Less awareness of religious symbols, stories and lessons believed to be a sign of increased western secularism

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An Italian professor of organic chemistry (Luigi Garlaschelli) has found further proof that the Shroud of Turin is a fake.  He was funded by an Italian association of atheists and agnostics but said it had no effect on his results. “Money has no odour,” he said. “This was done scientifically. If the Church wants to fund me in the future, here I am.”

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Egypt’s highest Muslim authority has said he will issue a religious edict against the growing trend for full women’s veils, known as the niqab.

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Pakistani soldiers have been seen beating civilian prisoners, including the parents of Taliban suspects, in a ten minute video posted on Facebook.

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Stating that a watchful eye had to be kept to maintain communal harmony, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said that those who used religious symbols and forums to talk of violence, sectarianism and discord could not be called true to their religion.

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Pope Benedict has warned that a form of colonialism continues to blight Africa

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In case you missed the announcement, ShipofFools.com has published an “authoritative” list of the ten worst verses in the Bible.

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A Swedish family is seeking damages of nearly 30000 euros £27500 after a Protestant pastor performed a funeral service in an apparently drunk state the Church of Sweden said on Friday.

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A senior clergyman has blamed Jeremy Clarkson for driving away potential applicants to a church posting in the Black Country after the Top Gear presenter described the area as the worst place in the world.

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Raymond Lahey, an outspoken Catholic Bishop who rose though the scholarly and religious ranks to represent children who were abused in the 1950’s and 1960’s, now charged for possession of child pornography.

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New study of the brain shows that facts and beliefs are processed in exactly the same way.

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A preacher at a mosque in Greater Manchester has been convicted of slapping three boys because they were laughing when they were supposed to be reading the Koran.

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Mayors in several French towns say they are under pressure from Muslim residents to oppose the proposed ban on burqas and niqab veils - as they fear it will prompt even more women to cover up in defiance.

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A leading Muslim scholar in Egypt has called for the death penalty for those caught smuggling into the country a device which allows women to feign virginity.

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The new film from Ricky Gervais, The Invention of Lying, has been accused of being little more than atheist propaganda.

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Discussion of whether the Red Mass, which celebrates the legal profession, is being used to lobby the Supreme Court and the Obama Administration on abortion issues.

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WASHINGTON - The story of humankind is reaching back another million years with the discovery of “Ardi,” a hominid who lived 4.4 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia.

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A prominent Muslim cleric has criticised a new Saudi university launched by King Abdullah for allowing men and women to take classes together.

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