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.
Back in February, I posted about an anti-Scientology billboard that was supposed to go up in Los Angeles. It criticized the idea of Disconnection — the idea that current Scientologists can have no meaningful contact with ex-Scientologists, even within their own families. Unfortunately, the billboard company Outfront Media canceled its contract with former Scientologist Phil Jones. It was canceled on a technicality involving the artwork, but it’s hard to believe the message itself (and how it would upset powerful local Scientologists) had nothing to do with it. Another billboard company, Regency Outdoor, also refused to put it up. But none of that matters now, since Lamar Media finally accepted the money. Read more
Let me be upfront with you: I volunteered for Camp Quest because I love the outdoors and because I like kids. I didn’t do it because I thought it would be a life-changing experience for them (or, for that matter, me). After all, it was just a week-long summer camp. How much can change in so little time? For readers who may not understand why Camp Quest is so important — and I was one of those people before volunteering there — I’d like to share with you my experience in the hopes that you will see the importance of this organization and why it needs (and quite frankly deserves) your support. Read more
There’s no problem with government officials saying “Merry Christmas” because it’s just acknowledging what members of the community believe. And we’ve seen that courts won’t budge if a fire department chief puts “In God We Trust” signs on all the vehicles because judges consider it a generic message and not promotion of religion. But what the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office in Cleveland, Tennessee did on its Facebook page isn’t even ambiguous. On Easter, Sheriff Eric Watson posted this: Read more