A group of churches in Oxford is hosting a conference to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of scientist Charles Darwin.The event also commemorates the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal book the Origin of Species, on the theory of evolution.Organiser reverend Tim Stead said it wanted to explore the relationship between science and religion.He said evolution was one of the “most influential scientific ideas ever”.The conference is aimed at “exploring Darwin’s contribution to our world view”.Reverend Tim Stead said: “It impacts on our entire understanding of the world.”One of our aims in holding this conference is to go some way towards redressing the impression that some of the general public have that Christians are anti-science and anti-Darwin.”Mr Stead said many Christians wanted to celebrate Darwin’s huge contribution to their world view.”This is a chance to set the record straight and to explore how it is possible for faith to sit alongside Darwin’s views,” he said.”Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is one of the most influential scientific ideas ever conceived.”

A recent disclosure that the Obama administration transition team met representatives of the atheist Secular Coalition for America to plot political strategy has prompted the national advocacy group In God We Trust to fight back. Today the organization’s national chairman announced an unprecedented $1 million campaign to oppose attempts by the administration and Congress to curtail religious freedom and whitewash America’s religious heritage.

It’s akin to the Liddy Dole ad, and the uproar over the bus ads in DC. We are just being a part of the process, as is our right — a right that has been denied us in the past, and the religious right is terrified.These people HATE not being the monopoly. They HATE us having a voice, and they HATE being our equal under the law. They are running on fear and hate now, which is why they are raising money — for what? Because we met with the Obama camp LIKE THEY DID? What are they going to do with the money — stop us from having a place at the table? How is that going to work, exactly? Answer: it won’t.They are just using this to raise money for their own pockets, which is what religion does anyway. It’s religion’s mantra: Fear and Hate leads to money and power.Didn’t somewhere, someone say something about treating others as you would like to be treated? All we have now is a place at the table. Just like them.

WASHINGTON (Feb. 5) – Declaring that “there is a force for good greater than government,” President Barack Obama on Thursday established a White House office of faith-based initiatives with a broader mission than the one overseen by his Republican predecessor.Obama said the new office, which he created by executive order, would reach out to organizations that provide help “no matter their religious or political beliefs.“Obama said the office would work with nonprofit organizations “both secular and faith-based” and would help them determine how to make a bigger impact in their cities, learn their obligations under the law and cut through government red tape.Obama said the top priority of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships will be “making community groups an integral part of our economy recovery and poverty a burden fewer have to bear when recovery is complete.”To lead the office, Obama appointed Joshua DuBois, a 26-year-old Pentecostal minister who headed religious outreach for Obama’s Senate office and his presidential campaign. He also named 25 religious and secular leaders to a new advisory board.”The big picture is that President Obama believes faith-based and smaller secular neighborhood organizations can play a role in American renewal. They can work with the federal government to address big problems,” DuBois said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We’re also going to make sure we have a keener eye toward the separation of church and state.”…Obama’s order expanded and redefined a similar office established by President George W. Bush. Focused primarily on faith-based initiatives, the Bush office sparked constitutional questions about whether the separation of church and state would be preserved, particularly if groups receiving tax dollars sought to hire on the basis of religion.Before signing the order at the White House, Obama told the annual National Prayer Breakfast that the program would not show favoritism to any religious group and would adhere to a strict separation of church and state….”I had a father who was born a Muslim but became an atheist, grandparents who were non-practicing Methodists and Baptists, and a mother who was skeptical of organized religion, even as she was the kindest, most spiritual person I’ve ever known. She was the one who taught me as a child to love, and to understand, and to do unto others as I would want done,” he said.

This, in effect, is exactly what I had hoped for. He is disbanding the FBI as Bush knew it, and replacing it with an initiative to allow non-profit groups to be paid by the government to do charity work. He has placed protections in for separation of crutch and state (originally that was a typo but I’m intentionally leaving it there), forbidden religion-based hiring and firing with federal funds, and he called his father an atheist at a prayer breakfast. I’m starting to really like this guy.

Senator DeMint’s amendment to strip constitutional protections from the Economic Recovery Package has FAILED in the Senate, by a vote of 43-54. This is an enormous church-state VICTORY!The U.S. Senate has not voted on a church-state issue like this in many, many years. What happened today was not an ordinary occurrence. Yet thanks to the letters sent by constituents like you, and the hard work of Americans United staff and our allies, we were able to bring down this unnecessary and unconstitutional amendment. THANK YOU for your commitment to church-state separation and your willingness to take action on a short time frame! We hope that you are as excited as we are about this major win. Today’s vote was a reminder that religious liberty issues continue to be contentious and relevant – in the 111th Congress, in state legislatures, and in your communities.

The above quote from the AU notes that an amendment to the stimulus package which would have allowed Federal money to go to rebuilding churches was defeated in the Senate today. They are right, this is a good sign. There are still plenty of earmarks we’re watching, including “Compassionate Care”. These are busy days for Atheist activists.

The Russian Orthodox Church has backed a campaign to run on London buses proclaiming “There Is a God,” to counter ads run by atheists that had the headline, “There’s Probably No God.”News service Ria Novosti reported that CBS Outdoor has the contract to run the ads, which will be funded by Alexander Korobko, the head of the London-based Russian Hour satellite TV channel. His ads will say: “There is a God. Don’t Worry. Enjoy your life!”The pro-God (pictured) ads raise the prospect that the Russian campaign will be forced by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority to alter its message, to “There Is Probably a God,” which is the converse of what the atheists were forced to do. (Their campaign originally stated “There Is No God; Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”)

Yes, there ‘probably’ is a god. Fair is fair. You need to put your own doubt on every bus, for all to see and discuss. Good church. Gooood…