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.
It was late 2014 when Dr. Ben Carson told the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody that he felt God’s “fingers” urging him to run for President. Carson announced this afternoon, however, that there’s no “political path forward,” hinting that he’d soon be leaving the race. An official announcement is suspected by the end of the week. Read more
We’ve seen a lot of sheriffs putting “In God We Trust” stickers on city-owned vehicles over the past few months. Unfortunately, there’s not much recourse we have for that. The sheriffs can just lie about their religious motives, shrug their shoulders, and say, “It’s our national motto!” But when they’re putting a Christian cross on the vehicles, that crosses a line. And that’s what Brewster County (Texas) Sheriff Ronny Dodson did with his office’s cars a couple of months ago: Now FFRF is filing a federal lawsuit against the sheriff. Read more
An ad by the Church of Scientology has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (a UK regulatory agency) because it contained unsubstantiated information. Which, let’s face it, applies to all of Scientology. But this time, the Church said it helped people by “giving aid to 24 million in times of need,” a number Church officials haven’t been able to back up. Read more
If you’re waiting at the Westlake Transit Station in Seattle to take a bus or train, then you’re bound to be greeted by Christians who want to convert you. They’ll hand out Bibles and chat up their faith, and it’s all perfectly legal. Which is why the Satanists plan to join them. According to the Seattle chapter of The Satanic Temple, members will be on hand to pass out Satanic literature on Saturday, March 12: Read more
After getting a Festivus Pole in the Florida State Capitol, and putting up displays of a butt-plugged Jesus on an upside-down cross, activist Chaz Stevens is going Shinto for his next stunt. A request has been submitted with the Florida Department of Management Services to celebrate “The 2016 Shinto Kanamara Matsuri (かなまら祭り) Festival of the Steel Phallus.” Which, I should note, is a real thing. Which, I should also note, is just a fancy way of saying Stevens wants to erect a giant penis with Donald Trump’s face inside the Florida Capitol: Read more
