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 new film set to open next month is all about a politician who gets in trouble when cameras show him not saying the Pledge of Allegiance. The Congressman, which was written by former Long Island Rep. Robert J. Mrazek, stars Treat Williams as Rep. Charlie Winship, a veteran who doesn’t say the Pledge because he doesn’t want to “recite a loyalty oath every morning” just to prove he loves his country. After discovering his opposition to the Pledge has earned him one of the lowest “morality ratings” in the country, he wisely states, “Maybe I should propose a law that all husbands and wives be required to recite their wedding vow every morning.” But things begin to unravel after that, causing Winship to change his ways: Read more
Kasey Medlin, a 20-year-old student at the Savannah College of Art and Design (in Georgia), grew up in Texas. As she told me, “Growing up and becoming a woman went hand and hand with my rejection of Christianity and eventually all religion.” But while her childhood was generally happy, she genuinely believed that if her dad and stepmother found out about her non-belief, it would affect their love for her. That’s the backdrop for a photography project she just completed called “Letting Go of Religion.” The 17 pictures explore the themes of femininity, innocence, sexuality, and individuality: Read more
Danny Westneat of the Seattle Times says that no matter who wins the Democratic Party’s nomination, we should all be thrilled with the success of Bernie Sanders. Not just because he’s moved the party a little more to the left, but because he’s made it that much more acceptable for major party candidates to basically ignore religion as a campaign issue: Read more
If you attended CPAC earlier this month, and I can’t imagine many of you did since it’s the influential conference for right-wingers, you would’ve seen representatives from American Atheists trying to convince Republicans not to shut them out. In their mind, you could be an atheist and a small-c conservative. It looks like there was a camera crew from Full Frontal following them around because Samantha Bee will be airing a segment tonight all about their presence. Read more