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.
I don’t feel good about this, but I think I have to defend Mormon Elder David A. Bednar. At an event last week, a Chilean questioned asked the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles member a straightforward question: “How can homosexual members of the church live and remain steadfast in the gospel?” Or, to put it another way, can gays and lesbians be faithful Mormons? We know the Mormon Church is bigoted at its core. We know they fought the Boy Scouts of America from accepting gay scout leaders. We know they now punish children of gay parents unless those kids denounce their parents’ relationship. But Bednar’s response to the question seemed even worse than all of that: Read more
Dr. Ben Carson, who’s in desperation mode heading into Super Tuesday, is at the point where he’ll say anything for votes. Which, let’s face it, is the same strategy he was using earlier. And we all know where that got him. His latest attempt at pandering to the Christian base came during a conversation with Pat Robertson at Regent University. Carson said that, if he were elected President, he would do everything in his power to eliminate the “ban on Christianity in our public schools.” Smart move. Since that ban doesn’t exist — and never has — he just made a promise he can actually deliver on! Read more
If you visit Bladensburg, Maryland, you’ll see a 40-foot-tall World War I memorial called “Peace Cross.” Not only is it clearly a Christian symbol, it’s on public property, maintained by the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission: In 2012, the American Humanist Association asked the Commission to take down the monument. It was perfectly fine to honor veterans, they said, but not with a symbol that elevates one religion over all others and implies that only Christian soldiers fought in the war. Read more
