A state House bill that would add "a new section relating to teacher academic freedom to teach scientific evidence regarding evolution" was introduced last week and sponsored by Republican Representative Robert Wayne Cooper. According to the National Center for Science Education, Cooper has previously introduced two bills that called for equal time for "intelligent design" in public school classrooms, as well as one that required a "critical analysis" of evolution "be taught in a substantive amount." (All of those bills failed.) The new bill would allow teachers to help students understand "the scientific strengths and weaknesses of theories of biological and chemical evolution." School administrators, the bill states, should "create an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that encourages students to explore scientific questions, learn about scientific evidence, develop critical thinking skills, and respond appropriately and respectfully to differences of opinion about controversial issues, including such subjects as the teaching of biological and chemical evolution," and "assist teachers to find more effective ways to present the science curriculum where it addresses scientific controversies." (Keep in mind that evolution is not a point of controversy or debate in the scientific community.) —Heather Wax

Not able to attend the upcoming "Open and Relational Theology Engaging Science" seminar at Azusa Pacific University next weekend? Thanks to Open Theology's YouTube channel, you can still watch some of the biggest names in science and religion discuss and debate this new field of research. The channel contains free, full-length lectures from scholars like the Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne (at last summer's open theology conference in the clip above) and theologian Clark Pinnock. More videos will be posted on the channel in the coming weeks, so check back regularly. —Stephen Mapes

According to Reuters FaithWorld blog, the Evangelical Church in Germany (which is actually a federation of Protestant churches) has published a 22-page booklet called "The Origin of the World, the Theory of Evolution and the Belief in Creation in School," which essentially calls on teachers to not advocate creationism or "intelligent design" in the classroom. Tom Heneghan, who wrote the post and translates some of the booklet, says that there are a number of pages that discuss the relationship between science and religion—in the hope of "setting limits to both sides"—and that biblical literal creationism is called "unserious." The booklet also criticizes the new atheists, he says; while the church believes science explains the physical and natural world, it sees room for the creation story in exploring the ultimate purpose of life. "God the creator is part of this belief, but not creationism," Heneghan translates from the booklet. "So Protestant religion class," which are offered in public schools, "can discuss creationism," the booklet says, "but not advocate it." —Heather Wax

A group of scientists and theologians are getting ready to meet for the "Open and Relational Theology Engaging Science" seminar at Azusa Pacific University in California, where they hope to create a new field of science-and-religion research centering around "open theology." Open theology is based on the belief that the future is open and that God does not fully know the details of what will happen. To that end, God and everything else in the universe continue to influence each other. Seminar participants will present new papers on open theology and science, and keynote speaker Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, will give a talk based on his book The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. —Heather Wax

Ted Turner's United Nations Foundation has joined forces with The People of the United Methodist Church and Lutheran World Relief to launch a 200 million dollar health program to fight malaria in Africa. Turner, the founder the CNN, has made some disparaging remarks about religion in the past, but says his thinking on religion has developed, and he now regrets his negative comments. "Religion is one of the bright spots as far as I'm concerned, even though there are some areas, like everything else, where they've gone over the top a little," Turner said at a news conference announcing the initiative. "But I'm sure God, wherever he is, wants to see us get along with one another and love one another." The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave the joint project a 10 million dollar grant to help publicize the program in churches. "You've got to have faith to build a better world," says Turner. —Heather Wax

Newsweek's Ana Elena Azpurua recently spoke with Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg, a theoretical physicist at The University of Texas at Austin, about the Large Hadron Collider and how it might change our understanding of the universe. The LHC—the largest particle physics experiment yet to be undertaken—will try to re-create the conditions of the cosmos less than a millisecond after the big bang, and researchers hope it will find evidence of the Higgs boson, nicknamed the "God particle" for its potential unifying role in developing a grand theory of the universe. In the interview, Weinberg places particular emphasis on the effects the discovery could have on both organized religion and ideas of origins. "The more we learn about the universe," says Weinberg, "the less sign we see of an intelligent designer." —Stephen Mapes

There may be a positive side to some types of pranks and practical jokes, according to anthropologists who have studied the way pranks are used in initiation rites and rituals around the world. Good pranks, they say—the funny kind that focus on human failings—can be used to help bring a person into a group, teach a coming-of-age lesson, or foster a certain kind of self-reflection. A piece in today's New York Times explains that the "Daribi of New Guinea, for example, have children make a small box and bury it in the ground, telling them that after a while a treasure will appear inside but they must not peek, according to Edie Turner, a professor of anthropology at the University of Virginia. Invariably the youngsters succumb to curiosity—only to find a sample of human feces. The Ndembu of Zambia have an adult in a monstrous mask sneak and scare the wits out of boys camping outside the village as part of a coming-of-age ritual in which they are showing their bravery. 'These kind of tricks are very common,' Dr. Turner said, 'and they are really a way to put a person down before raising them up. You’re being reminded of your failings even as you’re being honored.'"
Once duped, say psychologists, we tend to think through the alternate ways we might have acted or the other ways a situation might have turned out, and this kind of thinking "serves to highlight your own shortcomings,” Neal Roese, a psychologist at the University of Illinois, tells the newspaper. “A good deal of research has shown that these counterfactual insights can kick-start new behaviors, new self-exploration and, ultimately, self-improvement.” —Heather Wax