Hemant Mehta is the founder and editor of FriendlyAtheist.com, a YouTube creator, and podcast co-host. He is a former National Board Certified math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago. He has appeared on CNN and FOX News and served on the board of directors for Foundation Beyond Belief and the Secular Student Alliance. He has written multiple books, including I Sold My Soul on eBay and The Young Atheist's Survival Guide. He also edited the book Queer Disbelief.
It was two years ago when Saudi Arabia passed new laws saying atheists were considered enemies of the state, equivalent to violent terrorists. It didn’t make sense then, and it still doesn’t today. So when Al Jazeera America’s Mehdi Hasan had a chance to interview Saudi ambassador to the UN Abdallah al-Mouallimi, he attempted to get an answer as to why atheism and other “thought-crimes” were such a problem. Read more
We rightly cringe at the idea of religious exemptions from the law when we’re talking about requiring children to get vaccinations or prosecuting Christian Scientists who kill their sick kids because they wouldn’t take them to the doctor. But if none of those stories convince you that these exemptions are often abused, just wait till you hear about Deborah Stokes. Amy Julia Harris, writing for The Center for Investigative Reporting, has a jaw-dropping article about how Stokes ran awful day care after awful day care… and got away with it because she ran them as “churches.” Needless to say, no religious services ever took place in her buildings. Read more
With the Noah’s Ark Theme Park scheduled to open in a couple of months, it’s time for Ken Ham and his staff at Answers in Genesis to begin hiring staff to handle accounting, concessions, guest services, etc. As you might recall, a judge ruled earlier this year that Answers in Genesis would be allowed to discriminate in hiring even if they ultimately received tax incentives worth up to $18 million. The “No Jews” sign wouldn’t prevent them from having access to the cash. Now, a local critic of the ministry is wondering how far they’ll take that discrimination. Will Catholics be hired? What about Protestants who don’t accept Young Earth Creationism? Short answer: No. Read more