism," says Moumneh.
"On the other hand, social anxiety brought about by homosexuality is not all that different from conservative fears that arise from the promotion of women’s rights and freedoms."
After many years of oppression under authoritarian regimes, Islamists have emerged as a major force that could shape the region’s future.
Following the ouster of long-time Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and the al-Nour party are leading in the third round of Egypt's parliamentary elections.
The moderate Ennahda party, which dominated October's historic elections in Tunisia, is now poised to form an interim government and write the new constitution. In Morocco, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) became the first Islamist party to run the Arab world's oldest monarchy after garnering the most seats in last November's elections. However, the fact that the pro-democracy movements were led by Arab youth has lessened a fear that progress towards human rights and democracy will be halted with the rise of Islamists.
"Repression of Arab LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) individuals under previous regimes no doubt existed. Having a non-Islamist government is no guarantee against the persecution of individuals for sexual and gender non-conformity," Middle East and North Africa researcher for the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) Rasha Moumneh tells IPS.
"However, the fear over what is being called an Islamist 'takeover' completely ignores what is actually happening on the ground. The Tunisians had free and fair elections for the first time in decades. In Egypt, the primary concern is the abhorrent behaviour of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and not the Islamists."
In most countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), homosexuality is a criminal offence.
Sodomy laws such as Tunisia's penal code article 230 criminalise same-sex acts for both men and women with a punishment of up to three years imprisonment.
Although Egyptian law does not criminalise homosexuality, authorities use a 1961 law on the Combat of Prostitution, which carries a custodial sentence of between three months to three years in prison and is tried in criminal rather than state security courts.
In the Queen Boat arrests in Egypt in 2001, 52 men were arrested at a club and charged with debauchery and blasphemy. The torture they suffered in detention under the Mubarak regime was well documented by human rights groups.
In the past, governments have used homosexuality as an excuse to maintain a conservative society.
"Sexuality has always been a politically tense battlefield. On the one hand, one of the more common accusations leveled at local groups working towards the rights of LGBT persons to discredit them is that they are Western cultural imports, or harbingers of Western imperialism," says Moumneh.
"On the other hand, social anxiety brought about by homosexuality is not all that different from conservative fears that arise from the promotion of women’s rights and freedoms."
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