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.
A couple of months ago, we learned about an Idaho bill that would allow teachers to use the Bible in their classrooms when they felt it would enhance the lesson. Even though that was already legal, this legislation specifically said the Bible could be used in astronomy, biology, geology, world geography, and archaeology classes… which raised the question of why the hell that would ever happen. After a lot of public outcry, the science classes were stricken from the bill, but it still didn’t make much sense. It’s not like there was a need to bring up the Bible in world geography or archaeology, after all. Comparative religion or English literature? Maybe. But nothing that dealt with facts or evidence. In March, S1342a passed in the Senate on a 31-3 vote and the House on a 54-15 vote. With only Republican Governor Butch Otter standing in the way of the bill becoming a law, it seemed like a foregone conclusion. That’s why it came as a bit of a shock yesterday when Otter vetoed the bill: Read more
It’s amazing how Ted Cruz can claim Christians are being persecuted in the U.S. when he’s ridiculously close to winning the presidency. Televangelist Jim Bakker is no different. On his show last week, he explained to the Family Research Council’s Jerry Boykin that Christians are under attack so badly, that he’s practically waiting for the government to arrest him. Read more
There’s a delightful tradition in Switzerland in which students shake hands with their teachers before and after class — it’s a sign of respect, not to mention a way to calm everyone down before the lessons start. But a school in the Basel-Country canton is now at the center of controversy because of how administrators dealt with two Muslim students who didn’t want to participate in the tradition. The reason? Their religion prevents them from touching women who aren’t in their family. The problem is that school officials seemed to be okay with this, making an accommodation for the boys: Read more