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.
Earlier this month, I posted a story about a ridiculous event that took place at Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School For Innovation in Lynchburg, Virginia. As the story went, a white teacher interrupted a Black History Month assembly and told the kids to leave the auditorium with him, leading the school to send home a letter to parents apologizing for his actions. There’s now an update to this story and I’m sorry to say it doesn’t involve an apology to Tyree. Read more
Ruth Tucker was married to an ordained minister for about 20 years. On paper, that might sound like a great union, but the reality was far more disturbing. Tucker became the subject of his violent rages as he tried to force her into submission. She and her son eventually escaped in 1987. The longtime professor has now written a book documenting her experiences and urging Christians to adopt a more egalitarian approach to marriage, as opposed to a complementarian one that says men are always the head of the household. It’s called Black and White Bible, Black and Blue Wife: My Story of Finding Hope after Domestic Abuse (Zondervan, 2016): In the excerpt below, she writes about one of those violent outbursts, how her son Carlton protected her, and how she remained silent about it even then: Read more
Earlier today, President Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. He’s widely considered a moderate as well as an apolitical selection (as much as someone can be, anyway). The nomination itself means we have to ask some important questions: Where does Garland stand on church/state separation? LGBT rights? Women’s rights? Read more
Rob Sherman, a longtime atheist activist from Illinois (who’s been off the religion radar for quite some time), won his primary last night, earning the chance to represent the Green Party in a race for U.S. Congress from the state’s 5th District. That’s the interesting news. The more depressing news is that the numbers don’t look very promising: Read more
News outlets are confirming that President Obama will nominate 63-year-old Judge Merrick Garland to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. He’s a moderate justice who serves as Chief Judge of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. As far as qualifications go, very few could match him. He’s a Harvard Law School graduate, is well-liked by politicians and peers, clerked for former Justice William Brennan, held senior positions in the Justice Department, and is very respected by other justices. SCOTUSblog’s Tom Goldstein says Garland is essentially “from central casting.” If confirmed — a big “if” — he would be the fourth Jewish person on the nine-member Court. Read more