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.
Last week, I posted about how the Unitarian Universalist Association had once again joined forces with the Boy Scouts of America. The UUA had cut all ties with the Scouts in 1998 due to its anti-atheist and anti-gay bigotry, but since the BSA is finally accepting of gay scouts and scout leaders, they figured now is the time to reconcile. The problem is that the BSA still doesn’t allow openly atheist scouts to be part of their organization. So why is the UUA — which prides itself on being inclusive — lending its support to an organization that will kick boys out for being atheists? Yesterday, the UUHA (the Humanist wing of the UUA) issued a public statement on the matter, responding to what Morales said. It’s clear that members of the UUHA are furious at their parent organization’s decision. Read more
In late February, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation reported that there was a POW/MIA memorial table at a VA clinic in Akron, Ohio that included a Bible. While the 11 MRFF members who raised the issue obviously had no problem honoring soldiers who were prisoners of war or missing in action, they didn’t understand why the government was promoting Christianity in the process. It’s not like casualties of war are always Christian. This was just another way of perpetuating the false notion that there are no atheists in foxholes. MRFF President Mikey Weinstein contacted the clinic on his clients’ behalf and was soon told the Bible was no longer part of the display. But Weinstein wasn’t done yet. Read more