Laypeople to decide death penalty in Japan

Starting next May, jury duty in Japan will become an even heavier responsibility, as the country's new "lay-judge" program will sometimes empower ordinary citizens to deliver death sentences.The ethics of the death penalty aside, I find it fascinating--and terrible,...

Freethought Society Mocks Christmas Tree Tradition

A Tree of KnowledgeAtheists in Philadelphia have apparently chosen Christmas time to start their own tradition of putting up a cut pine tree…only instead of Christmas decorations, the tree is adorned with book covers.The Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia's ‘A...

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