Skeptic: Promoting Science and Critical Thinking

Think 2012 hype is no big deal? Teenager who feared the world was about to end | This is Bath The parents of a teenager who hanged herself because she feared the world would end in 2012 have spoken of their torment – and of how they plan to honour her memory by completing a [...]

Psychiatrist who championed ‘gay cure’ admits he was wrong | The Observer. Dr Robert Spitzer apologises for ‘fatally flawed’ study, published in 2001, which claimed gay people could be ‘cured’ if properly motivated. One of the most influential figures in modern psychiatry has apologised to America’s gays for a scientific study which supported attempts to… more

FBI: Central Florida evangelist molested girls. An Ormond Beach minister who is called “Apostle Tito” by his followers has been arrested for sexually molesting several children who are members of his religious organization. Luis Morales is being held in federal custody without bond following an arraignment in federal court Thursday afternoon. According to federal prosecutors, [...]

Faith-healing parents acquitted of murder charge. A faith-healing Washington couple accused of being criminally responsible for their teenage son’s death for failing to call a doctor have been acquitted of second-degree murder charges. Zachery Swezey was 17 when he died at his Carlton home of a ruptured appendix in March 2009. Jurors were told the… more

Pizza Shop Owner Spots Angel In Security Camera Footage The owner of a pizza shop in Bloomfield believes the security camera outside his store picked up the image of an angel. Bob Usner, from Adrian’s Pizza on Pearl Street, was checking video from overnight when he found the shot of the parking lot taken around [...]

Fortune tellers OK’d in Selma Selma has lifted its unconstitutional ban on fortune tellers. The city also is taking steps to regulate how fortune telling businesses operate. The Selma City Council accomplished both things at an emotion-packed meeting Monday night. A standing-room-only crowd listened as speakers voiced two different views of fortune telling. A majority… more

Satanic cult blamed for beheaded horse on beach. Fears are growing that a Satanic cult may be behind a spate of animal sacrifices. They were sparked after a beheaded horse was found on a beach along with a driftwood cross and a dead seagull on its corpse. The grisly scene had “Rest In Peace” scrawled… more

Mother, ‘spiritual father’ convicted in faith-healing case but questions remain. Ten years after a 15-year-old Loudon County girl died from a rare form of bone cancer, two questions that have dogged the case from the start remain unanswered. When, under Tennessee law, can a parent rely on God — not medicine — to heal a… more

Ephren Taylor Accused of $11 Million Christian Ponzi Scheme by SEC We’re going to show you how to get wealth and use it for the building of his kingdom,” Taylor shouted to the congregation one morning in 2009. It was all part of what he called his “Building Wealth Tour,” which crisscrossed the country touting… more

Growing in Grace International erects billboards in Toronto ahead of ‘transformation’. Doris Rosado watches her teenage daughters, Ninette and Kiara Mongrut, get the numbers “666” tattooed on their wrists, beaming with pride. The number typically conjures up biblical symbolism tied to the Antichrist, but this St. Catharines, Ont., family belongs to a obscure Christian sect… more