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.
If you drew a Venn Diagram of the modern Republican Party and conservative Christianity, there would be a hell of a lot of overlap. They’re anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-sex positivity, anti-science, etc. That’s why Nic Morse stands out. He’s a Christian Republican running for the U.S. House from Colorado’s 2nd District — which currently leans blue. Even though the primaries haven’t taken place yet, Morse is the only Republican in the race, meaning he’ll be the person challenging incumbent Rep. Jared Polis this November. When you read Morse’s stances on the issues, it won’t surprise you that he supports the Second Amendment, says he’s pro-life, and doesn’t want Colorado to accept Syrian refugees. However, he also says he unequivocally supports church/state separation. Not exactly part of the conservative checklist. But does he really mean it? Just how far will his conservatism allow him to follow that principle? That’s what I wanted to know. So over the course of several emails, Morse answered a number of my questions on these topics. I tried to cover a range of subjects instead of debating each one of them separately, for better or for worse. Our (slightly edited) conversation is below: Read more
If you attend Brigham Young University, you have to adhere to the BYU Honor Code which says you can’t drink alcohol, swear, have pre-marital sex, etc. The Honor Code also says people of the opposite sex can’t enter your bedroom, even if nothing sexual happens. Violate the Honor Code and you risk expulsion from the Mormon school. So what happens if you’re the victim of sexual assault? Some students are now saying that they fear reporting their rapes because the school will punish them for violating the Honor Code. Read more
Planting Peace, the organization responsible for the rainbow-colored house across the street from Westboro Baptist Church, recently put up a billboard in Mississippi in response to the state’s new anti-gay legislation. Now they’ve done something similar in North Carolina, where Governor Pat McCrory signed a law banning LGBT non-discrimination protections and barring transgender people from using affirming bathrooms. Here’s the billboard, firmly located on the border: Read more